Stowe Sunrise Six Upgrade: Not Just A High-Speed Helper Lift

Stowe’s Sunrise Six is the resort’s first-ever six-pack.

Background

For the 2022-23 season, Vermont’s Stowe installed its first ever six-pack chairlift. The resort replaced its 35-year-old Mountain Triple lift with the Sunrise Six, bringing a much faster ride time and slightly adjusted lift line to allow for easier egress from the Mansfield base lodge. One might argue the Sunrise installation doesn’t add high-speed service to any new terrain, but a number of the lift’s design circumstances bring about notable experience improvements.

The Stowe trail map, with the new Sunrise Six lift highlighted in red.

The Experience

The Sunrise Six serves the lower two-thirds of Stowe’s Mount Mansfield side, and all of its marked trails can also be accessed from the FourRunner high-speed quad. However, the FourRunner lift does not directly serve any green trails, meaning that in previous seasons, beginners would have to stick to the slower triple chair to access easier terrain without starting on a blue run first.

With a largely identical lift line to the old Mountain lift, the Sunrise chair finally brings high-speed lift service to the beginner terrain in this area—in fact, it’s the first high-speed lift to offer direct access to any green terrain at Stowe at all. As a result, beginners who don’t feel comfortable skiing or riding blues will benefit substantially from the saved ride time of the new lift. Families of four or more will also appreciate the extra capacity on each individual chair.

Thanks to the Sunrise Six’s extended lift line, guests no longer have to hike out from the low-set Mansfield Base Lodge to get back to the slopes.

Anyone who stops in for a break at the Mansfield base will also appreciate the Sunrise chair. The Mansfield Base Lodge sits very low on the mountain, and in previous seasons, guests would have to hike up from the building to get back to the lifts. However, the Sunrise lift’s alignment has been extended down to the lodge itself, allowing guests to get back on the mountain with no hiking or walking required. The Mansfield base lodge is really the only convenient place to stop in for a break in the vicinity, so this realignment brings a significant experience improvement not just for beginners, but for all abilities.

So while the Sunrise Six may come across as just a helper lift upgrade on the surface, the lift replacement has brought about enhancements in beginner progression and amenity access that remove many of the resort’s previous annoyances. Sunrise has also pulled some of the crowding away from the FourRunner chair and created a high-speed terrain pod that’s typically less crowded than the others on the mountain. Ultimately, nearly all Stowe guests will benefit, even if indirectly, from the upgraded setup.

The Sunrise Six’s terminal color scheme may be a bit bold for some tastes, but there’s no question the lift is faster and more comfortable than its predecessor.

Considering a ski trip to Stowe this year? Check out our full Vermont ski resort rankings, as well as our comprehensive Stowe review from the 2021-22 season (a refreshed 2022-23 review will be out shortly). You can also check out our thoughts on North America’s major 2021-22 ski resort lift and terrain upgrades in video form below.