Stowe

Situated on Vermont’s highest peak, Stowe is an east coast stalwart with some of the region’s most varied and thanks to some world-class snowmaking, most snowsure terrain.

weather Forecast today: Mainly cloudy

Max temp: 3.1 °c
Min temp: 0.6 °c
Last snowed: Sat 14 Dec

Last Updated: Wed 18 Dec

weather Forecast today: Mainly cloudy

Max temp: 3.1 °c
Min temp: 0.6 °c
Last snowed: Sat 14 Dec

Last Updated: Wed 18 Dec

16%Beginner

55%Intermediate

29%Advanced

Stowe was recently taken over by Vail Resorts, expanding their empire to the east coast and bringing with it good levels of investment.

You can now use the Epic Mix app to track lift queue times and your skiing vertical for the day, whilst future plans include upgrades to the lift and snowmaking system (which already covers 83% of the resort’s runs). This will only improve access to the resort’s varied terrain – which ranges from the gentle Easy Street slopes to the steep double diamond black runs beneath the Forerunner Quad. Just be sure to check the forecast before you leave as the Vermont weather can be extremely variable.

Beginner
Fast lifts
Intermediate
Resort Activities
Advanced
Aprés
Snow
Value

Pros and cons

Each sector of the mountain has something different
Fantastic snowmaking coverage ensures a reliable season
Picturesque setting and lots of accommodation in pretty woods

Very little accommodation on the hill
All runs are top-to-bottom – lower runs suffer in warm weather and the tops canbe frigid in cold weather

Keen skiers will want to explore nearby resorts if coming for a week

On the Slopes

Although there is limited accommodation on offer at the base of the hill itself, there is a good range to chose from along the road up from the small, tourist town of Stowe. Smugglers’ Notch is only a few miles up the road, offering further options for a multi-resort trip.

The two main sectors, Spruce Peak and Mt Mansfield are linked by a gondola running over the through road, making getting around nice and easy. Beginners should focus their attention on the former, with the Adventure Centre providing an excellent zone for learning. Intermediates will particularly enjoy the latter and the long, cruisey runs beneath the gondola – which is also the best place to head when the weather is very cold or wet. A trip to nearby Smugglers’ Notch is also very worthwhile.

More advanced skiers and riders should head up to the top of the Forerunner Quad to ski some of the region’s toughest slopes, particularly those on the upper half of the mountain. The Main Street racetrack on Spruce Mountain is also popular. If snow conditions allow, good gladed skiing is on offer under the Lookout chair, whilst freestyle skiers and riders will enjoy the Tyro and Lower Standard terrain parks.

In the Resort

You can stay up at the base of the mountain in the Lodge at Spruce Peak, but aside from a few other condos there are limited options at the base – it usually remains quiet in the evenings as a result.

Most visitors tend to stay along the Mountain Road that runs up from the small villages of Stowe and West Branch. Along this road, a collection of hotels, B&Bs and condos provide good accommodation options and there are also some good bars, restaurants and even microbreweries in this pretty part of Vermont.

Getting to Stowe

Burlington airport, a quick hop from the major hubs is around 45 minutes to the west. Boston is the nearest major airport, laying a three hour drive to the south of Stowe. New York is around five hours away, but offers a great city break option to tack on to your ski trip.

Amtrak serves nearby Waterbury-Stowe Station via the Vermonter service – trains are once a day and take a hefty 8hrs to make the trip to or from New York’s Penn Station (Moynihan Train Hall), or 12hrs to reach Washington D.C. Union Station, so aren’t for those rushing to make a flight, but offer a scenic and relaxing alternative to driving. Transfers from Waterbury to Stowe village are c.20mins on public busses, with the mountain another few minutes down the road.

Burlington airport: 1 hour
Boston airport: 3 hours
New York airport: 5 hours
By train: 8hrs from New York via Amtrak
By train: 12hrs from Washington, D.C., via Amtrak

Season Dates

Dates for the 2024/25 season are still to be confirmed; the season at Stowe typically runs from late November to Mid-April.

Stowe Piste Map

Top (1116m)

	Wed 18 Dec			Thu 19 Dec			Fri 20 Dec			Sat 21 Dec			Sun 22 Dec			Mon 23 Dec			Tue 24 Dec			Wed 25 Dec			Thu 26 Dec			Fri 27 Dec
	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Overcast	Light snow	Snow	Occasional snow	Rather cloudy	Mainly cloudy	Overcast	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Mainly cloudy	Mainly fair	Generally clear	Mainly fair	Mainly fair	Partly cloudy	Mainly cloudy	Occasional snow	Mainly cloudy	Mainly cloudy	Occasional snow	Overcast	Overcast	Freezing drizzle	Freezing drizzle	Light rain/snow	Occasional snow	Freezing drizzle
Wind
Snow expected	0 cm	2.7 cm	4.6 cm	1.4 cm	0.2 cm	0 cm	0.5 cm	1 cm	1.2 cm	1.1 cm	1.2 cm	1.3 cm	0.3 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0.3 cm	0.7 cm	0.1 cm	1 cm	0.6 cm	0.2 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0 cm	0.7 cm	0.5 cm	0.2 cm
Max temp	2°c	2°c	0.6°c	-2.2°c	-4.2°c	-8.8°c	-5.6°c	-5.6°c	-7°c	-10.8°c	-10.8°c	-12.6°c	-15.8°c	-15.8°c	-18.8°c	-11.4°c	-11.4°c	-15.2°c	-6.6°c	-6.6°c	-9°c	-3°c	-3°c	-4.4°c	-0.2°c	-0.2°c	-1.6°c	1.2°c	1.2°c	-0.2°c
Min temp	-0.2°c	0.4°c	0.2°c	-4.2°c	-9.2°c	-10°c	-10.2°c	-7°c	-8.6°c	-11°c	-12.6°c	-15.8°c	-18.4°c	-18.8°c	-19.4°c	-19.8°c	-15.6°c	-15.6°c	-15°c	-9°c	-9.4°c	-9.6°c	-4.6°c	-4.8°c	-4.4°c	-1.6°c	-2.2°c	-2.2°c	-0.2°c	-0.8°c
Feels like temp	-0.2°c	-0.6°c	0.6°c	-6.4°c	-9.7°c	-9.2°c	-10.2°c	-5.6°c	-7°c	-16.4°c	-18°c	-20°c	-26°c	-23.2°c	-18.8°c	-19.8°c	-11.4°c	-15.6°c	-15°c	-6.6°c	-9°c	-9.6°c	-6.3°c	-7.9°c	-4.4°c	-0.2°c	-1.6°c	-2.2°c	-1.3°c	-3.2°c