Seven decades of skiing heritage. Terrain that will always stack up against anything on the continent (No. 5 for Challenge), covered by 300 annual inches of snow. One of skidom’s most authentic villages. And you get the feeling Stowe is just getting warmed up. Exhibit A: The $400 million Spruce Peak redevelopment, which opened last year, finally gives Stowe the slopeside amenities you’d expect from the Ski Capital of the East. Its centerpiece is the luxurious new Stowe Mountain Lodge, a condo-hotel that instantly vaults to the top tier of Eastern slopeside accommodations with its luxurious spa, ambitious restaurant, lavish rooms and stunning Mansfield views. The adjacent Spruce Camp lodge similarly sets the standard for base lodge grandeur. In between the two, the Over Easy gondola at last ties together the sunny slopes of Spruce with the Mansfield classics—no more waits for the shuttle. Stowe knows it’s special, and management has gone high-end at every turn—to the chagrin of readers who gripe about ticket prices (Value: No. 23) and “the snob factor.” “Too focused on Richie Rich,” a reader gripes. But strip away the niceties, and Stowe’s greatest asset—its slopes—will always shine through. “Great terrain. Most challenging in the East,” says one reader. For leg-burning bliss, nothing beats the trails—including the famous Front Four—served by the 2,160-vertical-foot FourRunner Quad. The gondola serves up well-groomed cruisers—plus access to some of New England’s best out-of-bounds. The craggy mountain views are as spectacular as what you’d see in the Whites or Adirondacks. And Stowe village—six miles down the Mountain Road—is a charming Vermont original. (“Great small-town atmosphere.”) Restaurants, bars, hotels and spas abound, accounting for Stowe’s No. 3 rankings for Dining and Lodging and No. 4 ranking for Off-Hill Activities. Can Stowe make a run at perennial champ Tremblant? The new Spruce Peak gives it a fighting chance, and its authenticity is unassailable. “It really feels like an old-time/hardcore ski area with the muscle and history to prove it.”
/ What’s New / Phase 2 of Stowe Mountain Lodge (about 136 additional units) and the 400-seat Performing Arts Center, both under construction and scheduled to open next summer
/ Don’t Miss / Après at the Matterhorn (dim, rowdy, great vibe), followed by a famous Shed Burger at the Shed
/ Mandatory Run / Goat top to bottom, if you can handle 2,000 vert of nasty double-fall-line bumps. Or Toll Road, at the other end of the spectrum: a 3.8-mile novice run from the summit. Better yet, both.
