Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, VT
The past two years, Audrey and I have gone to the Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont as a holiday gift to ourselves. You can read about both of our trips here and here.
Located 35 miles from Burlington, roughly 200 miles from Boston, the Stowe Mountain Resort in is frequently ranked as one of, if not the most, the best skiing resorts on the East coast.
The Mountain
The Stowe skiing resort is comprised of two separate mountains, Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak providing a combined 39 miles of skiable terrain. Mansfield has the 5th highest vertical drop in New England at 2,360 feet whilst its summit is the highest in Vermont.
With its status as a premiere ski resort on the East coast, lift tickets tend to be noticeably more expensive than at other resorts in New England.
As of February 2017, skiing operations at Stowe have been operated by Vail Resorts, inc after purchasing the facilities from insurance giant American International Group (AIG) for $41 million.
This new ownership opened up the mountain to a wider audience. As a Vail Resorts operated moutnain, Stowe is now included in the Epic Pass, a season-long lift ticket good at 45 ski resorts around the world.
At the time of this writing, an unlimited adult Epic Pass ticket for the 2018-2019 season runs for $929. Compare that to Stowe’s previous season pass costing $2,000 for an adult.
The Trails
Having one of the tallest verticals in New England means Stowe has a wide variety of trails to offer skiiers of all levels of ability. Stowe is second only to Killington in terms of different trails with 116.
Stowe is definitely an advanced mountain, as only 16% of the trails across the resort are designated for novice skiiers. Although limited in quantity, this does not mean that beginner trails are lacking in quality. Toll Road, the mountain’s longest trail at 4.3 miles, is a simple, shallow trail for a long, leisurely ride down the mountain.
The resort is serviced by 12 different lifts including two gondolas, two surface lifts and eight chair lifts with a combined capacity of 15,000 people per hour. The sun goes down pretty early in the winter this far up north and as such, lifts only run until 4 PM. Despite the early cut off for lifts, by the time the last lift goes up, the sun has already set behind the ridgeline causing the temperature on the summit to drop by up to 10 degrees in a matter of minutes.
Unfortunately, night time skiing is not available at Stowe
The Lodge at Spruce Peak
When Vail Resorts purchased the skiing facilities on Mount Mansfield, they passed on also buying the Stowe Mountain Lodge, which is operated by Destination Hotels. In November 2018, the lodge officially changed its name to The Lodge at Spruce Peak as it was no longer really a part of the Stowe Mountain Resort.
The separation of the lodge from the rest of the resort has created a few minor inconveniences. Noticeably, in the past, you were able to pick up your lift tickets right when you checked in to your room, but now that the resort and the lodge are two separate entities, you now have to go to the ski village separately to get your passes.
Again, this isn’t a huge deal, but the lack of streamlining is a little out of place for a “luxury resort.”
The amenities at the lodge itself are incredible. I could (and probably will) write an entire blog post just about it.
The lodge doubles both as a hotel as well as a condominium with people having the ability to purchase some of these rooms for their own private use. The website Stowe Mountain Rentals allows condo owners the ability to rent out their rooms to other patrons while not in use.
Not only are these the same luxurious rooms offered throughout the lodge, but you still get access to 24 hour room service, heated pool and Jacuzzi access, complimentary car valet, as well as access to the ski valet.
The only real downside to renting your room from a private owner is that housekeeping is not included. If you are a neat person, or don’t care that your room is not completely tidy, renting a room from a private owner will save you over 50% on a room compared to just renting directly through the lodge.
Note: Stowe Mountain Rentals require a two-night minimum stay.
There are several dining options inside the lodge: Solstice, the Hourglass Lounge, and the Whistlepig Pavilion set to open on December 20, 2018. Although they both operate out of the same kitchen, Solstice and Hourglass offer two separate menus.
Guests looking for a more casual experience and maybe get a quick bite and some drinks will be drawn to the Hourglass Lounge’s wide range of craft beers and simpler tavern fare.
People looking for more of a “sit down” experience will be welcomed at Solstice where guests can find dishes ranging from 14 oz NY Strip to duck breast. Given its location inside a resort, it should come as no surprise that both restaurants are fairly overpriced. If you order room service like Audrey and I did, expect to pay even more.
The Village
Just outside the Lodge at Spruce Peak is the rest of the Stowe Mountain Resort village. At the Stowe village, skiers can find a variety of shops, places to eat, and an ice rink.
These shops include a country market, offering local meats and cheeses, craft beers, wines and specialty beverages, coffee shops, bakeries, and clothing shops selling luxury outdoor apparel.
