A discussion has come up on the Tremblant-insider that needs some NE Diva input. The poster wants to know about crowds and conditions at the Christmas break. He has family that wants to ski and really doesn't care about the village. In his post on the TI he wanted to compare Tremblant to Stowe or Smuggs. Since most of us on the Insider are familiar with Tremblant and other Quebec resorts, but not all the Vermont ones, we're not much help. So can anyone give me an idea of crowds and conditions at the Christmas holiday break?
There are a few Bears over on Epicski.com who live in Stowe, including Epic (Erik) who is on staff there. Perhaps your friend can post over there.
I have only skied Stowe once, last December at ESA Stowe. Conditions were unbelievable (powder, then a cold packed powder day, then another powder day) and the place was very quiet because it was pre-Christmas. Stowe's lift tickets are very pricey and the new Stowe Mountain Lodge (where I poked around and had a drink in the bar when I was there last month) is pretty high end, very Aspen-like. I expect that Stowe is busy and expensive over the holidays, but that the crowds are moved quickly as their lifts are very fast and well run and it's a very large mountain by New England standards. Stowe is a great mountain for all ski levels. The village is spread out with a variety of accomodations available. The Stoweflake is nice and medium priced. The new Stowe Mountain Lodge is ridiculously expensive.
I've skied Smuggs twice (I now own a timeshare there). I love Smuggs for the friendly, low key feel of the community, and the lift tickets are less expensive, but keep in mind that it is a family resort and so the mountain experience includes a lot of groups of kids whizzing around and inexperienced skiers. I bet Christmas week is jammed since it's one of the two weeks during ski season that kids are out of school. If your friends are very experienced skiers and want to explore Smuggs during Christmas vacation, I would hire a guide to get off the main trails which get skied off early and can be quite icy and head to the trees and other runs that make up Madonna and Sterling Mountains. If they are traveling with kids, Smuggs is the place to go as the kids can go into group lessons and the parents can take off and ski alone and there are tons of other fun things to do for families. Smuggs also only has 3 chair lifts, 1 for each mountain, and they are slow doubles. Since we head up there in late March when it's typically warmer, it's ok, but I bet it would get cold on a long windy ride to the top. Smuggs has condo accomodations that are spacious and comfortable but the dining there is ho hum so it's best to bring groceries and cook in the condos.
If your friends want to ski both mountains, keep in mind that to get from Smugger's to Stowe or back in the Winter, it's about 45 min. drive (usually a 15 minute drive) because the notch is closed due to snow and unsafe winter driving.
And Jilly, my kids are at Tremblant right now with their Dad and stepmom on vacation staying at Les Suites Tremblant Hotel..... They arrived today for a vacation until Thursday! I am excited for them because it's their first trip to Canada, and I love Canada and all things Canadian....
