Celebrate Summer in Stowe

For those of you who are young at heart or have children of your own, Stowe has plenty to offer to make your stay as memorable as possible. Take your little daredevils down the Stowe Mountain Resort’s Alpine Slide or have a relaxing day in the sun, bathing by one of our several great swimming lakes.

For you adventure buffs, come up to Stowe this summer for the 23rd Annual Balloon Festival and while you’re up here, check out the miles and miles of endless breathtaking hiking and biking trails at your disposal.

If you are looking for a relaxing getaway, have a picnic by our weekly gazebo concert performances and take in the sights and sounds of this historic New England town. If that isn’t what you’re looking for you could check out one of our many festivals in the area or if you want to speed things up a bit, come see one of our many classic antique car shows; and if there is still time, try something new and take up fly fishing lessons with one of our many expert level instructors.

Whatever you may be looking for this summer, Stowe has got you covered. Whether it be adventure, relaxation or just a fun retreat from the hassles and aggravation from the real world, come to Stowe this summer and let us make Stowe your home away from home.

Ski n Stay Under $100 per person Stowe promotion is Extended!

In Stowe avid skiers/riders think of their sport as practically a birthright. So, we've made it just a bit easier to get up on the hill. I blogged a few weeks ago about our Ski n' Stay for Under $100 Per Person, and we're thrilled to tell you that it's been extended to the end of the ski season (actually March 31st). Basically, you get a valuable Stowe Card (scroll to the bottom of the page if you click), which gets you some awesome perks, including $59 lift tix. Add that to our affordable Stowe lodging, and you've got yourself a ski vacay.

(New England Booth at the Manchester Holiday Show)

And, speaking of travel as a basic right, we could take a page from the books of our friends across the pond. In January I was in Manchester UK and Dublin, Ireland for their respective Holiday Shows. Travel is a serious business over there--of course, they do get up to 6 weeks of holiday time. So, they do their research, attending these shows, which are enormously popular. Once they've gone home and distilled the info that we've bombarded them with, they either head to their favorite tour operator/travel agent or go online, research some more, and book. After nearly a dozen years of attending these shows, it's so gratifying to hear our British and Irish friends' affection for Stowe and for New England. Even though the Pound Sterling and Euro are struggling, as are most currencies (although stronger against the $), these intrepid travelers are still coming. They're looking for value like everyone else, but they lay claim to their right to be on the move and experience the joy and discovery of trotting the globe.

Intrepid and bodacious may also describe participants in the 64th Annual Stowe Derby, presented on February 22 by the Mt Mansfield Ski Club. Actually, the race is only as hard as you decide to make it, as they have four divisions: the Long Course both freestyle and classical; the Short Course, and the Derby Meister.
The Derby was started in 1945 as a personal challenge between Stowe Ski School founder Sepp Ruschp and Erling Strom, world famous mountaineer from Norway. The race remains unchanged from that day: race from the top of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak to Stowe Village. The catch....... only one pair of skis could be used for the varied terrain. The combination of downhill and cross-country skiing was (and still is) considered the ultimate test of a skiers ability.

Stowe Gets The Dump!

Yep, Stowe got hammered. Over a foot of snow on the mountain, and the forecast for weekend skiing is FANTASTIC. The season will be over before you know it, and regrets will not keep your winter inner-child happy and fulfilled. With some great Ski n Stay bargains, and Stowe Mountain Resort's Vacation Rewards Program, there's no reason to delay. And perfect temps make it even better: Roger Hill , Vermont weather guru says "WINTER COLD has Peaked!"

And if the snow on Mt Mansfield (Vermont's highest peak, in case you missed that fact) is hardcore, off-mountain activities are flying high right now, too. You can take a day of rest, well, resting (as in spa) or strolling (as in snowshoeing) or with Man's Best Friend (mush!) Stowe appears along with some pretty grand company, listed as one of the best ski resorts in the world. Articlebase.com, an online source for supplying websites, newsletters and publications with content, states that Stowe regularly makes it into Top Ten lists along with Aspen, Mont-Tremblant, Zermatt, et al. Just had to brag...

Annnnd...speaking of the world: It was my pleasure to spend the last couple of weeks in Manchester, UK and Dublin, attending the holiday shows there, expounding on the virtues of my home town. Despite the economy, these intrepid travelers are still excited about visiting our little mountain village. Bless 'em.

You Can Afford to Ski in Stowe!

Stowe seems to be settling into the New Year with some nice snowy conditions and voila, snow as I write!

January brings a slower tempo...kind of like September after the summer's busyness and before the fall color frenzy begins. January is nicely sandwiched between the hectic holidays and February's next onslaught of vacationers during Presidents' Week (that week can vary around the country, so to be clear, the week here in Stowe is 2/14-2/22)

You may have shot your holiday budget and you may think "that's it, no skiing for me now!". But uh-uh. We're not letting you off that easy, when you know you deserve a nice post-holiday get-away just for you, and besides, we miss you. To that end, Stowe and Stowe Mountain Resort have joined together to offer a great ski & stay deal. Midweek between January 4 and February 12 you can get a free Stowe Points Card (scroll waaay down on this page when you click on this link) when you book your room--and that's a free card for each member of your party! What does this card do, you ask? Gives you a $59 adult lift ticket each time you ski at Stowe--plus tote up points for free skiing.
The Stowe Points Card, which is worth $75 each, is great for not only discounted skiing, but for summer and fall activities too--like golf!
Again, all the details and booking info is here: http://www.gostowe.com/lodging/specials/

Happy New Year... see you slope- side.
Remember, the word of 2009: OPTIMISM

(photo compliments of Stowe Mountain Resort)

Drive Slow and Don't Hit the Brakes

It's 9 degrees fahrenheit, and I can see snow in Stowe Village outside my window, with snow predicted to keeping coming right up through Christmas. It's snowing in Boston, in New York, and very possibly where you are. Which means that you're of one of two minds: You're really not happy, because you're cold, the roads are snowy, the walk needs shoveling, the windshield needs scraping.





















Or you may be of Mind #2. Snow is softly falling, it's peaceful and magical as Christmas approaches. A walk along Main Street in our village brings an encounter with someone you don't even know, but there's eye contact and recognition that this is a good thing, a lovely moment.

For those of Mind #1, we can help:

• The cold: Here in Winter Playland, we layer. Everything from those itchy, wooly, drop-seat long johns to silky, barely-there undies. Any of Stowe's outdoor shops can help you stay warm. Or sit in front of one of the dozens of fireplaces that our lodges feature. And lots of these fireplaces can be in your room. With you, drink in hand, lolling in front of it. Or, do as we do: Play in the snow! Make friends with winter by skiing, riding, snowshoeing, mushing with dogs, riding a horse. Try extreme sledding in Smuggler's Notch!
  
• Snowy Roads: Road crews in a resort town know which side their bread is buttered on, and boy are they diligent in keeping the roads plowed, sanded, salted. (one of my fantasy jobs is driving a plow truck--all cozy, music cranked, steamy cuppa joe in the cupholder, saving the day...) The best advice was imparted to me when I moved here years ago: Drive Slow and Don't Hit the Brakes. T'was told to me by the guy who is now the chief of the Stowe Fire Department, so I trust 'im.
  
• Shoveling Snow: Hire a kid, or shovel yourself and call it "cardio", or buy a snowblower. Or stay with us for awhile, and you won't even have to worry about it. Someone else can do it!
  
• Scraping Ice: No one likes this, there are no easy solutions (although there is a can of something in my car that I've never used, s'posed to work, maybe I should try it), you're on your own.

With all apologies to those of you in tropic climes (I lived in the Virgin Islands for 3 years, and at Christmas we cranked the AC to 55 and huddled around the absurdly-priced tannenbaum, singing songs of the season to get in the mood), Christmas is meant to be white! Everyone from Bing Crosby to Audrey Landers (Afton Cooper on DALLAS!) and Twisted Sister to John Schneider (Clark Kent's Pa and pilot of Duke of Hazzard's GENERAL LEE!) have sung that they dream of it, just like the ones they used to know, so it must be true. And looks like we'll have it.
A White Christmas.

The Snow Gods Awake!

(Photos: Main Street, Stowe Village, 10am December 12)

The Snow Gods conspired and concocted, and this morning Stowe awoke to nearly a foot of new snow. And it's still snowing, hard.


Oddly enough I get pretty psyched to get outside and clean off my car (the adult version of putting on your snowsuit, and just getting out there), and this morning required the use of The Snow Broom. Don't know where it disappeared to; maybe it was tired from a summer of sweeping pine needles off the deck, so I used the current household broom, which ended up looking like a frazzled kitchen witch. This exercise is all part and parcel of living in snow country, and today finds Stowe folks dancing like hamsters and high stepping like those nine- ladies-dancing that will be referenced this time of year ad nauseum.

The news that we want you ALL to know is: Stowe is snowy and up and running. And with the 10-day forecast heralding colder temps and snow, we're in great shape for that Currier & Ives holiday. That term is so overused, but it's accurately descriptive. You'll see.

Stowe Mountain Resort is open for awesome skiing and riding. Gondola opens this weekend on Mt Mansfield, and Sunny Spruce and Sensation Quad on Spruce Peak, too. And the brand-spanking-new Spruce Camp base lodge, which is, no joke, jaw-droppingly fabulous, is warm and will welcome you with open arms. My friend & associate at SMR, Jeff Wise reports that they expect six more inches from this storm, and anticipate 57 trails open tomorrow, with all three peaks open for business.

Dogsledding, xc skiing, snowmobiling (or 'chining, as in snowmachine...take your pleasure with either term) snowshoeing, extreme sledding, romantic sleigh rides--you can revel in it all now, as the snow keeps falling.

Take a shopping break and come see a few of my friends and I carol (yes!! 12 Days of Christmas is one of our greatest hits!) at Stowe Mercantile in the village. We're there on Sunday from 2-4pm. Kids can visit Santa there on Saturday, too, from 12-2, and they donate $10 to the food shelf for every child who visits Santa. Scads of holiday events are underway now, too, including our Shop Savor Sip Ski

New Stowe Dining & Shopping Guide!

Thanksgiving means, obviously, giving thanks--for family, friends and for our own individual list of personal blessings.

Thanksgiving also means food , and on that note we'd like to draw your attention to Stowe's brand new Winter/Spring Dining & Shopping Guide. When you're in Stowe, stop in to our Visitor Information Center and pick one up. They're distributed all over town, too, so look for one at your hotel.




Thanksgiving also means spending time with the people that you truly care about, and this year StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit that has helped more than 40,000 Americans record their personal stories, is advocating the day after Thanksgiving as National Day of Listening. As one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, StoryCorps's mission is to help people honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening. The day after Thanksgiving is also National Day of Shopping, but you could put that off until Saturday or Sunday and avoid the considerable crush. (but don't forget our once-a-year, awesome Stowe shopping promotion,
Shop Savor Sip & Ski-great ski benefits!) Choose someone in your life to tell their story. StoryCorps suggests some questions to get you started:
What was the happiest moment of your life?
What are you most proud of?
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?
What is your earliest memory?
How would you like to be remembered?

It stands to reason that we can be transformed by choosing to be grateful for the people in our lives--whether it's the loves of our lives, our family and friends, or the people that pass through our lives every day by chance.
Happy Thanksgiving!