Skiing began on Mt. Mansfield, the future Stowe Resort, in the 1930s when stalwart locals hiked up the old carriage road to the summit of Vermont's highest peak and skied back down. The first lift, a single-seat chairlift was erected in 1940. It was the first chairlift in the East and for years, the longest with the greatest vertical rise in the country.
Since then, people have been skiing (and later also snowboarding) Mt. Mansfield (and later Spruce Peak) ever since. These mountains, now linked by a transit lift, are at the end of the plowed road five miles from the classic village of Stowe. Stowe Mountain Resort (tel. 800/253-4SKI; www.stowe.com) runs the ski operations and recently developed the first slopeside village at the base of Spruce Peak.
There are now high-speed chairlifts, a gondola to a mountaintop restaurant, extensive snowmaking, snow grooming, terrain parks, and a village development on what long had been a parking lot at base of Spruce Peak. Modern amenities and 21st-century infrastructure notwithstanding, skiing at Stowe still carries a pioneering pedigree and a reputation for challenge that confronted early skiers huddling under blankets during the long cold ride on the original single chair.
The big mountain's legendary Front Four (Goat, Starr, Liftline, and National) plus International and much of Nosedive are narrow, twisty trails that combine freefall steepness with drop-offs that defy modern grooming and still firm up to glasslike hardness. Skiing them is a triumph; doing it well merits bragging rights.
Most of Mount Mansfield is considerably more mellow, with intermediate runs flanking the fearsome Front Four and the Toll House Slopes, legitimate beginner terrain, at the bottom. Spruce Peak is also right for novice and intermediate skiers. Lower Spruce offers easy-street skiing, while Upper Spruce is just a tad more challenging. The gondola area between them offers excellent intermediate and advanced terrain.
At Stowe, cross-country skiing is the peer of Alpine. Just as Mt. Mansfield pioneered Alpine skiing, the Trapp Family Lodge (tel. 800/826-7000; www.trappfamily.com/skicenter/) pioneered cross-country skiing 40 years ago this winter. Trapp now offers 45 kilometers of immaculately groomed Nordic trails linked with an additional 100 km of backcountry routes. Stowe Mountain Resort has its own 35 km network of groomed trails and 40 km of backcountry trails, and a country inn called Edson Hill Manor (tel. 800/621-0284; www.edsonhillmanor.com) grooms an additional 25 km. Off-snow activities feature such pursuits as shopping and the varied dining options offered at Stowe.
Where to Stay
Stowe Mountain Lodge (tel. 802-253-3560; www.stowemountainlodge.com), a luxurious 129-unit hotel, at the base of Spruce Peak. Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Lodge (tel. 800/253-2232; www.stoweflake.com) is an award-winning property between town and mountain. A full list of resorts, hotels, motor inns and B&Bs is available from the Stowe Area Association (tel. 877/GO-STOWE; www.gostowe.com).
Stowe Stats
Lifts: 2 gondolas, 3 high-speed quad chairlifts, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triples, 4 doubles, 2 surface lifts; uphill capacity, 15,516 per hour
Vertical: 2,160 feet
Skiable Acres: 483; 90 % snowmaking coverage. Average annual snowfall, 333 inches
Trails: 116 (16% beginner and novice; 59% intermediate; 25% expert)
Terrain Parks, Halfpipes and Freestyle Areas: 6
