#Fourrunner Quad Summit

[jandeproductions]

Stowe, VT 06MAY2023

Snow in the North Slope area was still nearly continuous today, but there are a couple of breaks down by the base Unlike the previous couple of weekends, there were no real concerns about the weather for skiing this weekend – both days have been looking quite reasonable without any major bouts of precipitation expected.  Today looked great with clear skies all morning, so I eventually headed back…

[the-wandering-couple]

Local Adventures: Stowe, VT

by Louie

As a Christmas gift to ourselves, Audrey and I decided to go to the Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont for a day of skiing and snowboarding at one of America’s top ski resorts.

We hit the road on Sunday morning. Fortunately we did not encounter any serious traffic during the 3-hour drive from Boston and arrived right around 10:30 in the morning.

Upon arriving to the resort we were met by the valet who were extremely friendly and helpful, taking our bags out of the car and helping us carry them to the lobby where we were going to check in and pick up our lift tickets.

Since our arrival time was before the official check-in time, our room was not quite ready yet, but in an effort to get us on the slopes faster, the receptionist offered to hold our luggage until we got back from skiing.

We went to the “Spruce Camp” building to pick up Audrey’s snowboard and my skis that we rented online when we booked our hotel.

All the rental equipment was in great condition and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. I’m fairly certain my ski boots had never been worn by anyone else before (probably due to the fact that most people don’t wear size 14 shoes).

The Stowe Ski Resort is made up of two summits, Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. Spruce Peak being the smaller of the two comprises mainly of smaller runs for beginners or for people looking for less challenging runs. Since neither of us had been skiing or snowboarding in years we chose to take advantage of the easier runs on Spruce to get reacquainted with alpine sports.

We went down the Easy Street run a few times until we both got more comfortable on the slopes before heading over to Mount Mansfield. As we took the Fourrunner Quad chairlift up the mountain, the sun fell behind the top of ridge line and the temperature began dropping quickly.

The summit on the side of the mountain we were on is 3,615 feet above sea level or 2,056 feet above the base of the mountain. From here one is greeted with a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountain range. 

Quite a few runs stem from the top of the Fourrunner Quad including the one we chose to go on: the Toll Road trail, which at 3.7 miles is the longest run on the mountain.

Halfway down the mountain, Audrey took an unfortunate fall and hurt her shoulder and wrist fairly badly. She tried to keep going on the trail however she ripped her pants down the entire length of her leg in the fall and the plummeting temperatures began to cause her a great deal of discomfort. Her injured arm combined with the freezing air hitting her exposed leg kept her from being able to continue the run.

We flagged down the ski patrol who were extremely kind and pulled her in a sled down the mountain to the first aid cabin. In order to take the fastest route down they took some trails that were a bit above my ability and I fell once or twice on the way down at considerable speed. Fortunately for me the only thing I hurt was my pride.

Audrey was well tended to by the staff. After they were able to warm her up and check on her arm they concluded she had suffered a mild contusion and should be ok after a few days. Since the ski lifts would be closing within the hour, the ski patrol thought it best that we call it a day and were even kind enough to return Audrey’s snowboard to the rental shop for us.

The resort shuttle came and picked us up and took us back to the front lobby where we finally were able to get our room. 

The Stowe Mountaine Lodge is a Forbes Four Star-rated facility and is the only luxury ski-in/ski-out hotel in New England. We booked the Timberline Studio located in the main building of the lodge.

To help Audrey get warm, I lit the gas-fireplace while she took a bath in the sizable marble bathtub. 

Our studio had a king-sized bed, television, and a loaded kitchenette with two-burners, a microwave, cooking utensils, Simon Pierce glassware, and J.A. Henckels kitchen knives.

Audrey rested while I returned the remainder of our rental equipment. At this point we both realized that neither of us had eaten or drunk anything since arriving that morning. 

Since I wanted to watch the game between Patriots and the Steelers we opted to eat at the Hourglass Lounge located on the second floor of the lodge. To get a good viewing angle of the TVs we decided to sit at the bar which was full of other Patriots fans.

While everything else at the lodge was wonderful, the only blemish during our stay was our dining experience at the lounge. The service was atrocious. The three bartenders on duty had no semblance of organization or desire to be there. When Audrey was in the process of informing one of the bartenders of her food allergies, he appeared to barely pay attention or acknowledge her concerns. Our waters were never filled and Audrey’s drink was never made. 

We ordered the pulled pork nachos as a starter. They came out within three minutes of ordering and they were not hot. In my experience as a chef, this probably means that they were probably an incorrect order sent back to the kitchen which was then unloaded on us.

For our entrees, I ordered the “Lookout Burger” and Audrey ordered one of their sushi rolls. Although my burger was good, Audrey’s food never arrived. By the time I finished my burger, Audrey flagged down our bartender to inform him that her food never arrived to which he sarcastically responded, “perfect” with no semblance of apology or customer service.

Although the Patriots did win in an exciting fashion, our dining experience left a foul taste in our mouths.

We wandered around the lodge for a while before heading back to our room. Audrey was still hungry after failing to receive her food and I had a serious craving for dessert so we decided to order room service. Audrey ordered the crispy fried cheese curds and I ordered the skillet cookie and a glass of milk.

Like my burger earlier, the food was good for what it was and when combined with the soreness we were both feeling it was definitely a nice way to end the evening.

The next morning we checked out of the lodge and headed back down to Boston where Audrey had to take her last final of the semester in the afternoon.

Although our day on the slopes was cut short this was our most enjoyable local adventure to date. The Stowe Mountain Lodge is a beautiful resort with top notch accommodations, friendly and helpful staff (minus the bartenders), and is above and beyond the nicest hotel we have stayed at as a couple.

We will definitely be back albeit with a little bit more practice next time.