SKIING WHAT SOME SAY IS THE BEST MOUNTAIN IN THE EAST
Stowe is well regarded in the East Coast ski world, and rightfully so. It’s got a rich history, a fun variety of terrain, ample natural snowfall, and the mountain ain’t too bad to look at on top of that. Put it all together, and you’ve got a ski resort that stands out as one of the best places to ski in the East. Is it THE best? Well, that’s tough to say. I’m not one to make a call like that, at least in this post, but I will say it’s a pretty epic ski resort (see what I did there).
Haychute.
Nosedive Glades.
I last skied Stowe on April 17 of last year. It was an amazing day, with fresh powder, comfortable temperatures, and sunshine. Conditions were basically perfect for April. I spent a lot of time in the woods on that April day, and it was a ton of fun, so I've been looking forward to returning since I bought several Epic days last summer. Today, I finally used one of those days and made the trek to Mount Mansfield to ski Stowe.
Upper Perry Merrill.
Gondolier.
I was joined by none other than Pro Skier Darren White, Wild Bill, and Chris. Pro Skier Darren White, Chris and myself all skied Stowe last season, but Wild Bill hadn't skied there in quite some time. We all skied together yesterday at Sugarbush, which was a day full of bumps and trees, so I think we were all a little tired from that. Nevertheless, we still managed to have a big day at Stowe skiing a variety of terrain.
Liftline.
Upper Gondolier.
Rimrock.
Chin Clip.
Conditions were a mixed bag. Most of the groomers on Mount Mansfield were fairly firm. Some of the notably icy runs included Nosedive, Liftline and Hayride. The groomers over at Spruce Peak were in better shape, and were probably the best groomers we skied all day conditions wise, with mostly packed powder everywhere. The natural snow trails were a bit more reliable, with conditions being overall better on them. My favorite natural snow run of the day was probably Chin Clip. The bumps on it were a manageable size and the snow was decent enough.
I’m not sure what these woods are named.
Nosedive Glades.
Sunrise Glades.
As for the trees, coverage was fantastic everywhere, but some of them had really powdery snow in them, while others were a little firm. The firm ones did get better as the day progressed and people went through them. I’m a big fan of the Nosedive Glades and they were great today with plenty of soft powdery snow in them. The glades we hit most were the Sunrise Glades and the Birch Glades. While not the most difficult glades in the world, we were cruising through them and it was a ton of fun to hit them both back-to-back.
Riding the Sensation Quad.
Upper Main Street.
Spruce Line.
We spent a fair amount of time over at Spruce Peak, and I think we all really enjoyed how quiet it was over there. It wasn’t a busy day on the Mount Mansfield side per se, but the terrain off the Sensation Quad at Spruce Peak was practically empty. We skied basically all of the terrain off the Sensation Quad. I’d say Sterling in full was probably my favorite run. It’s long, windy and the snow was nice on it. Upper Smugglers, and Smuggler’s, were also both a lot of fun.
I’ve still got one more Epic day left. I had three to start the season, and I’ve since used one at Wildcat and one at Stowe. I’ll likely use my last one at Stowe, but you never know, I could end up somewhere else.
Never Quit Skiing,
Lincoln