Stratton, VT Review: As Flat As Its Ad Campaign?

[@christianwestling2019]

Great signage at a mountain can't be overstated. I was once at a place that even hade signs directed at the chair lift riders; so we knew what trail we were passing above, so we knew what to look for when going down; briliant!

[@bobl6139]

Just did all four aspen mountains and signage was shockingly lacking halfway down many trails compared to the east I’m used to

[@JollyLamaCom]

Angel Fire does that and it's very helpful.

[@icecoaster]

Believe they have that at smuggs

[@MartinReiter143]

Stratton midweek is great. I drive to the Sun Bowl, parking is empty, negligible walk to the nearby lodge/restaurant, negligible walk to the lift, two rides gets you to the top and you can ski all over the upper mountain and never have to go near the beginner terrain leading to the main lodge. At the end, ski to your car.

[@victorterranova6508]

For what Stratton offers on and off the mountain, Stratton is amazing. Great for families that need ski school, extras (non-skiing activities) want a village experience and only want a few hour drive.

[@dannycolazzo1]

I went out to Pico in VT a couple weeks ago based off of the review from this channel. We had a great time and will definitely be going back. I never would've even known about it if not for you!

[@JollyLamaCom]

I had a great time at Pico. Is it 100% open yet? When I was there the gnomes triple and outpost lifts weren't going.

[@dannycolazzo1]

It was mostly open when I went. Mountain report said something like 58/61 trails open@@JollyLamaCom

[@JoshuaPodchaiski]

Quick Question: You think you guys could do a peak ranking of Smugglers Notch in Vermont? This has to be one of the most underrated resorts in Vermont by far. It's super technical and would be a great mountain to review.

[@PeakRankings]

We’re hoping to get a video up once we have enough footage of certain resort areas! In the meantime, here is our written review: www.peakrankings.com/content/smugglers-notch

[@aliendude552]

@@PeakRankings I would be happy to take some footage, Its my local ski hill

[@TheGeographyNerd]

Please go to Mt. Baldy in California 🙏 It is a small local resort with a very old-timey feel, mainly fueled by their main 2 lifts which are unchanged from 1954. It is only an hour away from LA on a normal day and has pretty good snow after they get a storm.

[@chrisrusso6107]

I grew up skiing southern Vermont in the 90s. Back then Stratton was known as a "New Yorker/city" mountain. I think Alterra is just leaning into a culture that had already been there for years. We usually ended up skiing Bromley given it was cheaper, less crowded and the southern exposure helped soften up the icy conditions.

[@JiminyTapes]

bromley and magic way better real ones know

[@Jaltman11]

Finally! I’ve been waiting years for this

[@Bluebottlenose]

I have been saints tens of years

[@matanheilman6971]

For someone who skied 25 days at Stratton last year, it is EMPTY on weekdays. The terrain is pretty good.

[@dfyband]

Local haters call it “Flatton”. There are 3-4 trails that I would consider moderately steep. I’ve had fun there on a weekday after 8 inches overnight. They have some of the best glades in southern VT. Test Pilot goes on for quite a while. Lots of blue cruisers. This is a fair review

[@MM-vv8mt]

Stratton (and Sugarbush) has unlimited days on IKON and is closest to home for me than any other VT resort, and it has good apres ski choices in the village. During the week it isn't crowded at all. I did 15 days there last winter along with a week each at Pico and Killington before heading out to Utah for a week last February. Stratton has some challenging terrain from the peak.

[@jonjonsshreds3312]

I’ve skied Stratton for years, perfect review! I think it has some decently challenging double blacks like test pilot and kidderbrook ravine but it’s overall a good not great mountain

[@JeremiahGreco]

Stratton was advertising in NYC, on subway platforms etc. at least 20 years ago (pre-Alterra, but for ad-budget purposes, similar with Intrawest), and probably dating back into the 90s or earlier (possibly even into the independent days).

[@humanbeing2420]

I spent many a ski day at Stratton throughout the 1980's and really liked it. I haven't been back since....

[@elliot6509]

5:41 meant to say Sun Bowl not Snow Bowl

[@Punz18]

Test Pilot is by far my favorite trail at Stratton when it's open, it's one of the best tree runs in Southern Vermont.

[@JohnJohnson-he1yv]

By far, Stratton is the best mountain in Southern NE. Nothing else comes close! “Unless you drive a few hours north”… Sit in the car for 4-6 RT extra hours to get slightly more mediocre skiing?

[@coasterdragon155]

love your reviews. are you guys going to check out Lutsen? would be very interesting to review

[@PeakRankings]

We're hoping to film there this year- weather conditions permitting!

[@Punz18]

Tip for Stratton crowds: the mountain starts to empty out at 2pm.

[@GwenGreenberg]

Well only since you mentioned Camelback, Blue mountain is also on the Ikon pass, has two detachable quads and a high speed six pack, 1 k vertical, excellent snow making and grooming

[@coasterdragon155]

Crowds can get pretty nasty sometimes 😅 but I'd love to see them review some of the Mid-Atlantic ski resorts!

[@brittanywhiteley9303]

@vibratingstring To its credit, Blue does genuinely does have some fun and challenging (for PA) terrain now - Razor's Edge and Challenge are both pretty fun runs imo. That said, Blue has serious crowding issues only made worse by the fact that they funnel everyone who wants to ride any of its HS lifts onto one trail (Home Stretch) to get there. That said, the crowding at the base and the fact that Blue honestly has way too much uphill capacity for the amount of terrain it has means that I'd rather ski Camelback over Blue (or for that matter, Elk Mtn. or Montage if I have a whole day to get to those resorts from the Philly area).

[@SJK-uc6lf]

Blue does such a better job than camelback with their snow making. And camelback charges for parking, which is insane... No free parking options there!

[@zman7689]

Of all the Ikon pass mountains in the East Stratton was by far my least favorite. Very crowded on the weekends. Worst part was the lack of line management in the base area. It was basically a free for all getting up the lift. Every other ski resort I've ever been to has you line up in groups before the line filters down and they scan your pass. For some reason they do the opposite. You have to scan your lift ticket to get into the line area, then make your way into the appropriate line (group or singles). It was so dumb. The layout of the lifts is also pretty rough. Not a single lift runs from the base to the peak - you need to take 2 lifts to get to the top of the mountain. Pretty lame for a mountain with so little vertical. If you like to ski for everything except skiing, this is the mountain for you. If you enjoy actually riding down the mountain - try some other place.

[@ryancrum7274]

Uh… the gondola?

[@CoolBeanZ43]

Pleasss do smugglers notch

[@thumbthumbkitty]

I've skied there for years. The mid-week experience is best there. The deals at the Black Bear Lodge Mon - Thurs are very affordable for being on-site. The hotel is nice with a well-worn rustic vibe. Park your car and won't need it till you leave. Unless you wanna go to Manchester. The glades are challenging and a ton of fun when filled in.

[@bestestname6757]

I just went to blue mountain today in PA. It was really nice for PA. Also on the icon pass i think. Glad the new yorkers dont show up there😅. Probably the best in the poconos.

[@josephrosner905]

thx for doing this review!!!

[@Clipitmedia]

One trail I’ll say elicited a emotional response for me at stratton is test pilot, if you hug the yellow rope ski boundary line all the way down when there’s a lot of snow it is otherworldly. By far one of my favorite glade runs I’ve been on. West pilot is also good for more intermediate tree skiers. There’s a lot of flat sections on this mountain that are sure to have your legs burning if you’re a snowboarder. Best to avoid holiday weekends as you are sure to be overwhelmed by New Yorkers. I think the biggest impact of advertising heavily in NYC is the people are not as friendly compared to other mountains further north. When I go to killington by myself someone sparks up a conversation every time and it’s amazing the people you meet. In stratton however people on the lifts tend to be rude and love to complain instead of appreciating the beautiful opportunity of spending a day on the slopes.

[@suneilkumar]

Stratton is definitely the best southern VT resort. Very easy skiing navigation and driving commute. The crowd situation isn't nearly as bad as Mt Snow and Okemo (mid-week you basically have the entire place to yourself). Stratton does groomed runs better than anyone else. I regularly achieve 35k ft vertical.

[@shadowguy1112]

So the only reason this mountain doesn't beat both Sugarbush and Jaypeak to go into the top 3 if not 2 is because of "mountain aesthetic"?

[@jamesenter2095]

every time I see bolton and mad river rated so low I shake my head a bit but thanks. how does Okemo get a 5 for crowd flow?? smuggs is a couple of lift upgrades away from challenging for best in vt

[@bay82175]

I know this is probably nit-picky, but you should center adjust all your scores on the rankings spreadsheet. The eye wants to see them fall in a column directly below the total. Other than that, I LOVE your videos!

[@johng7775]

Never understood the hate on Stratton. Something for everyone, close to the city, and grizzley apres is top tier. People say “it’s so crowded” I go damn near every weekend and I never find myself waiting on like for more than 5-7 minutes, gondola or quad. Now holiday weekends, yea stay far away, but normal weekends aren’t bad, people just like to blow it out of proportion. Like this guy said it won’t move you emotionally with anything, but it does everything very well. The only downside to Stratton isn’t even the mountain, it’s the fact there’s no real town.

[@BlckJack123]

It reminds me of how Mammoth mountain is pushed in Los Angeles.

[@danielabarshalin4052]

Camelback mentions RAHHhh it’s my home mountain please do a review please

[@MountainMitchYT]

How is the park here compared to Carinthia?

[@PeakRankings]

Not as good.

[@imjusthereforthecomments8828]

Absolutely awful

[@src248]

I have literally never heard of this mountain before... I guess the ad campaign hasn't reached Canada yet :P

[@hello-7008]

Stratton has some pretty fun cliffs and tight trees near the shooting star lift as well as off kidderbrook just never get enough snow for them to be enjoyable for more than 2 days a season

[@polishfalcon1]

Was near there a couple days ago

[@elliot6509]

Was there today

[@johnpooley3]

You mixed up ski in and ski out referring to the parking lot

[@jemsmay2167]

Mid week Stratton is great when the snow is good. Good variety of run options, some glade skiing, only lacking variety on the expert terrain end of the spectrum. Pricing is a victim of the Icon/Epic ruining of the US ski industry but that is a topic for another video. I would not ski there on a weekend.

[@michaeltravers3095]

The Snowbowl is how to avoid the flats on the lower mountain.

[@zbark3110]

Check out loon that’s my home mountain

[@bobl6139]

No comparison to Stratton although it’s decent by nh standards

[@jackof1]

Distances from NYC & BOS are over by 1 hour

[@HighDins]

there isnt a single place i hate more than stratton, worked there for four years. if it was on fire i wouldnt even piss on it to put it out.

[@diseasedwhale496]

Gah dayum lmao 😂

[@BigHikeGuy]

Why though

[@HighDins]

@@BigHikeGuy it's flat as hell. 10-15k people are there every weekend so it's skied out and crowded within an hour of opening. The lodges, hotels and everything else were built decades ago and haven't been updated even though they profit close to a 100 million a year. Oh and they want close to $200 for a day ticket. Magic and Bromley are better and cheaper and less crowded in the same exact area. I can keep going...

[@Bluebottlenose]

Nah, Stratton is awesome, I can tell you why if you want

[@HighDins]

@@Bluebottlenose yeah Stratton was so awesome I decided to move to Jackson hole. There's nothing you can tell me about Stratton I don't know I literally worked and lived there for years, skied there 5 days a week and hardly ever on a weekend. So enlighten me about how great it is because I know the 10 good trails there and even then Bromley, magic, Killington, Stowe, sugarbush, smugglers notch, Jay peak, mad river Glen. Even when compared to the other Vermont resorts Stratton is objectively not awesome. Keep telling yourself that though

[@paulrollinson7604]

the Gondola access if up a flight of stairs. Not bad for a few times but a pain over the entire day. Someone should have designed access better. Decent place to ski. It does get icy after lunch

[@lhaviland8602]

Good old flatton!

[@daneg]

My memory of Stratton is very similar to that of Mount Snow: highly commercialized. tons of events. major destination mountain for the larger urban centers, but it's not very good for any expert. overcrowded and overpriced. personally, I would go to a smaller mountain and get just as good skiing...better in terms of crowd. not a bad place. just non-descript. edit: looking at your list of mountains in VT, almost everything ranked below Stratton is usually a better experience: Bolton Valley, Bromley, Magic, Mad River (is you're expert)...Stratton to me is usually a place to avoid. Not bad. but overcrowded and generic. unless there's a snowboard or race event, I'd say it's not at all worth the headache. leave it to the masses who don't know any better.

[@claytonlatone8959]

Except Snow is way better

[@benjaminsaunders5636]

This video is too harsh. If you know how to navigate this mountain, you can have a very good day there.

[@JohnDoe-my5ip]

When they have natural snow, their glades are genuinely fun. But on an average day? 🥱

[@markdisanzo3796]

I went to Stratton last year for the first time. I was less than impressed. The terrain isn't great, and the pistes just aren't interesting. IMO, it's really not worth the hype. Drive another hour to Okemo. You'll be better off.

[@myoutuber77]

Disagreed. Randomly looking at 3-day tickets for Mar 4-6: Okemo $360, Stratton $226. Peak Ratings gives Stratton a score of 56, Okemo only gets 52. For comparison, East Coast top rated Killington scores 61. There is not a metric where Okemo exceeds Stratton. Imo Okemo is a terrible value.

[@JollyLamaCom]

I would say Stowe is more overrated than Stratton. I know Stowe is the OG and Stratton is more POSH but my experience at Stowe was underwhelming. Stowe (the town) has lots of great restaurants, tho.

[@NortheastExploration9712]

Genuinely curious about what happened at stowe that made it underwhelming. I'm guessing crowds and price? In my opinion Stowe is one of if not my favorite resort. I liked stratton but stowe is in a whole different league than stratton

[@ahoop3886]

Sick

[@Greatifys]

cool

[@GarrettKoval]

As a person who has worked at 4 different resorts in VT, over 14 years… I can say Stratton layout and none exciting trails are perfect for the people they are advertising to…

[@NathanBullard-i9k]

We call it "Flatten". Talk about boring. The lift line is the exciting part.

[@mickyosully4592]

Too many New Yorkers

[@MrReymoclif714]

#KillingtonSkiResort? ?

[@micwell2247]

to close to huge city travelers/crowds to just over whelm their system... best place to avoid

[@texan_2ocho965]

“Flatton”

[@thefrosted1]

The rankings for this state a laughable. Really off on these ones

[@Machria23]

Hope they keep advertising, keep the idiots going to flatten and stay out of Killington please!🤣

[@Tattooed_Agent]

its a shame to see it advertised like that.... its impossible for us locals to go on weekends. its such a shit show

[@aidanburke562]

Worst mountain in the northeast and the ikon pass has to offer. Every ski and safety patrol is on a power trip. Lifties somehow can’t get the right amount of ppl on a lift ever either. Crazy frustrating mountain

[@bsr6823]

Stratton sucks, overpriced, overrated

[@rmm590]

Stratton sucks

[@Pinstriped5120]

As life long skier and Industry professional I have to say Stratton sucks! You can have the New York Crowd , you can have the Lack of Vertical drop! In the ski industry we refer to it as “ Flatton”

[@fortyozsteak]

Vanilla footprint? The worst trails of all mountains ever

[@ThyLiquor]

The glaciers went all the way over Stratton mountain, so there's no craggly top, so there's no extra steep top. Over groomed over hyped, and over priced, Stratton isn't about skiing. It's about the veal chop, the condo parking space, or the time share. Skip it.