Stowe Mountain Resort remains a premiere winter destination for discerning travelers from the major Northeast urban areas (and Montreal) because of it's well-earned reputation for challenging terrain for all skier and boarder abilities, a quintessentially charming New England village experience and a variety of off-slope amenities not found at smaller Vermont ski areas. Lately, the resort has attracted a gaggle of foreign tourists from places like the UK who have been seduced by both New England and Stowe promotional efforts.

Like many such areas, Stowe struggles to keep fresh the legacy tied to it's past such as the village "charm factor", the Trapp Family Lodge (think "Sound of Music"), the "Front Four" ski runs at Mt.Mansfield , and other resort intangibles like Moriarity Ski Hats all fondly recalled by Baby Boomers who visited during the '60's and '70's. The reality of competiting in this age of big corporate owned and marketed Vermont ski areas has forced Stowe to make changes and improvements, while they cast a weary eye around the industry to see who's capturing the lion's share of the flat-growth skier dollar.

Under the ownership of AIG, the huge insurance company, Stowe has made significant upgrades in some operations readily apparent even to a casual day visitor, yet continues to fall behind in other services critical to a positive ski or boarding experience.
 In the '02-'03 season, Stowe has made vast improvements in snowmaking so that the frozen stuff remains more consistent all through the season. The natural snowfall that's occurred during the month of January 2003 has offered skiers some of the best conditions in years. The resort has refined the "Hayride" trail now making it a classic race hill. Many locals point to this upgrade as one of the best new enhancements of the season up on the mountain. Locals also rave about the fine-tuning that continues to be made on the Half pipe and the Terrain Park. Stowe, like other Vermont areas, clearly understands the importance of keeping the growing snowboarding community happy and loyal.

Where Stowe seems to have problems is managing crowds on busy weekends. The classic 50+ year-old base lodge at Mt. Mansfield is sorely outdated for the crowds that converge on it on an average Saturday or Sunday. The tables and chairs are so tightly grouped together that it will remind urban dwellers of a subway ride at rush hour just to simply sit and remove one's boots. The bar and fireplace areas are so congested after skiing that passage is sometimes impossible.

The same is true at  Jose's Mexican Restaurant located near the Gondola complex. Long lines of lunchtime visitors wait for what seems eternity as the hostess attempts to partial out what few tables she has to offer. Meeting friends at a central location for lunch at Stowe can be a haphazard and chaotic experience. Service can be uneven as well. A luncheon for six people at the upscale Cliff Restaurant atop the Gondola lift took almost an hour from arrival to first course. No reservations are accepted, thus visitors must wait almost entirely outside in the cold as there is no bar area to stay warm and pass the time. Overall  food quality on the mountain  falls short relative to other ski areas in Vermont.  Apparently, Stowe is gearing-up for new improvements and is therefore squeezing profits everywhere, according to locals.

The Ski School appears to have lost some popular instructors recently. School staff used to be made up of some veteran locals, plus delightful seasonal staffers from places like the UK and Australia. Now the turnover seems more rapid with popular instructors leaving after only a few seasons.

 Signage around the mountain needs a facelift, as do the lifts. Other Vermont ski areas have invested heavily in detachable 6 passenger high-speed lifts, while Stowe has only the gondola to proudly proclaim as "new and improved".

Finally, bus service around the resort remains very uneven particularly between Spruce Peak, Mt.Mansfield and the village area. Traffic leaving the resort area on busy days can be painfully "stop and go" with cars slowly snaking down the Mountain Road for miles.
 

In conclusion, Stowe remains a justifiably popular destination for skiers and boarders alike largely due to the variety of terrain and the alluring village. Stowe has, however, fallen behind other resorts in terms of services and amenities and needs to catch-up. In this resort marketplace, increasingly dominated by big corporations that see the value in these things, Stowe must continue to improve if it wishes to remain "Best in The East." Those passionate about Stowe's future can only hope that the improvements that are allegedly being planned, presumably by their owner AIG, will address these concerns.

- ROGO

Click here to  read a NY Times story
on Stowe which appeared in March, 2003

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