Families dressed in mountain chic enjoy hot chocolates, cocktails, and nibbles in heated pergolas as they watch skaters circle the rink. Music sets the mood, and Christmas lights brighten the sky. Families bounce from store to store with shopping bags filled with toys, books, candy, and apparel. The après ski scene is backdropped by the craggy peak of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont’s highest mountain.
Stowe Mountain Resort’s Spruce Peak Village is Vermont’s version of Aspen, Courchevel, or St. Moritz. Although it is a magnet for jet-setting families during peak winter weekends and holidays, Stowe has long been a go-to destination for die-hard skiers and snowboarders seeking expert terrain, great snow conditions, and New England charm.
How does the resort appeal to these different visitors? Well, it is a tale of two mountains.
The Iconic Mt. Mansfield
A short gondola ride from Spruce Peak Village is the Mt. Mansfield side of the resort, with its rustic lodges and expert terrain. The atmosphere here is steeped in American ski tradition.
As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the federally funded Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employed young adult males in various public work projects. The 191st crew from the CCC was sent from neighboring Waterbury to Mount Mansfield in the summer of 1933 to scout a route for the state’s first cut recreational ski trail. In November, they began the grueling axe and saw work to blaze a trail in the forest named The Bruce, for Waterbury lumberman Horace Bruce Jr. They completed their work on Feb. 1, 1934, and that same day, CCC crew member Paul Barquin became the first to ski a cut ski trail in the state, descending more than 2,000 vertical feet.
As the Bruce was being cut, the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club was legally incorporated on Jan. 8, 1934, “to promote safety in all aspects of skiing,” which led members to formalize a patrol, according to a recent resort press release. Participation in the club, which predated the establishment of the Stowe Mountain Resort itself, grew as their duties and methods matured.
One such person in need of patrol assistance in 1936 was C. Minot “Minnie” Dole, who broke his ankle. The ski patrol rescued him by the light of a kerosene lantern and a toboggan fashioned out of excess tin roofing material. Grateful and inspired by this life-saving experience, Minnie recognized the vital need for patrolling if skiing were to continue to grow as a recreational sport. He went on to help establish and serve as the first director of the National Ski Patrol and also helped create the famed 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army, credited for turning the tide of World War II on Riva Ridge on the Italian front.
Today, Mt. Mansfield is where the locals and thrill-seekers spend most of their time at Stowe.
One such local is Erica Allen, a 50-year-old fashion photographer and volunteer youth snowboard chaperone. She moved her family from Burlington, Vermont, to Stowe five years ago.
“We prefer the Mansfield side now that my girls are older and can handle all the trails. The vintage lodges make me feel more at home,” she recounted in an email interview.
Ms. Allen shared that following Stowe’s acquisition by Vail Resorts and inclusion in their Epic Pass program, which offers unlimited skiing for a fixed fee, skiing at Stowe has become more affordable, enabling many more people to participate.
Like a beach town in the summer, more visitors have increased the prosperity and services of the resort and surrounding town. But it’s also brought more traffic and more congestion in the parking lots.
To respond to increased demand, the resort has implemented several measures on holidays and weekends. Parking is free if you carpool with four or more people. Otherwise, prime parking carries a fee. Alternatively, groups of three or fewer can park at alternate lots and take a chairlift or a shuttle or use public transportation to get to and from the Mansfield base.
Ms. Allen’s advice is to leave more time if you’re driving to the mountain during holidays, weekends, or powder days. Another option, which is a splurge, is to valet park at the Spruce Peak base, or better yet, stay at the resort’s on-mountain accommodations.
Spruce Peak Style and Comfort
The Spruce Peak Lodge is a five-star luxury resort offering everything from single hotel rooms to townhomes, cabins, and club residences.
While the skiing operations are managed by Vail Resorts at Stowe, the modern comforts at the Spruce Peak Village and Lodge are owned and operated in partnership with Hyatt. Here you can be pampered with full-service hotel amenities, or, if you have a few million dollars sitting idle, you can purchase a slopeside residence.
Spruce Peak Village offers more than easy access to skiing. It also has a thriving dining and cocktail scene, a community ice skating rink open to all (rental skates are available), a full calendar of cultural festivals and musical entertainment, and a beautiful mountain golf course in the warmer season. The village association even publishes its own print and online magazine, Spruce Life.
Despite that Mt. Mansfield has the majority of the expert terrain, Spruce Peak also has some challenging intermediate and expert runs, though it’s where you'll also find the new skier learning area, children’s ski school and daycare, upscale dining, and on-mountain lodging complete with a huge pool, hot tubs, and spa facilities.
I spoke with Jim, a finance and sports executive from Connecticut who has stayed at the Lodge at Spruce Peak during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day for the past three years. He explained that for a family that skis only 5 to 10 days a year, it can be challenging to prepare all of the details for a successful day on the mountain, which can discourage his wife and teenage daughter from enjoying the sport.
His advice to other families who want to try skiing is to “reduce friction as much as possible.”
“Spruce Peak makes it easy,” he said. “You don’t need your car.”
For him, the advantage of staying at Spruce Peak Lodge is he can “literally walk right out onto the mountain.”
“The staff is incredibly helpful,” he added. “There are wonderful things for kids such as a game room, pool, and hot tub.”
Jim has fallen into a routine when visiting. After breakfast, he and his daughter Eden get their gear from the ski valet and he walks her to ski school.
After getting her situated, he takes the gondola to Mt. Mansfield, where he skis the advanced terrain. Then he meets his wife, Lisa, for lunch, and together they pick their daughter up from ski school. They spend the afternoon as a family cruising on the intermediate terrain on Spruce Peak. After a full day of skiing, they’re ready for a leisurely dinner, a swim, and relaxing in their room before an early bedtime.
Even though they spend more time at Mansfield, locals appreciate what the newer Spruce Peak Village has added to Stowe.
Ms. Allen said: “Spruce is great. The rink is fun, the food is better, and when Sensation Lift is open, we go over there. ... In the summer, they have a concert series at Spruce and the theater there has had some cool shows. It has been a nice improvement.”
When You Go
Getting There: Stowe is approximately a six-hour drive from New York City, three hours from Boston, and a one-hour drive from the closest major airport, in Burlington, Vermont.
Dining: At Spruce Peak, there are a variety of options, including the outdoor Whistlepig Pavilion and Whiskey Bar, The Tipsy Trout, Alpine Hall, and the fantastic Pantry and Beanery Café for coffee and quick bites. The town of Stowe also offers a great variety; local Ms. Allen recommends the chicken sandwich at Doc Ponds and the Cork Restaurant for burgers, gourmet food, and a selection of organic wines.
Stay: On-mountain lodging at Spruce Peak can be reserved at SprucePeak.com. For an alpine ski vacation, this is the most convenient place to stay.
There are also a variety of accommodations from basic to luxury in the town of Stowe along the Mountain Road. Some of the popular resorts are Topnotch, the best place for year-round tennis, and the Trapp Family Lodge of “Sound of Music” fame, which has the best cross-country skiing access, authentic Bavarian charm, and a brewery.
Activities: Downhill skiing is the main attraction. Lift tickets, lessons, and equipment rentals can be arranged at Stowe.com. For a pro move, download Vail Resort’s Epic app to your phone, which shows directions straight to your preferred parking lot, weather, snow levels, ticket purchasing, trail maps with up-to-date reports on lift wait times to maximize your day, and a feature to record your ski stats for the day. Once you have purchased your preferred ticket, you can also use the app on your phone instead of a traditional lift ticket to gain entry to lifts.
In addition to alpine skiing, there are a variety of alternatives: cross-country skiing, ice skating, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, fat tire bike riding, and live music. Of course, the summer season brings a whole additional set of activities.
