Mountain Review: Stratton (2019-2023)
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria5
Snow:
6
Resiliency:
4
Size:
5
Terrain Diversity:
5
Challenge:
8
Lifts:
6
Crowd Flow:
6
Facilities:
8
Navigation:
3
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: Yes
Apres-ski: Extensive
Pass Affiliation: Ikon Pass
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Lift infrastructure
Impeccable resort signage
Size and terrain for southern Vermont
Snowmaking and grooming operations
– Cons
Crowds
Commercialized feel
Inconvenient overflow parking
Lack of true expert terrain
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 11
Trails: 99
Beginner: 40%
Intermediate: 35%
Advanced/Expert: 25%
Mountain Review
As one of the southernmost Vermont ski resorts, Stratton has long been an go-to choice for those looking for a decently-sized mountain within easy driving distance of the New York and Boston metropolitan areas. The mountain delivers an ideal family experience thanks to diverse terrain and easy navigation, but like at most southern Vermont resorts, you’ll be giving up some snow and terrain quality for the convenience.
Getting around Stratton is easy thanks to a well-designed mountain layout and impeccable signage. Trail markings at every intersection make the directions to each mountain area or lift abundantly clear. While the resort contains two bases and a few distinct areas, you’ll never end up in the wrong place if you just follow the signs. The mountain’s sole summit area is easy to reach and provides access to every trail on the mountain—it takes at least two lifts to get to the top from the Snow Bowl base, but the main base area offers direct base-to-summit access via the gondola. Some trails in or out of major resort areas are relatively flat, however.
As one of the closest decently-sized resorts to major northeastern metropolitan areas, Stratton is known for its crowds, especially on weekends and holidays. Luckily, Stratton does its best to mitigate the effects of crowding with one of the best lift setups anywhere in Vermont. The resort boasts a gondola, four high-speed six-pack lifts, one high-speed quad, and a few helper fixed-grip lifts, all of which work together to provide high capacity in every mountain area. Every lift has at least one alternative, resulting in a lack of resort choke points. On bad days, you might be tempted by the Speed Bear line, a VIP experience that allows you to bypass the crowds—however, passes are only available to Stratton Mountain Club members.
Stratton’s large uphill capacity efficiently moves visitors up the hill, but it also leads to very few pockets of isolation around the resort. The relatively flat summit doesn’t feel very unique. The resort often sees cloudy weather, but views on a clear day are tame compared to some other Vermont resorts.
Stratton offers a respectable variety of terrain for southern Vermont, but it doesn’t match what you can get if you drive a few hours further north. The mountain’s grooming operations are impressive, and intermediates will find a lot to like here. Plenty of cruisers here are blues; some, especially in upper mountain areas, are blacks, but advanced intermediates should have no problem getting down any of them. Some black runs feature side-by-side groomed and ungroomed terrain, which can be nice for those learning moguls. If you’re looking for truly advanced terrain, the resort offers a few steep, mogully pitches off the Ursa and Shooting Star lifts, but they're short. The mountain also features a number of enjoyable glade areas, but thin cover is always a given on these, even on the best days.
Beginners will find a decent experience at Stratton. A bunny hill and the nearby, relatively flat Tamarack area hold most of the resort’s green trails—these spots are isolated from more advanced skier traffic, but slow, fixed-grip lift service plagues them. Beginners will appreciate the few summit-to-base green routes that exist, but these popular trails tend to become very crowded.
Freestyle visitors will enjoy Stratton’s competitive range of terrain parks. The six freestyle areas boast diverse features for all ability levels and are designed with progression in mind. Once enough snow has been built up, the resort features an 18-foot halfpipe in its Suntanner Park.
Like all mountains in southern Vermont, the resort sees variable conditions thanks to varying temperatures and mediocre natural snow accumulation. The resort does see a few powder days each season, but runs tend to lack cover or get icy after sudden temperature drops or a few days with no snow. Snowmaking operations are critical for any southern Vermont resort, and thankfully, Stratton delivers in this regard. Stratton boasts an impressive 95% snowmaking coverage, which provides resilience and allows the resort to operate nearly all of its mountain areas even with poor natural conditions.
If you’re looking to go in for a break, Stratton boasts a number of on-site lodges. Both the main and Sun Bowl base lodges offer a number of services including food and shops. The decently-sized but often crowded Mid-Mountain Lodge is your only choice for food above the base—the small Summit Deck and Hubert Haus shacks at the top provide seating and isolation from the elements, but they offer no services at all, including bathrooms, and aren’t always open.
Lodging
Stratton offers an extensive selection of on-mountain hotels and condos. Many of these are in the resort’s village, which hosts many evening attractions, and others are directly slopeside. All on-mountain options are pricey, however; a few reasonably priced Airbnb are within close driving distance of the resort, but most other cheap options are several miles away.
Parking at Stratton can be a bit of a pain—overflow parking at Lot 2 is a mile away from the main base area and requires a shuttle to get to the slopes—although thanks to the Tree Top Way trail, the lot enjoys ski-in access. If you get to the mountain earlier or go on a less busy day, other parking options are closer and only require a small walk to the lifts.
Apres-ski
Stratton boasts enjoyable apres-ski and nightlife experiences. Grizzly’s, the main slopeside bar, gets packed for apres-ski. Stratton Village hosts a mix of quiet sit-down bars and lively joints; some of the best include Bar 802, a sit-down joint with excellent food and beer selections, and Mulligan/Green Door, a duplex with casual pub vibes on the top floor and live music or DJs on the bottom. The village also features a number of restaurants that tend to get busy. Spring-skiers will appreciate outdoor patios at a number of spots.
Verdict
Stratton delivers an admirable combination of terrain diversity, lift infrastructure, and easy navigation, and the resort lives within a reasonable driving distance of major metropolitan areas. But the resort doesn’t enjoy the snow, challenge, or isolation of other Vermont mountains, and ticket prices match those of better resorts that are just a few hours further north. For many, choosing between Stratton and other resorts will come down to the value of location.
