My February visit to Stowe Mountain Resort would mark my first visit to a Vermont Ski Area in the North Eastern United States of America. While I was expecting “East Coast” icy winter skiing conditions, we were blessed with a winter storm passing through the area, which delivered 20 inches of fresh dry champagne powder. This made for one of the best ski days of my personal winter season. The resort itself was large enough to contain two to four days of winter skiing. Read on to see how we got the most out of Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont, USA.

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This post is one chapter on a winter work trip within Canada. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Air Canada Aeroplan, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. For parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Two Days of Skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont, USA

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With a slightly lacklustre winter ski season at my home mountain (Whistler / Blackcomb) as a result of an El Nino year, I had my sights set on other options. When the opportunity came up to extend an existing work trip, I decided I would take a vantage of the opportunity by making my first visit to Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont, United States.

About Stowe Mountain Resort:

Stowe Mountain resort is a ski area in the north eastern part of the United States. It’s first trails were cut in 1933 and it has been in regular operation since 1940. This includes having one of North Ameica’s first organized ski patrols.

It’s legacy and history make it a ski resort with a substantial following. It is among one of the highest peaks in Vermont which makes it attract a good number of skiers from around the region.

Stowe Mountain resort also happened to be part of the Epic Pass (owned and operated by Vail Resorts. As an Epic Pass seasons pass holder, I had access to free lift tickets to Stowe through my Epic Pass Season’s Pass. This was a substantial cost savings over having to buy tickets. It resulted in a savings of several hundred dollars.

Getting to Stowe Mountain Resort:

I based myself at the Courtyard Burlington Harbour Hotel in Burlington, Vermont. While there is some limited ski in and ski out accommodation at Stowe Mountain resort, I found that the price point at $500 USD a night to be a little too expensive for my tastes. Instead I opted for a 45 minute drive into still Mountain resort each day.

In terms of the road conditions on the drive between Burlington – Stowe Mountain Resort, my rental happen to be a Volvo XC 60 recharge sport utility vehicle. This car had all wheel drive and all season tires. The drive was mostly on “interstate like” highways, although the road to Stowe Mountain itself was on two lane switch back through gradual valleys. Even though there was snow blowing during our winter February visit, I didn’t have too much difficulty navigating the highways.

After driving up to Stone Mountain resort, I had to navigate the resort parking arrangement. Stowe Mountain Resort offers free parking between Monday through Thursday. On Friday through Sunday (the weekend), Stowe offers paid parking at its convenient Mansfield Village Base Lodge (village base) for $30 per day. This fee is waived if you arrive in your vehicle with more than four persons. This has resulted in travellers picking up hitchhikers on the way into Stowe.

For those travellers looking to visit Stowe Mountain Resort as cheaply as possible, Stowe Mountain Resort offers free parking at its Toll House and cross country ski bases. You will find access to the Toll House lifts on the way into Stowe Mountain Resport, as they are the first access parking lots on the road in.

If you are looking for the free parking on the weekend, you will have to take the Toll House lift into the ski area. You will also have a long and gradual ski out to the parking lot at the end of the ski day. This will cut about 30 minutes out of your skiing day but does allow you to save $30. I did use the Toll House parking lot on my Saturday visit, when I didn’t need to visit the base area after skiing.

I personally found the paid parking at Stowe Mountain resort to be a bit of a cash grab. While I can appreciate that Stowe Mountain resort is trying to manage the amount of visitors to the ski area, there are few public transit alternatives. There appears to be some limited bus service running from the city of Stowe, Vermont. However if you were commuting from Burlington – Vermont like I was, a rental car seems to be the only realistic option.

Skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort:

Skiing at Stowe Mountain Resort is split across two mountain peaks; the Mansfield Mountain Peak and the smaller Spruce Mountain Peak. Rather irritatingly, there is not the ability to ski in between these two peaks. Instead, you’ll have to take off your skis, ride the Over Easy gondola between these two areas.

The resort has undergone a large property development on the Spruce Peak side. There exists a pedestrian village with luxury condominiums and hotel accommodation that was priced beyond $600 USD a night during my visit on Martin Luther King day weekend.

Despite the new construction and conveniences of the Spruce Peak Village, I did not happen to find any unique Après Ski bars, lounges or restaurants that would cause me to linger after a days worth of skiing.

My visit to Stowe Mountain Resort coincided with a massive snowstorm. We were blessed with about 20 inches of champagne powder. This meant that the skiing was light, fluffy, and fast over stows gradually sloping hills. It would be vastly different than the eastern ice skiing that I was expecting.

The winter storm also meant that the visibility was exceptionally poor, with the resort being completely a shade of gray throughout almost the entire visit. I was able to snap these few photographs of Stowe Mountain resort, when the sun actually made a five minute appearance.

My wife and I would end up skiing a first day Friday together. She would end up taking the Saturday off as a result of a restricted epic pass. Instead, I came back for a second day of champagne powder.

We really enjoyed the resort itself. The skiing was excellent, given the snowfall. While it was a little challenging to get around the resort as a result of it split personality. It’s fair to say that they were some great smiles on our faces as a result of the world class now

While I might not have travelled all the way from the west coast of North America for skiing at Stowe Mountain Vermont, over a competing Colorado or Park City resort, it made perfect sense to visit as an “add on” to an existing work trip to Ottawa, Canada. I would easily enjoy a visit again under similar circumstances.

My Thoughts on Stowe Mountain Resort:

My visit to Stowe Mountain Resort happened to coincide with a powder weekend delivering 20 inches of fresh champagne powder. As a result the conditions and skiing were excellent.

Stowe Mountain Resort’s skiing was pretty good, and there was enough at the resort to keep you satisfied for 2 to 3 days worth of skiing. While I doubt I would have travelled all the way across North America to ski at Stowe Mountain Resort, the ability to tag on a few days of skiing onto an existing work trip made perfect sense for me.

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If you’ve visited Stowe Mountain Resort, what brings you here in the first place?

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