stowe mountain resort

I have been skiing for several years, but I decided to give snow boarding a shot on my most recent visit to Stowe. I signed up for a group lesson and ended up being the only person in the class. My instructor, Sydney, was awesome, and by the end of the morning lesson I was comfortable with linking turns and riding down green slopes. In addition to the great class, the slopes were minimally crowded during the week and the staff was incredibly friendly. I would definitely go back!

Sure, Stowe Mountain Resort is expensive - one of the priciest lift tickets in all of North America! But, you get what you pay for: minimal crowds, superb snow making & grooming, high speed lifts and excellent on-mountain food. The trails range from the easy and scenic Toll Road, perfect for beginners, to the famed "Front Four", five really, when you include Lookout, which will challenge the most skilled of experts. There are two main base lodges: the retro-charming Mansfield base and the ultra-luxe Spruce Camp. There is excellent mountain top dining at the Cliff House, or outstanding cafeteria food at Spruce Camp, Octagon, Midway or Mansfield base, as well as top flight restaurants (Solstice) in the main lodge. Excellent live music in the base lodges on weekends enhances to the atmosphere. There is a wide range of on-mountain accommodation, but there are very many excellent options in the village for every budget. The runs are classic New England, and all very pretty. In addition, there is lots of in-bounds glade skiing for all levels, and all sorts of out-of-bounds terrain that you need a local to guide you through. The scenery is spectacular, both on the mountain and around the resort. The spa is perfect for non-skiers and worn-out skiers alike ( see separate review). There is an abundance of Nordic ski opportunities as well. There are shops and lots of activities for non-skiers to pass the time. In addition, the village of Stowe is a New England gem, with its Currier & Ives downtown, shops, restaurants, galleries and ski museum. Please don't spend your whole vacation on the mountain - the town itself is worth the visit. If you're looking for the perfect, complete ski vacation, this is it. Full Disclosure: I am a seasons pass holder, but only because we've skied here and loved it so many times we eventually accepted the inevitable and bought a vacation home nearby. This is, without a doubt, the premier ski resort in eastern North America, so don't be put off by the cost - it's worth every cent!

The outdoor heated pool looks like a great place to hang out in if the cold weather doesn't scare you. Everyone is very friendly and helpful

My family visited Stowe during President's week, when the temperature dropped below zero. My 6 and 8 year olds had one day of refresher lessons on Sunday. We checked in the previous afternoon. Morning drop off and afternoon pick up were quick and well organized. The kids had a great time as always and ended the day with smiles and high fives. Big thanks to all the instructors for taking good care of them in such brutal conditions.We skied as a family for 2 more days on both the Mansfield and Spruce sides. The trails were well groomed each morning and pretty empty. It got a little icy in the afternoon but it was good overall for east coast skiing. We especially loved cruising down beneath the Gondola.We had lunch and hot chocolate breaks at Spruce Lodge. The food is moderately expensive but delicious and freshly cooked. There are also quick fare options at the top of the ForeRunner Quad and by the Gondola base. I hope we have a chance to check out the Summit House next time.

Horrible ski school experience for young children! Last year, we took our 3 year old and he loved the program. It was well run, the instructors were great about communicating with parents, and my son learned a lot. He was so excited to return and take his little sister for her first year. This year, the ski school is run out of a temporary tent where all the kids ages 3-6 are together. The check-in process was absolute chaos with long lines and rude staff members. We waited 45 minutes just to check in. When I went to pick the kids up at the end of the day, I was given a number and told to wait. 30 minutes later, I went in to get my kids and found them without instructors nearby. The school had misplaced the kids skis and left me to find them. The words my kids used to describe the program were "not fun" and "boring." My 3 yr old complained that no one wanted to help her all day. For what the ski school charges, I expect a safe and fun environment. After waiting to pick up the kids and handing over my number, no one checked to see if I actually walked out with my kids. The instructors seemed overwhelmed and had very little to say about how my children had spent their day. Other parents were lamenting choosing to come to Stowe while we waited for our kids and trading information about other, better programs. I'm so disappointed to give up on Stowe having grown up learning to ski here. But I can't see sending my kids back to this Ski school.

Just got back from Stowe, and enjoyed my experience thoroughly. Purchased the Stay & Ski package for a friend and I at a reasonable price. Arrived at the Lodge, staff was helpful and friendly. Be advised temps can get real low so dress warm!Lodge itself is very beautiful both inside and out. Fireplaces, rocking chairs, and various other romantic amenities are great for couples especially the heated pool and hot tub! Room was clean, decorative, and the bed sheets were ultra soft. Dined at both the Hour Glass & Solstice, food was good but the prices are high. A simple breakfast ended up running us roughly $50. Rented some gear and hit the mountain the next morning. 100+ trails open, and even with low visibility during the winter storm it was serious fun. This mountain has much to offer, but please be physically prepared for it. They are in the process of expanding, adding an ice skating rink and more, the resort seems to be only getting bigger and better!

We have stayed at the Lodge many times and they never disappoint! Great service and attention to detail. With the new construction and plans, it will only get better!

I have traveled to Hunter, Windham, Mt Snow, Kilington, Bellaire and now Stowe. Stowe is the best overall experience you can have if you are planning on a great town, great ski resort/lodge and overall skiing experience. Arguably, Killington probably has slightly better and maybe a little more actual trails, but Stowe still gives you a great variety and a much nicer lodge. The two biggest problems I have with this place are the travel, which took around 7 1/2 hours from NYC after you include traffic and stops. That was just brutal and I wont be driving that again any time soon. The second is how expensive the mountain is, easily the most expensive lift ticket and rental on the East Coast. If you don't buy online it will be $170 A DAY for a lift and rental, that's just ridiculous. To their defense, a locker and overnight storage was included which makes up for the cost a little. But overall, I was thrilled we made this travel and got to experience what Stowe has to offer. You must try Stowe at least once in you life. Going to try out and review Stratton next year!

Stowe Mountain Resort is a wonderful place to ski. Its a very nice, high-end ski resort with all the amenities you could ask for in a ski resort. I enjoy the trails very much and the high speed lifts ensure you get the most runs in during a given day. I have been reading the comments and a lot of people are complaining about the high price. It is one of the best if not the best ski resorts on the east coast, I am not sure what people were expecting. From my experience of spending time here over several years I have never had one complaint and highly recommend this resort to anyone.

We were here mid-week after the new year weekend - i.e. no major crowds. We are beginner skiers and before arriving, had emailed & spoken to the folks at the ski school about the vermont learn to ski package for beginners which includes lift access, rentals and a lesson. At the resort though No One seemed to know anything about it. By No One I mean - the alpine concierge at the stowe mountain lodge, the lady at the ski school desk, the young lady processing rentals, yet another young lady at the ski lift for the beginner area - none of them had any idea about it. We figured the concierge at the lodge might not know about it. So we walked over to the ski school desk. The lady there first told us that the Learn to SKi package is only for Vermont residents. So I called up the skivermont.com people who told us that's not the case, that it is infact for everyone. So we go back to the ski school desk and tell the lady that it's not just for vermont residents. She then says 'oh really? Well then you have to call the number on the website'. So we call the number - which by the way happens to be the number of the ski school itself! The woman who answers - Sam - was the only one who knew anything about the program and she said why don't you come down to the ski school to book the lesson?! We said we already are there! So she comes out of her office, spots us, and directs us back to the lady at the counter saying it's all in the system and they should be able to make the booking at the desk itself! So anyway we finally get our rental tickets and ski pass. The next day we go over to the rental area, get our boots & ski and poles. The lady at the register then runs up a charge of $100-something. We tell her it's included in the package and she insists that rentals are separate. We show her the receipt we have which says 'rentals included' and she says 'I've never seen this before'. She then went back to the ski school desk to confirm. Anyway so after all this we go to the slopes. The instructor eventually takes us to a ski lift and one of our ski passes is not read by their scanner. This girl comes out, asks to see our passes, asks us what we signed up for, insists that the lift access is separate from lessons - we tell her well even if it is, how come one of our passes is working and the other isn't when we got the same deal? She says she will check with the ski school/or someone - turns out they forgot to load a ski pass to one of our cards!There is no doubt that they have a good ski school. the rentals are top quality. The whole process is very streamlined. And there is a really big learning area for beginners where advanced skiers usually don't come. But if you have a special going on and no one knows about it (except one Sam) and it's not on your website, and the whole time you're trying to promote your 'Stowe for Starters' program - then why do you even sign up for such programs? It was really annoying to reiterate the same thing at every single step of the process. I can only imagine what a horror it would have been had we visited during the holiday week instead.

SMR does an amazing job maintaining the trails. It's a great mountain. Needs another detach quad on Mansfield. Prices are high but at least this year they made some minor concessions for locals. Step in the right direction. Now bring the World Cup here already!!!

We chose Stowe Mountain Lodge for our 30th anniversary get away and were happily surprised with the quality all around.The Ridgeline Studio provided excellent views of the mountain, an efficiency kitchen, a large posh bathroom, fireplace & King sized bed with luscious sheets.The Spa & salon did not disappoint as well as valet car service, in room dining, Solstice Bar & restaurant,& fitness center. Our intention for the trip was skiing but the mountain's snow conditions were not very good- rain followed by freezing reps created the famous bullet proof eastern skiing we'd rather avoid! So- the amenities the Stowe Mountain Lodge and Town of Stowe provide make the trip memorable in spite of the skiing conditions!The only negative was the concierge service. Our anniversary is Jan 5- following the busy Christmas holiday rush- and the help the concierge offers in recommending and making restaurant reservations falls flat. There is nothing worse than hearing from a service staff member how hard they have worked for others as their excuse why they didn't help you.

Although I can't ski and had a little meltdown on the mountain over my own ineptitude - it was hard to stay mad for long in this place. Every single staff member had a smile on their face and was eager to help. I ended up buying lessons, and it was totally worth it, the instructors were easy-going, light-hearted, and clearly loved what they did for a living. I warmed up in the resort lobby and found it welcoming and relaxed. Only downside is the cost of food and drinks and such - but honestly it is to be expected.

I was overheard griping about packed conditions at Telluride Colorado one time and a passing skier told us to consider it as "Vermont powder". We had a chance to ski some of that "powder" on a particularly (I think) icy and cold period. I bet you could have gone down the slopes on hockey skates.And the lift had a very cold and humid wind, below zero. But that is skiing. If you first learned to ski here you would really know how to set those edges.We had a very pleasant time with amenities but were a bit put off by the attitudes of Canadian and East Coast urban folks in line. Much more aggressive than we were used to in the West.All was good fun though, skiing is always good.

they have a new lift ticket process that took us 30 minutes to purchase and when used on the lifts, did not work for my wife which cost us another 20 minutes. Very crowded, construction, icy. For $100+, quite frankly it was not worth it. Not friendly service either.