Economic Stimulation at Stowe's New Alpine Wonderland

So, I just got back from a three day weekend at Stowe. I still maintain that this is pretty much the best place to ski in the Northeast, but holy cow, you better save your pennies if you wanna enjoy a few days on these pristine, snow covered peaks. Stowe has always been a special place for us. Dana and I started skiing there a lot back when we first met with our old pal Sam. Back in those days it was sleeping on the floor and skiing the Big Spruce Double in arctic conditions with nary another brave soul in sight.

With the new Spruce Base Camp expansion - that old double chair has been replaced by the Sensation High Speed Quad and to our pleasant surprise - the crowds on this side of the mountain haven't increased too much - probably because of the limited amount of terrain. This is also the beginner side of the mountain with the ski school located at the base of Big Spruce. However, the Sensation Quad doesn't service any beginner terrain so most people wanting to ski the big stuff take the fancy new cross mountain gondola if they find themselves on this side and ski the front of Mansfield. We did that too but figured we could tire ourselves out by taking some power runs on the Spruce side with zero lift lines and some nice glades off Sterling.

Pointless Video

Part of Stowe's allure is that quintessential New England thing that can be found in the sleepy, snow encrusted village and driving the windy, sun kissed mountain road nestled between Mount Mansfield and Smuggs. Needless to say, Stowe is not the campy, old ski mountain it used to be. Forever, it was one of the few top notch ski resorts in the Northeast that didn't have much in the way of slopeside accommodations... until now.

The new hotel and resort pretty much blow away most base lodges in New England with the exception of maybe Tremblant but that's Canada. We all know I aspire to be Canadian so I get a little confused sometimes. The hotel and condo complex is a sprawling but tastefully designed village that meshes seamlessly with the Mount Mansfield ecosystem and resembles a picturesque ewok village. It's cute, it's chic and boy-oh-boy is it pricey!

It rivals the Stratton village but seeing as how I'm not a huge fan of Stratton, I'd say it's better. It doesn't have a bunch of shops or restaurants or anything. It's all pretty much self contained within one large system of buildings, but within that complex, there is a beautiful new high end restaurant, an awesome new base lodge with a ski repair shop and gear store, free lockers which I will talk more about in a moment, several places to get tickets, a cool new bar with a fire place and a concept cafeteria.

Fancy Islands With Lemon Water, Pepper Mills, Cream & Sugar

We didn't stay at the hotel although I am pushing for a spring ski trip for my birthday but the rooms appear to be nothing short of fabulous with all the high end amenities you could wish for and spa services on site. There is also this cool little building called the Winter Cottage which just sounds cozy and looks like a happy little hideaway just off to the edge of the property that serves lunch and dinner in a blissful wood fire warmed environ.

This Was a $13 Sandwhich... Served on a Real Plate!

I know Stowe is a little late to the game but honestly, I think their timing is just right. Many of the resorts that expanded several years ago have seen a lot of wear and tear on their slopeside accommodations. Some of the hotel rooms are a bit beat up and the amenities you shell out so much cash for leave a lot to be desired.

We love the Loaf for example. It's one of our favorite places to ski, but staying at the hotel seems pricey for what you get. The rooms aren't great and if you want a massage you have to truck it down to the gym. The Inn isn't much better as it feels like a dorm and still runs you a few hundred a night. That's sort of bogus. The hotels at Sunday River and Mt Snow are in better shape but some of the budget accommodations leave a LOT to be desired and it's not like their super affordable. Anyway, I'd rather feel like I got a great room and really enjoyed my stay if I'm going to empty my wallet anyway.

The Fancy New Spruce Base Camp & Hotel

We got engaged at Stowe last season, knee deep in snow in the Rimrock glade, but due to my employment status, a trip to China in December and a long bout of bronchitis, this was our first trip back this year. No matter how much they charge me for a lift ticket, I will always love Stowe. But I have to admit that when the cost for two 3-day lift tickets came to nearly $500, I almost asked if I would get a free lobster with that. However, we were pretty excited when we found out that all the lockers in the Spruce lodge are free!!! At least I get a place to put my gear for the bargain price of $90 a day! On Friday the mountain was empty (this was before the big holiday rush started) so there were rows and rows of empty lockers ours for the taking and the mountain was largely unpopulated. Regardless of what they get you for a lift ticket, the skiing is superb, especially if you know where to look.

Free Lockers!!!

Most of the Mansfield side is the same old Stowe. Slightly outdated, rustic, campy. You can still get a slice of pizza for $3.50 from under a heat lamp at the Midway Lodge or a hot dog in a warm silver sleeve. There is still a much too meager supply of coin operated lockers in the Mansfield base lodge and some rows of cubbies upstairs. And if you're feeling crazy, you can still stop at the Cantina (weekends only now) and have the same bartender or waitress from the past 10 years serve you a quesadilla and a beer and participate in some ridiculous apres ski contest so that you might be the lucky winner of a Corona t-shirt!

However, at the Spruce Base Camp it's all white chef hats and carving stations. The concept cafeteria includes several food stations where the culinary elite (or at least people dressed like they might be culinary elite) custom make your dish for you. These aren't hamburgers wrapped in some foily substance endorsed by NASA. These are hand shaped, hand flipped burgers made with care for each customer. I love this concept but it takes forever and it certainly isn't cheap. At a mid-day break, we split a panini for the bargain price of $13! It was good but it didn't come with a gold bar or anything.

Anyway, over the years we have stayed at a number of places in and around Stowe. We have rented the same house a number of times and have sometimes stayed at nice places, and other times opted for lower end accommodations. This trip found us at the Innsbruck Inn. This was on the lower end of the price spectrum and was really a great deal despite the photos on the website which look like they were taken before I was born. It included a pretty awesome breakfast each day which easily saved us $25 and was the closest to the mountain we have ever stayed. We did spend the first two nights without heat but not because they refused to fix it or anything... just because we didn't realize it was broken. We kinda just thought it was cold in our room.

The Scene at The Shed

One thing that never changes in Stowe is the Shed. I'm really thankful for this because I don't know if I could handle it. We look forward to this constant, reliable and welcoming beacon of hope like we look forward to spring after six months of deep freeze. They have some of the best wings on my list of places with great wings. Spicy enough to leave me with chapped lips for at least a day and their shepherds pie is something I look forward to from the moment I set my skis on the snow in the morning. But let's not forget about the Mountain Ale. We brought home three growlers because leaving it behind makes us sad. It's a strong ale but it's delicious and tastes like winter. Or like our friend Schimmy said the other day... like it was made with Christmas morning. Yummm.


It being that Hallmark of holidays this weekend, we did treat ourselves to one "special" meal at the Stowehof. I picked this place because we thought pretty seriously about getting married here. We had contemplated a winter wedding and this place was at the top of the list. Of course this was before I found my dream wedding location and realized I could pull off my Parent Trap meets Meatballs vision.

Anyway, I knew a lot about their menu, wine list, etc. and wanted to go have a meal there and I'm glad we did. It's a cute little place. Very European in a "Dana will probably whack his head on one of these low ceiling beams" kind of way. It reminded me of skiing in Switzerland a few years ago.

The food was quite good although you could tell we were screwing them up a little with our 9:00 reservation. I think we were the last people (in all of Vermont) to be seated that late. We had some oysters (unremarkable) a lovely baked brie with a super tart balsamic reduction and then Dana had a pork loin and I had a salmon with crab meat stuffing. What I was most excited about however was the thrilling cross bred cauliflower-broccoli hybrid my dish came with. This exciting little vegetable commonly known as romanesco (even the name is fun!) is particularly cool because every little spire is a miniature of the larger spindle.


We also enjoyed a nice bottle of white burgundy. It was actually a Chablis which I prefer because it's fermented in stainless steel tanks, rather than oak and I really like the tart, crisp, apple-y flavor it produces. Plus... it's a bargain! I love these wines and when I can get them out, I always do.

Anyway, it was a nice meal. Not an A+ by any means but it was quite good and not insanely expensive. We had a chocolate fondue for dessert that left a lot to be desired but again, we were by that time, the last people there. I did a good job of hiding the remaining food on my plate. Dana thinks I should start a blog all about hiding food. I could write pages about that! I just feel bad leaving food on my plate. I don't know why.

Do I think the chef will see it and be insulted? Do I wonder if my waiter is snickering as he takes my plate to the kitchen... "hahaha, that silly woman just paid for this food and didn't finish it" - as if any of them care. Yet still, I take the garnish, the scraps of leaf and shavings of parsley and as if an art form, attempt to erase all evidence of that meal I just shelled out $30 for and barely moved around the plate.

Oh well. Someone needs to be out there stimulating the economy, right?