Mountain Review: Stowe
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria6
Snow:
6
Resiliency:
3
Size:
7
Terrain Diversity:
8
Challenge:
8
Lifts:
4
Crowd Flow:
6
Facilities:
7
Navigation:
6
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $135-$185
Pass Affiliation: Epic Pass
On-site Lodging: Yes
Aprés-ski: Moderate
Nearest Cities: Montreal (2.5 hrs), Boston (3.5 hrs), New York (6 hrs)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Demanding expert terrain
Snow quality for Vermont
Modern lifts in most major areas
Ease of navigation
– Cons
Crowd flow
Impractically placed Mansfield base facilities
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 12
Trails: 116
Beginner: 16%
Intermediate: 55%
Advanced/Expert: 29%
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Mountain Review
Looking for a Northeast destination that pulls out all the stops? As one of the longest operating ski areas not just in the region but in the world, Stowe has been a go-to ski vacation spot for generations.
Stowe sits in northern Vermont, and its location makes it a bit colder and less convenient to reach than many competitors. The resort has a few flaws, yet it still manages to hold its own against the best East Coast mountains.
Size and Terrain Layout
While it isn’t the largest ski resort on the East Coast, Stowe offers a 485-acre footprint comprising two distinct mountains with well-rounded terrain. These two mountains include the Mount Mansfield side, which offers terrain for all abilities but is overall more advanced in nature, and the Spruce Peak side, which is more family-oriented with race training. The two sides are connected by the base-to-base Over Easy Gondola which boasts a brisk two-minute ride time.
Stowe’s two mountain sides comprise 485 skiable acres and are connected by a short gondola ride.
Beginner Terrain
Stowe isn’t exactly oriented towards those learning how to ski or snowboard, but the beginner experience has gotten better thanks to recent enhancements. The Spruce Peak side offers the best selection of beginner terrain on the mountain, with a decently-sized bunny hill complex consisting of two relatively short lifts. One of these lifts, the Adventure Triple, services an exclusive trail that winds around condos and offers more character than a typical bunny slope.
Green runs on the Mansfield side have historically been lacking, but the new Sunrise Six chair brings high-speed lift service to Stowe’s existing green terrain for the first time ever. That, combined with some regrading near the top of the lift, has allowed for more and better beginner options off the face of Mansfield than in years past.
Besides the Sunrise lift, the Mansfield side’s green runs are constrained to the Toll House. But guests should pretty much avoid this area unless parked over there, as it’s a flat, neglected mountain area serviced by a miserably slow double chair. While none of Stowe’s other chairs directly serve any green runs, most beginners shouldn’t have a huge problem getting down the upper section of the Toll Road trail served by the FourRunner lift, and this is a great run to test the waters before progressing to the next level.
Stowe offers a strong selection of family-friendly terrain, with excellent grooming operations.
Intermediate Terrain
Stowe offers a very strong selection of intermediate slopes. With the exception of the aforementioned Toll House, every mountain area offers some flavor of this type of terrain. Most runs under the gondola and on Spruce Peak are nice, groomed cruisers, while the FourRunner lift services a few enjoyable blue runs as well. The new Sunrise Six makes it a lot more convenient to lap many of the blues on the Mansfield side without lapping the top part of FourRunner over and over again. Some blue trails sport moguls, a rarity among Vermont resorts that may catch some intermediate skiers off guard, but these bump sections rarely last long and are almost always groomed if it’s a peak weekend or holiday.
If you go over to the Sensation Quad on the Spruce Peak side, there is a catch—if you choose to stick exclusively to blue trails, there’s no way to get back to the base without engaging in some mild hiking. This wasn’t always the case, but Stowe closed a couple of trails in this area about a decade ago to reorient it for racing. However, the Upper Main Street and Main Street Headwall runs in this area used to be blues and should be doable for most intermediates.
TRAIL MAP
Advanced and Expert Terrain
Stowe offers some of the most demanding terrain anywhere on the East Coast. The most difficult runs are on the Mansfield side; while the Spruce Peak side does have advanced-level terrain, its toughest runs are much tamer.
The FourRunner lift services Stowe’s famed “Front Four”—these include the Goat and Starr trails, which deliver narrow, steep, and demandingly variable conditions, and the close-by Liftline and National trails, which aren’t quite as narrow or variable but offer similarly pitched terrain. These trails are long too, putting a strain on your endurance.
Stowe’s Front Four trails are home to some of the most demanding skiing and riding in Vermont.
The Chin Clip trail off the gondola, while not as difficult terrain-wise as the Front Four, maintains a long, sustained pitch you can’t bail on for the bottom two-thirds of the run. The aptly-named Waterfall trail and a few unmarked nearby wooded areas, also off the gondola, will send you off a frozen waterfall.
Terrain Parks
Stowe offers two terrain parks on the Mansfield side, but the setup lags behind others in Vermont. The freestyle trails boast some family-friendly snow features and a number of small to medium jumps, boxes, and rails, but there aren’t any setups designed for advanced and expert freestylers.
Stowe offers strong East Coast snow quality, but the resort also boasts decently extensive snowmaking operations for days when natural conditions are less than ideal.
Snow Quality
Stowe’s northern Vermont location allows it to offer very strong East Coast snow quality. Each season, the resort typically experiences more snow events and fewer freeze-thaw cycles than competing ski areas further south. This means that natural conditions at Stowe are often better than central and southern Vermont competitors.
RECOMMENDED SKIS FOR STOWE
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.
Recommended all-mountain ski
Recommended carving ski
Recommended glade ski
Recommended expert/touring ski
Snowmaking and On-Mountain Resiliency
Stowe employs snowmaking on a sizable chunk of its footprint to ensure reliable operations throughout the season. In addition, the FourRunner Quad cable runs at slow speeds at night to avoid icing, protecting that lift against weather holds.
But not every trail sees snowmaking, and conditions, like at other Vermont resorts, can be heavily variable. Stowe still does see its fair share of warm weather days, and thin cover and icy terrain, while less common than resorts further south, do occur. Stowe is pretty conservative when it comes to opening many of its best expert runs, making it tough to reliably plan for the resort’s most extreme terrain. Trying to hit Goat or Starr if it hasn’t snowed in a few days or if it’s any time before late January? Better cross your fingers they’re open.
Stowe is an incredibly popular mountain, and the resort sees substantial lift lines during peak times.
Crowds
As the only northern Vermont resort on the Epic Pass, Stowe gets packed during peak times, and crowd flow is a mixed bag. On busy days, the Mansfield Gondola is the worst lift on the mountain. Lines get atrociously long at this enclosed, intermediate-oriented lift, and there aren’t any helper lifts to service the same terrain, making it a substantial chokepoint. Lines for the FourRunner Quad can get very long as well, although this lift is relieved by the essentially parallel Lookout Double and just-installed Sunrise Six.
Crowd management could use some work; if there are multiple different line mazes to get on the same lift, you might end up waiting twice as long just cause you picked the wrong one. In addition, the gondola singles line doesn’t start until you get into the entrance barn, meaning that there’s no segmentation structure at the start of the line if the crowd extends out of there. Fortunately, the crowd flow on the less trafficked Spruce Peak side is much smoother.
Stowe’s Mansfield Base Lodge is somewhat hard to spot from the slopes, but it’s a lot easier to get out of than in previous seasons thanks to recent lift enhancements.
On-Mountain Facilities
Stowe’s on-mountain facilities are a mixed bag, albeit with some notable improvements in recent years.
The Mansfield base facilities suffer from some rather frustrating logistical issues. The Midway Lodge on the Gondola side is several feet up from the start of the Gondola and only accessible by taking a lift up to the top—this makes it incredibly inconvenient to reach from the base and especially annoying on days when the lines are bad. The other option is the Mansfield Lodge at the bottom of the FourRunner terrain—this lodge is thankfully much easier to get to and leave than in previous seasons thanks to the new Sunrise lift, but it’s still fairly hard to spot and not immediately apparent if you end up at the bottom of the FourRunner chair. If you parked near the gondola and want to stop in a lodge at the beginning or end of the day, it’s going to be a hassle.
Luckily, it only takes a short Over Easy Gondola ride to get to the Spruce Peak base, where facilities are much better. The Spruce Peak Base Lodge is centrally located and offers plenty of space, even during peak times.
When it comes to upper-mountain facilities, Stowe has a few across its footprint. The Mansfield side offers convenient summit lodges at the top of both FourRunner and the Gondola, but the FourRunner summit lodge is relatively small and offers very limited seating at peak times. The Spruce Peak side is relatively small compared to the Mansfield side, and the only public lodge above the base is a bathroom at the Sensation Quad loading area.
Stowe boasts modern, high-speed lifts in most major areas.
Lifts and Navigation
Getting around the rest of Stowe isn’t bad. High-speed lifts service most major terrain. Informative signage makes few areas difficult to find or miss. It’s quick and easy to physically travel from one mountain area to another in most cases, although the aforementioned Base Camp Road trail out of the Sensation Quad area and the route directly from the Over Easy Gondola to the FourRunner Quad can require some catwalking.
RECOMMENDED SNOWBOARDS FOR STOWE
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.
Recommended intermediate board
Recommended advanced board
Recommended expert board
Recommended touring board
Mountain Aesthetic
Stowe is one of the more aesthetic resorts as far as East Coast ski areas go. The Mount Mansfield side looks and feels unique thanks to its striking, often snow-capped mountain tops. The Spruce Peak side consists of less unique topography than the Mansfield side, but on clear days, both resort sides offer fantastic, uninhibited views of one another.
The resort has become more built up in recent years, and the Spruce Peak base area is now home to many stores and condos. Half of the old Midway slope at Mount Mansfield, previously a bunny hill, has been converted into a parking lot. But there’s very little buildup on the slopes themselves, and many competitors are worse offenders.
Backcountry Access
Upon on initial visit to Stowe, it can be quite disappointing to realize the resort doesn’t extend to the top of those peaks. But if you’re really determined, you can hike to them for some of the most extreme, otherworldly backcountry terrain you’ll find anywhere in Vermont. The hike can take up to 45 minutes, but it’s like nothing else within easy reach of a ski resort on a good day. Runs either merge into the resort or end on Route 108 for a catwalk back. The Spruce Peak side offers access to some backcountry as well and sports a trail to the Smugglers’ Notch ski area via a short hike.
Guests can hike out of bounds to get to some the most incredible backcountry terrain in Vermont.
Getting There
Stowe’s northern Vermont location means it’s a long drive to reach from major Northeast metropolitan areas. With no traffic, the drive takes approximately six hours from the New York City area, and it takes about three-and-a-half from Boston. On the other hand, the drive from the Canadian city of Montreal takes only about two-and-a-half hours, making it the closest major city to Stowe. Burlington, which is Vermont’s largest city, is about 45 minutes away.
Stowe is a long distance from many major Northeast metropolitan areas—and the drives are made longer by peak-time access road traffic.
Lodging
All of Stowe’s on-site hotel and condo rentals exist at the Spruce Peak and Toll House bases. These accommodations are quite pricey and out of budget for the vast majority of travelers, especially when it comes to the Spruce Peak offerings. More reasonably priced options exist on the access road and in the nearby town of Stowe—and for the most economical options, visitors may want to explore options a bit further away in Waterbury or Morrisville. However, access road traffic has always been a problem, and guests who don’t stay on site may find themselves waiting in hours-long traffic jams during the busiest holiday mornings.
Parking
For the 2022-23 season, Stowe made a major change to their parking policy, implementing paid parking on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays at all lots except for the Cross Country Center and Toll House area. This change has definitely cut down on crowds and access road traffic, but the remaining free lots are pretty inconvenient compared with Stowe’s other parking options. Guests can avoid the parking fee by carpooling in vehicles carrying four or more individuals.
All of Stowe’s convenient parking lots now require payment on Fridays, weekends, and holidays.
Aprés-ski
Stowe isn’t the biggest party mountain on the East Coast, but the resort offers a few strong aprés-ski and nightlife spots. A number of on-mountain bars offer terrific happy hour vibes (but no drink deals thanks to Vermont’s liquor laws). Most bars in town are tied to pub-like restaurants, and many close after dinner time. A few stay open later, even on weekdays—be sure to check out Rimrocks, a classic sports bar, and the Rusty Nail, which regularly features live music and provides a more club-like atmosphere.
Visitors will want to head to town to check out Stowe’s restaurants and nightlife scene.
Verdict
Stowe suffers from heavy crowding at peak times and may not offer the most convenient base facilities, but this resort delivers a combination of quality snow, modern lift service, and challenging terrain that’s really difficult to beat on the East Coast. In addition, easy access to outstanding Vermont backcountry terrain will appeal to the resort’s most adventurous visitors.
Pricing
Lift tickets are among the most pricey in the state, with 1-day adult rates as high a $185 for a single day at the resort. However, Stowe is part of the Epic Pass suite, and guests who purchase either day or season pass products before early December can access the resort for a much more reasonable rate. Ultimately, not everyone will want to make the commitment to drive all the way up to Stowe, but for the right folks, the resort may well be worth it.
The East Coast’s 2023-24 ski season can best be described as a roller coaster, with both some of the best—and worst—days in the region’s nine-decade history.