Mountain Review: Stowe, Vermont

[@eddievonpapen6306]

Nose dive used to have “the seven deadly turns” . Around 1970 two were removed because of all the accidents. Being an old stockholder in the Mountain Company I received 4 free season passes for life. So you can imagine how many days I knocked off in 60 years.

[@stephenpizer5666]

Killington is the Beast of the East hands down at one time they were going to be the biggest resort on the planet. When people say otherwise they have never experienced this mountain fully. You could stay there for a week and not ride or ski everything Killington has to offer not to mention the best glades around period. Stowe is OK but not even close to the full package

[@joshuagravel2565]

Are you guys coming to Cannon this year?

[@PeakRankings]

We went last year! Hoping to get a written review up within the next few months

[@JordanDinRI]

Even being a pretty strong skier, Toll Road is worth a run down at the end of the day, just to cruise, pop in and out of the glades and take in some sweet views! Completely worth the long ride on the Toll House Double!

[@michaeltravers3095]

Stowe use to do first tracks on weekends @7:30 on the Four Runner Quad.

[@Joe-ne6rl]

Why tf is everyone hating?? This mountain is top three in the east IMO (my personal fav), has the nice village feel on spruce but also the regular "locals" feeling side on mansfield with plenty of terrain variety and great mountain aesthetic... I feel like all the complaints all boil down to Vail resorts, which are valid, but you really can't use anti vail arguments against a singular mountain-- its a corporate problem.

[@keith2076]

but how does Stowe rate against all other east coast resorts AND north American resorts in general?

[@PeakRankings]

Oof cannot believe we forgot to mention that 🙊 3rd in the East (just beat out by Killington and Tremblant with size breaking the tie), and as of right now 57th in North America

[@keith2076]

Thanks! @@PeakRankings

[@johnsmeith3913]

I would highly suggest going to Stowe instead of Tremblant. Mont Tremblant has a great village and off mountain activities, but the skiing the garbage compared to its Vermont competitors, with lift lines almost an hour long most of the week, skied out tracks, and a mediocre at best fall line

[@daneg]

@@johnsmeith3913 agreed. I was bored on the mountain itself. the drive up was whack though. all those little "indy" ski resorts made me drool. I never did get a chance to hit them as we were on a tight schedule. some of my favorite days on skis were little places like Mad River and Hickory Hill. Stowe was pretty dead off the mountain when I was there, but it was...2 decades ago? lol

[@garyyoung4074]

Well, before the climate started to really heat up, skiing anywhere in VT. north of Mt. Snow was usually very good. Now I prefer Sugarloaf in Maine. Even there, the last few winters have seen pretty thin snow cover for almost 3,000 ft vertical size peak. The open snow fields on the summit require about 8' of snow to be open. Anyone who still doesn't believe in climate warming must not be a skier, or lives where it is hot all the time!!!!

[@peterfreeman3317]

In 63/64 SL got 94” and 64/65 received a whopping 77”…no snowmaking back then! Climate change…that’s funny.

[@newagain9964]

Hotter climates are not immune to i warming effects. Means more heat, more droughts (less water and crops) etc.

[@will3057]

Do you recommend any northeast mountains for decent Christmas snow

[@PeakRankings]

Lol look at the mountains that have the best snowmaking

[@danmackinnon1247]

They forgot to mention parking is a nightmare. And it will take you 30 minutes to leave the parking lot at the end of the day, and another 40 on the access road when leaving….

[@daneg]

I think they did mention parking. but yeah. Stowe's parking has been an issue for 30+ years. 😄

[@alexioshjkl6170]

Will we ever get any New Hampshire resorts, I need some representation for cannon

[@PeakRankings]

Written reviews for a bunch of NH reviews are dropping in a few months!

[@Jay-jk9cu]

Going to Stowe next week… praying for snow!!!! Been skiing in New England all my life but never been skiing at Stowe.

[@daveyfgn]

Just came from Stowe and it’s by far my favorite Mtn so far on the east. Mansfield peak was great! My two favorite runs were Nosedive and gondolier

[@richardpare3538]

The best mountain in New England is Sugarloaf.

[@tomgrantham9992]

ONLY THE RICH CAN SKI AT STOWE!!!

[@PaleCentaur]

Oh hey, you went on a day/days I was there! I can see my car in the parking lot in a few of these shots!

[@Henry_Faulkner]

FINALY! Such a great mt. Im glad you guys are making a video about it!

[@bobl6139]

Great mountain but the terrible parking situation forced me to take it off my vt list. Another victim of the epic pass

[@newagain9964]

@@bobl6139thx. One less car/person adding to 💩 show. Y’all never heard of shuttles or car pools? 🙄

[@chainsawninjalcemist]

I went there last spring and it was my first time outside of Pennsylvania in all the years I have been skiing. Great time!

[@alexanderwang2256]

needs to get much higher than 3 for size. spread over 3 mountain peaks with 130 trails isn't that much smaller than killington.

[@matei3026]

great video :) also I know you don't really use it anymore, but what song is used for the intro? as an example it was on the okemo and vail videos

[@PeakRankings]

Our in-house agenda man Steve crafted that fine tune himself!

[@jamesenter2095]

Thank you for not spilling the beans on the good stuff. Lol. The best runs ain't on the map

[@gatorpatric0]

Good news is, the best stuff is tough to get to and find unless someone brings you there, even if someone tells you.

[@aaronnokaoi]

Shhhhh

[@shanemoorehead1886]

​@@gatorpatric0so tell me anyway

[@gatorpatric0]

@@shanemoorehead1886 if you see an entrance to the trees off of a Double Black Diamond trail at Stowe, there's good stuff in there! Note that some of that terrain is extremely difficult and unpatrolled, so don't go in alone. GOAT and Lifeline especially have good trees, but there's great Glades all over the place. Some of my favorite Glades areas are off of the longest green trail, toll road.

[@chadmiller5702]

@@shanemoorehead1886don’t get sucked into the Haselton ravine…

[@nickreitmaier5648]

Can't be the best if you take the price into account...

[@marmiteoneverything9850]

took an hour to get up the fourrunner quad, one brisk -50 morning. no clue why to this day. Very nice to ski tho, and good review, #1 in Vermont for me

[@JoshuaHatch-s4o]

I thought a full review of Sugarbush was planned for late spring this year? Do you still plan on doing that? Thanks!

[@PeakRankings]

Yep! Coming in the next few weeks.

[@Bac0n111]

When is Whistler review coming out?

[@chrisdaley5175]

I did Nosedive back in 1995.

[@holymeto9981]

How is the terrain diversity a 7!?

[@Nolimitscomedy]

Really good video. I have only skied Jay Peak and Pico in VT. Both resorts I thought were super fun. I would love to go to Sugarbush this year.

[@orans_]

Sugarbush is worth the trip 100%

[@m4stik14]

Cant wait to get back this season. Riding up the toll house double in the snow before a long day of riding is something to cherish.

[@Martin-wt4dp]

you made it seem like the mountain lay out is completely lackluster lol. Ive been to stowe its really not that bad compared to something like killington.

[@gregl1927]

Stowe is the best! Everyone go there. Pay no attention to that mountain on the other side of the notch!

[@isak7026]

Delete this comment or people will know. I’m trying to gatekeep as much as possible

[@ruud6828]

what smugglers?

[@holymeto9981]

Yes stowe is indeed a very good mountain. Sugarloaf is ToTaLlY not better, I sWeAr.

[@aaronmcinnes2431]

Best KZbinr

[@neiljones8010]

Another high quality informative review, thank you

[@PeakRankings]

Much appreciated!

[@anton.profe.candela]

Awesome review! I'd like to see one for Waterville Valley!

[@PeakRankings]

Written WV review will be out within the next few months!

[@bobl6139]

No comparison

[@johanjonsson]

European skier here. Been skiing most of the large and famous resorts on Ikon and Epic in North America over the past seven years since relocating to the US. Still can't believe how bad grooming is in most places.

[@marcofrey2903]

How is the relevant or helpful to viewers of this video?

[@PaleCentaur]

I've been going to Stowe for years, so I'll say this for the beginners out there: Yes. Stay on the Spruce Peak side. I absolutely adore, ADORE the Toll House area on Mt. Mansfield, and the runs themselves are maybe my favorite on the mountain (and I say that as an expert-level snowboarder), especially on a pow day. They're extremely fun and relaxing. But the Toll House double chair is P I T I F U L. One of the slowest lifts I've ever been on, and it's probably the biggest issue I have with Stowe as a resort. That lift is in desperate need of an upgrade.

[@JollyLamaCom]

Stowe may not be worth the northward jaunt, but Jay is!

[@dominicgray8460]

That scoring system reminds me of the Doug score

[@GreenSki-wb1mn]

I've taken my family on ski trips coming out of Atlanta for the past few years. Of all the places we've been (Beaver Creek, Steamboat, Deer Valley, Copper, Telluride), Stowe is the only place we've been to twice. The resort is so nice and enjoyable as a whole. And flying into Burlington and spending a half day there is fantastic, btw. While the skiing or snow quality we experienced was better at other places, none compared to the overall resort experience. We stayed at the Spruce Peak Lodge right in the middle of the village, which is a large part of why we like it so much. Beaver Creek and Telluride village area had similarities, but the Stowe experience topped them. We just went two weeks ago, and they had good enough snow in early Dec for the entire Toll Road trail to be open top to bottom. It was a great green trail all the way down. I'd disagree with the review that the Tollhouse area isn't worth it - very few people were back there so it was quiet, enjoyable, and relaxing, but they definitely got it right that the Tollhouse Double is awfully slow (maybe a good 15-minute ride up). If I was only going to visit for a day or had to stay offsite, I'd likely have a different opinion. But staying there for a multi-day ski getaway is wonderful.

[@jenniferjones2480]

Tollhouse is the best learning area besides the bunny hill at Spruce. Having a SLOW lift is great over at Tollhouse because you’re the only one coming down the hill. Having a high speed lift puts everyone coming down the hill at the same time. I’m not understanding why people want that. You can take your time at Tollhouse and not worry about being hit by an out of control skier. Don’t hate on slow lifts…it helps to manage skied traffic and flow. One of the best managed mountains is Jay and Bolton because of slow lifts 🙌🏻

[@NortheastExploration9712]

It has more to do with thats the ONLY lift from the free parking area, and it gets extremely crowded. So now your less crowded trail takes 10 minutes to get back on to because of the line. They don't need to make it the fastest lift on the planet but they do need to up the capacity to at least a quad or add a secondary high speed lift that goes out of those green runs so that lift can stay slow.

[@daneg]

I only made it to Stowe a couple times in my life, but it was better than Killington b/c Killington tends to be overpopulated and overpriced (still plenty of good trails) for my money. My favorite ski area was Mount Saint Anne in Quebec. Note: I like moguls. Star was narrow and the very steep parts at the top weren't fun with thin cover and icy, so we just criss crossed it until there was actually snow cover (I think Goat was closed). However, about 150-250' from the start of the run, they flatten out and are great, long mogul runs. I was in heaven. my poor father had to take breaks though. one long Star run was all he wanted. I got to do Mad River Glenn on the same trip that we went to Stowe. That was pretty epic. edit: drove up from Albany, NY.😄

[@blueleafy7167]

Review marmot basin

[@Ahdbfbfbeh]

Gore and whiteface are the best

[@heckerhecker6558]

Greetings! I really appreciate your reviews on the mountain ranges of Vermont. I do, however, still admit I can't decide between Killington and Stowes. I am going with a small group of 3 friends, and we want to have fun on an intermediate level of skiing. The only thing we are looking for this year is not large crowds and a mountain that gets good snow. Can you guys be the dealbreaker for our decision? Thanks again!

[@benmeyers6971]

Stowe, I go 2 times every year. can't beat it

[@PaleCentaur]

Speaking as someone who lives and snowboards a lot here in Vermont...the answer to your question is "neither." Both Stowe and Killington are notoriously crowded. If you're looking for a good trip to Vermont, to a resort that gets lots of snow and isn't crowded, you'll actually probably have the best luck going to Jay Peak in the far north of the state. It doesn't have the outlandish reputation that Stowe, Killington, or even Sugarbush have, but that works in its favor, plus it gets the most snow of any resort in the state. If you have to pick between the two, you're best served with Killington, at least in terms of dealing with crowds. It's a much bigger mountain, so it can absorb its high visitor count much more easily. I love riding at Stowe, but the crowds, especially the last 3 years, have made it unbearable to keep going to, and if this is your one trip of the year...well, I'd wager it's probably everyone else's one trip of the year at the same time.

[@daneg]

listen to @PaleCentaur Killington and Stowe are resorts you should never visit on weekends, let alone holidays. That said, they are both amazing if you can get there on a non-holiday week day. When I skied, all I did was diamonds. But Killington has literally everything you could possibly want as long as you don't commit ritual suicide due to crowds. Stowe, as the video said, it less forgiving on the Mansfield side, but it's not THAT bad.

[@michaelobrien2190]

When are you going to do Whistler? Also, this would be more for comedy, but the largest ski resort in the mid-Atlantic is Snowshoe in WV. It's double the size of the next largest resort, but is still tiny. Would be fun to see this ranked.

[@PeakRankings]

We were originally waiting till the winter to do Whistler because we don't have much clear footage. But getting a lot of requests so we may produce it anyway!

[@michaelobrien2190]

@@PeakRankings I would then wait and do it right. It's not just any other resort. The downside is that with the El Niño, British Columbia is projected to be unseasonably warm this year. 😞

[@kingjulian420]

7:19 This has gyat to be my favorite part of the episode

[@yiyuewu1984]

Killington is better.

[@rich6776]

Stowe and Sugarloaf are tops in the East. IYKYK

[@chadmiller5702]

I have a comp pass for Stowe with your name on it if you have a sugarloaf one for me 😊

[@chaddiek8285]

And killington

[@AK-bw8xk]

If any of you east coast riders can go west by any means necessary you should do it. Utah, Tahoe, and Colorado. To quote Jules in regards to Snow quality "its not in the same ballpark, not in the same league, it's not even the same MFin sport" 😅

[@daneg]

it's also not the same kind of skiing. do you even use your edges in the west? keeping my weight back through 6"-12" of powder is like learning how to ski all over again. 😆

[@alphaperez]

For seven years I was a Stowe passholder, young single post-collegiate type, living in Boston. Over the years the group would be different but 12-20 of us would rent a share house for the winter in Stowe. I think Stowe is the best overall resort in the east, with great terrain and town. The downsides are price and long lines. It was perfect for our group with several ex-race team types, our friends and significant others and everybody had a great time.

[@Mole204]

Poor review. Stowe is my favorite resort in Vermont. Been skiing here since my mother dropped me off in her '76 Ford Pinto.

[@mateobernas5144]

Highly overrated mountain and town

[@chadmiller5702]

Killington is like Purgatory, CO. Traversing for miles to get anywhere. Don’t come to Stowe! 😛

[@matthiasbaumann9925]

Jay peak and stratton are 100X better. Stowe is for rich yuppies.

[@Joe-ne6rl]

I can understand jay, but STRATTON?! Actually "Flatton", as they call it because of how bland and unoriginal the entire mountain is

[@amiddleagedparkrat]

Yet another very well done video. Thanks for making these ✌️

[@tylercirillo8712]

Stowe is so bad ski Smuggs for same terrain if not more variety and 1/4 the price