Vermont Green Mountains: Stowe, Smugglers Notch, and Sugarbush Ski Safari

I had the pleasure to sojourn Northern Vermont this past weekend and ski three of the best mountains in the in the east. We experienced  Stowe, www.stowe.com  the ski capital of the east ( before the days of Tremblant) Smugglers Notch - known as "The family resort" www.smuggs.com and Sugarbush www.sugarbush.com which is somewhere in between.  I call this combo of mountains the S3 tour (kind of like K2) and recommend anyone to try it out too. Our package supplier was Express Tours, and they have been serving the east coast skiers for decades. They know the details of all the east coast mountains and still provide a great upbeat package experience. Vermont is a unique state in its connection to sustainable living, and hence the location in the Green Mountains. While the more progressive ski resorts are building high speed detachable quads and six packs, many of the Vermont resorts use non detachable slow doubles. At Mad River Glenn, they still don't let snowboarders on the mountain for fear of them destroying the bumps!Vermonters are old school and their resorts have that good old fashion down home feeling. The slow speed chair concept is to go back to the origins of skiing and reduce the congestion on the slopes and get back that rustic mountain feeling. See the old double chair below at Smugglers:

We met skiers from all over the east coast who came to enjoy the best snow conditions Vermont has had in many years. Stowe is still the king of the steep and gnarly with runs like the Star and Goat and National that make you realize that skiing the steeps is really exhilarting experience. Sugarbush has Castlerock, and Smugglers has FIS to challenge the experts.

Sugarbush is a two mountain resort with the more modern side and the rustic side of Glenn Ellen. There is a high speed quad that goes up and over some beautiful valleys to connect the two mountains. The Sugarbush side has beautiful cruisers such as Joker, and more serious bumpers on Castlerock Chair. The resort has an oasis of cruising runs at Glenn Ellen and their base lodge is  a throwback to the 60's. However, the families that are locals of this mountain, really look like they know what they are doing.

However, as I rode to the mountains each day and looked at the Vermont landscape I realized that skiing is really a zen experience as you connect with the landscape and the people that manage it. Vermont has a green environmental consciousness started by the Rockefellers and is part of the fabric of life. There is local beef and pork and their environmental protection laws make it difficult to develop too much of their mountains.Their art scene is vibrant with all types of live music at Stowe, and elsewhere for fun Apres Ski.

What the locals have been doing is trimming the branches of the trees to improve the glades skiing. In addition the new rocker wide platform skis make it easier to ski the trees, so some of the best new trails in Vermont are in the glades. The photo below is from Smugglers, which is a privately owned mountain and warm and friendly locals. There is a beautiful view of Stowe from the top (see below) and it would be amazing if they could connect the two. The base lodge is rustic and matches with the beautiful ski terrain on the slopes..

For a pure mountain experience a Vermont experience is a great destination. The atmosphere is warm and holistic and the mountains are well managed and offer great variety for the family. Try the S3 tour.

Think Clean - Ski The Green,


The Adventure Guy