March 8, 2010
Stowe, Vermont
Ski Watch Reporter Todd

Photo: istockphoto.com

Ski Watch Reporter Todd skied at Stowe in the Vermont on Monday, March 8. Here's what Todd had to say about his ski day:

Not too crowded today…in the parking lot or on the slopes.

Snow Conditions: Very good today although the snow did get heavy as the day progressed. The 4runner Quad gets you to the top of the Mountain from which you can access all trails except the trails off the Gondola or Spruce Peak. Off the 4Runner Quad lay the front four today, all of which were in very good conditions.

There is plenty of snow and little ski traffic so these expert and double expert trails stayed covered all day, except Lifeline which got skied off by the early afternoon, but only down the left side as you went down, this side had not moguls so the early morning groomed part, which was great in the morning got a little skied off.

The right side (as you go down) was moguled up with big moguls with plenty of snow on the moguls and around them, absolutely no ice. Centerline and Hayride also had plenty of moguls for the experts but not as steep as National.

Again the moguls were covered with several inches of softening heavy snow. The intermediate trails in this area of the 4 Runner had been groomed early but by 10:00 they were getting a little mushy. Lord and North Slope are the steepest of the intermediate trails in this part of the mountain but today they were easy because the soft mellow snow was a good 2-5 inches deep in parts, with interspersed piles. The other intermediate trials, such as Gulch put you farther out from the 4Runner Quad, so you could take the Mountain Triple Chair, but it was a little slow.

In this same area the Freestyle Terrain parks are located, first Tyro accessible from Sunrise and then lower down, Lower Standard with big half pipes and other feathers. These parks are nice because all the snowboarders gravitate to them. Nosedive, one of my favorite expert runs here, has a hairpin turn at the top that does get icy as the day progresses but once you get past it, you have a very long; wide not too step stop that intermediates can ski.

The snow was firm on the top half and then heavy to very heavy on the bottom half. This description of snow firmness was true on all trails today. Lower Nosedive takes you over to the Gondola area. The trails over here were excellent today. Plenty of snow so they did not get skied off.

The Gondola did close at about 3:00 today due to high winds that picked up as the afternoon progressed, coming directly from the North with very high gusts. Upper Gondolier (one way off the top of the Gondola), which can be icy and crowded, was good today, not crowed and or icy. Gondolier was an excellent intermediate trail with plenty of deep soft snow.

The same goes for Perry Merrill which is a very wide intermediate trail except at the very bottom, it narrows but you can cut over to the Gondolier at the bottom. The Cliff trail, the main cutback from the Gondola area back to the Main Base lodge area was good today, it can be narrow and windy and skied off but today it retained plenty of cover.

In the afternoon I took the Over Easy Gondola to the Spruce area and then took the Sensation Quad to the top of Spruce Peak. Sterling is the easy run down from here (there are no beginner trials off the Sterling Chair but Sterling is pretty easy). Sterling is long and winding, there were a few brown spots in a couple of places but mostly deep snow.

Main Street of the Sensation Quad was a wide challenging intermediate trail with plenty of soft somewhat heavy snow. I basically made a lot of wide turns today and just let the skis float across the soft snow. You could basically plow right through or right over the snow and it only got tiring if you made a lot of turns.

Observations from lifts on trails not skied: The Easy Street Double, in the beginner area, offers a nice long beginner trail for those learning.

Lifts in operation include: 10 lifts open today and full mountain access from them.
 
Weather:  Started out high 30’s today, may have hit 50 at the base around noon, but then the wind picked up and it cooled off, so the conditions in the afternoon stayed stable instead of getting slushier and slushier.

Current and Upcoming Events or ticket deals: Saturday night has the Cliff House dinner. The Gondola goes up 6-6:3- and back down at 9:30, if you are in this series of dinners the lift is free, otherwise a slight charge. The cost ranges from $50-70 depending on the menu. On March 13th there will be a Barbeque and music, vendors here all day. Saint Patrick’s Day is a special day with a find and seek on the mountain for prizes.

Mountain amenities: The fries are good for $4. The ski shop has some good sales. The rental shop is computerized, when you get there you go to a terminal and input you information.

Ski tips: Start on the expert trails in the morning then the intermediate trails off the 4 Runner Quad then work your way through the Gondola to Spruce in the afternoon. The sun moves that way.

An overall subjective opinion:  This was a very good winter day. No crowds, no lift lines and plenty of snow although it was heavy near the bottom of the mountain.

 

-Ski Watch Reporter Todd