A great few days at Stowe

Last weekend, we took the extra time to drive up to Stowe, in Northern Vermont, for a little getaway celebration. There was quite a bit of snow the night before we left, but after a little bit of shoveling, we were able to get the car on the road. After an easy, isolated drive we pulled into the Stoweflake resort in the early afternoon. After getting our stuff squared away we went off to explore the charming village, and pick up a few forgotten items. Dinner was at a surprisingly decent Thai restaurant, Red Basil, on the mountain road.

The next day we took the shuttle up to the mountain and started by skiing the newly expanded and improved Spruce Peak area. This area has most of the novice/intermediate terrain , as well as a more modern base area. The snow conditions here were terrific and the crowds were much less than at the main area. J and I got our ski legs here and she tried an intermediate run to test her ability in softer snow. After she got confidence in skiing this area, I left to ski the gondola on the main mountain and she enjoyed the Spruce area. After a nice day of skiing we headed back for a sauna/hot tub soak. Later on we enjoyed a great dinner at the Swisspot restaurant in the village.

The next day J went for the full day of spa treatment while I attacked the main mountain. By now, most of the weekend crowds had gone and it felt like I had the whole mountain to myself. In general the runs on the main mountain are a bit steeper and more challenging than other Vermont ski areas, as well as the Gondola and Spruce areas. These are classic, old fashioned runs with rolling terrain well protected by trees. I had a blast working my way around the mountain. In a concession to my creaky knees, I didn't dare attempt the icy Liftline run under the Quadrunner chair. I am mystified about how I was able to handle that in my 20's. Later I went over to the Gondola and enjoyed those big wide open trails. I felt the quality of snow was better than that in Southern Vermont, but the extra 2.5 hours drive was not something I could routinely tolerate. After a nice day of that, I grabbed a bus back to the resort and headed to the sauna to sweat out some toxins. That night we went back down to the village and had a nice supper at The Whip, which apparently has been in business since 1830. The next day we headed home, tired but happy.