A GREAT WEEKEND AT STOWE

 

 

Stowe has frequently been named the best ski area in the East by prestigious ski publications. It’s a really fun place to ski and I’ve always enjoyed myself there. I’ve skied Stowe many time and was anxious to ski there again because of the great trails, bumps and slopes. Stowe is a classic New England ski area that has set the standard for what that means. This beautiful resort on Mt. Mansfield (the tallest mountain in Vermont) boasts 12 lifts servicing 485 skiable acres with 48 trails. Stowe has a 2360 ft. vertical drop from a summit that is 4395 ft. They have snow making on most of the trails (73%) and receive an average of 260″ inches of snow every year.

I arrived at the slopes early and got a parking spot right near the lodge. I picked up my tickets and hopped on the chair and warmed up on a run right under that chairlift called Liftline. After my warm-up run, I took the double black diamond Goat trail to Lower National and Crossover to the gondola.

I spent most of the day skiing all the trails serviced by the gondola and enjoyed the nice snow that they had and the great view. Right under the gondola on Gondolier. I took a run or two on Perry Merrill. Chin Clip was bumped up and icy in a few spots. It was a real challenge.

They were having a bump competition on Spruce Peak. I often forget that Spruce Peak exists and had never skied there, so I caught the shuttle bus and went over to check out area and watch the Freestyle competition. Spruce Peak is all blue and green trails that would appeal to someone who is a beginner or intermediate skier. They have a nice base lodge and nice race facilities and there was no lift line

When I got there, I found that the competition was a bump contest for kids. There are Freestyle teams at many ski areas that compliment the race teams and compete all over the country. At this meet, Killington girls dominated the podium with Kayla Burcin in 1st, Elizabeth Smith 2nd, and Rachel Scheiner 3rd, and Alta Curtis 4th

For the boys, it was Michael Kazley from Bristol taking the gold, Sugarbush’s Ryan Ewing the silver, Killington’s Sterling Crescimammo the bronze and Misha Gordon-Rowe from Stowe finishing 4th

I met a lot of great kids that day. It hurts my pride to say this but there were 13 year-olds there that could kick my butt in the bumps. These cute kids are serious athletes that train hard and long, competing throughout the ski season. I had fun photographing these kids skiing the bumps and taking air off the jumps just like the Olympic athletes with hopes of joining them some day on the U.S. Freestyle Team.

After skiing, I decided to have dinner at Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant. While I was eating at the bar, a family came in and because the place was crowded, joined me at the bar. As luck would have it, the boy was Sterling Crescimammo who came in second in the bumps that day. I had a chance to chat with him and his mother and father about the Freestyle program. This young athlete trains at Killington and his parents were enthusiastic about the program. I enjoyed my meat at Miguel’s and the conversation with the Crescimammos. A word of warning, the hot sauce is really HOT here, so be careful.

ACCOMMODATIONS
I had arranged to stay at the Fiddlers Green Inn just minutes from the ski area. I stayed in the bunk room of this small B&B located on the Stowe access road. The owner and all the guest were very friendly as we chatted over the cooked-to-order breakfast that included eggs, french toast, pancakes, bacon, toast, juice and coffee. Prices are very reasonable ($49 per person double occupancy) and include breakfast. This is a great place to stay that has a wonderful fireplace in the living room. To reserve a room, call (800) 882-5346. This rustic inn has plenty of real wood paneling because it was originally built to house the foreman of a saw mill and has been welcoming skiers since the 1930’s.

SLOPESTYLE COMPETITION
The next day, they were having a Slopestyle competition. Most of the competitors were local guys and riders from neighboring ski areas. I enjoyed seeing these athletes compete. Some rode snowboards, some and were skiers

Male Riders 13 & Under:
Julian Harrison was 1st, Michael Conte 2nd, and Dylan Gunning was 3rd

Male Skiers 13 & Under:
Clint Carraich 1st, Matt Tudino 2nd, Sean O’Neil 3rd, Jasper Gross placed 4th

Female Riders 13 & Under:
In 1st place was Maggie Newman, Chloe VanPallen was 2nd, Jessie Winters was 3rd, and Kathryn Raymond placed 4th.

Female Skier 14 & Over:
Samantha Meets

Male Skiers 14 & Over:
Ted Carrick placed 1st, Chip Spillane was 2nd, Max Gorham came in 3rd and Tucker Spillane was 4th

Male Riders 14 & Over:
Nikita Lermontov-Salmon won the event with Tucker Spear 2nd, Ryan Burns 3rd and Jole Lacross 4th

I had a great time skiing and watching the events at Stowe. This is a wonderful place for a ski vacation where you can enjoy all that a fine New England ski area has to offer skiers and snowboarders of every ability.

Ian Fehler
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