Boston Globe Story

Below is a copyrighted story from yesterdays Boston Globe, Enjoy!!


The Forecasting a Stowe flurry
Excitement in air as opening nears
By Tony Chamberlain, Globe Correspondent November 20, 2008


STOWE, Vt. - A new connector lift between Mount Mansfield and Spruce Mountain. A spectacular new base lodge scheduled to open this fall as part of a $400 million investment program. A new ski in/out base hotel, and fresh memories of one of the great weather winters in many years.
It would seem, as the first skiers and snowboarders arrive to open the season Saturday, that Stowe Ski Resort would be nothing but bullish on the winter ahead. In fact, that's the case for many locals and longtime Stowe watchers.
Despite the sluggish economy and stories of cutbacks in nearly every facet of life these days, "The buzz is that people here are really kind of optimistic about this season," said Neil Van Dyke, who owns the Golden Eagle Resort.
But questions still hang in the in increasingly frosty air over Mount Mansfield and the post-card village setting here: What if people cut such recreation as skiing and boarding out of their discretionary budgets?
And what if parent company American International Group (AIG), the well-known recipient of an $85 billion government bailout, includes Stowe as an asset to sell off in an effort to repay the bailout?
But again, perhaps buoyed by last season's sensational conditions and the skiing public's enthusiastic response, most Stowe faithful see the glass as half-full.
According to spokesman Jeff Wise, a down economy could actually help areas such as Stowe, because people will more likely pass up a trip west to the Rockies and stay local. Vermont's resorts are within driving time of some 50 million people, many from Canada, where the exchange rate with the US dollar still makes crossing the border an attractive option.
And Wise said that Stowe - about midway through its $400 million improvement program that includes snowmaking, new lifts, hotels, and base lodge facilities - is well-positioned to reap a fair percentage of winter vacationers.
"We have one of the only truly authentic Alpine destinations in the East, and we think people this year will be more ready to come here than fly west," he said.
The authenticity is found in the history of the town and area. Skiing caught on in this country (its popularity spiking after World War II) when Austrian ski instructors who had fought with the US 10th Mountain Division established areas both in the East and on the Rocky Mountains.
"Bend zee knees, 5 dollars please!" was a well-known joke in those years, with reference to the aura of the dashing Tyrolean ski instructors who taught the sport to a generation hungry for new thrills after the decades of depression and war.
One of these was Sepp Ruschp, an Austrian-born ski instructor who came to the states in 1936 at the invitation of the Mount Mansfield Ski Club, and is credited with helping popularize skiing as an instructor both at Stowe and as coach at Norwich University and University of Vermont.
By the 1950s he had turned Mount Mansfield into one of the renowned ski resorts in the country, and certainly the queen of the East. Ruschp brought top competition to the mountain and around the same time was instrumental in getting the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics televised for the first time.
But as Stowe enjoyed status as one of the country's premier ski resorts with its village blossoming around the mountain, Killington was just getting started south of Stowe in 1958 as the sport's popularity ushered in a wave of new resorts
As in later decades, a premium was placed on high-tech snowmaking arsenals and state-of-the-art high-speed lifts, and Stowe slowly slipped from her top gun position. As late as the mid-1980s, one might stand in line a half-hour to ride the painfully slow single-chair lift to the top of Mansfield.
"We lost our status," said Carolyn Ruschp, whose late husband, Peter, was Sepp Ruschp's son. "Other areas saw at Stowe what not to do, and they put massive investments into lifts and snowmaking and grooming. We were left playing catch-up and we're still playing catch-up."
Carolyn, who met her husband when she took ski lessons from him, still owns the motels the couple began in Stowe village. And like most natives and business operators in town, she is optimistic about the season.
"I think most of us feel that instead of going for extended vacations out west, they'd do a long weekend up here. We have the location, and the improvements here have been pretty amazing."
Not that the AIG issue is easily brushed aside, but in the wider scheme of what the company owes, "I think most people consider Stowe a pretty small blip on the AIG asset sheet," said Van Dyke. "But it's a concern. People talk about it. But the weather will have more to do about people coming to Stowe this year than the economy."
Some of the largest improvements obvious to anyone who remembers "the old Stowe" begin with the new upscale hotel and the enormous new base lodge on the Spruce side.
To get from the larger Mount Mansfield side to Spruce, skiers once had to get out of their equipment for a bus ride from one base to the other, an inconvenience at best. Now, a 90-second gondola ride gets the job done, as Spruce Camp has become the new hub of the resort for all guest services.
And while Stowe always cherishes the history of its brand, said Wise, the resort has put much detailed planning into two terrain parks and a halfpipe for boarders and free-ride skiers. Snowboard competition begins next week and will last throughout the season.
"It was at least 10 or 15 years ago that the talk began about improvements on the mountain," says Wise. "There was a lot of permitting to get through. But the new vision really kicked off in 2000 with the Stowe Community Plan. That was the $400 million plan that has produced all the change. We still have plenty left to do."
Of course, whatever the changes on Stowe, like all great ski areas, the terrain is still the terrain. On Stowe, many of the names of the runs and trails resonate through the history of the sport.
The most famous of these are known collectively as the "front four" and have lived to awe and humble skiers of all eras since they were cut a century ago.
Nose Dive, Goat, Starr, and National plunge down off a road midway on Mansfield and still constitute a benchmark in a skier's or rider's progress. Getting down these four with dignity intact gives one a sense of accomplishment.
Other runs on Mansfield, such as Perry Merrill and Standard, are well-worn cruisers that combine undulation with a certain snap that keeps one at attention.
For newer skiers and riders, the Over Easy connection to Spruce - over Route 108, which always stood as the great divide between the two - is most important. Spruce is known for its gentle sweeping terrain and high-speed cruising. The bread-and-butter run, Main Street, even has an automated snowmaking capability that keeps the snow cover refreshed and at times powdery.
So the real importance of the connector is to let groups and families ski at the same resort without being divided on separate peaks.
"Skiing and snowboarding is all about multiple ages," said Wise. "Grandparents can do it with grandkids. Where else do you find a sport that can be done by all generations together at the same time?"
© Copyright

Here's this week's newsletter for Stowe! It's your first stop to learn what’s going on, happening and coming up around town. Remember, your group’s activities, events and news can be part of it. Community Resources (new!)
Local Jobs Weather Local Food / Farmers' Markets
Things to Do Maps and Directions Restaurants and more... Businesses: Make it easy for your Stowe customers to find you. Be a part of the local Stowe community site today!
Stowe Community Calendar
11/17 Planning Commission Meeting 5:30pm
11/18 Development Review Board Meeting 5:00pm
11/19 Conservation Commission Meeting 6:00pm
11/22 Miniature Trees With Ed Rhodes 10:00am
11/23 Sunday Worship Service 8:30am
11/23 Sunday Worship Service 10:30am
More Community Events in and around Stowe
Event Categories:
Business and ProfessionalClubs and OrganizationsGovernment and PoliticsHealth and FitnessReal Estate
Religion and SpiritualityRestaurantsSchools and LibrariesSports and RecreationShops and Stores
Arts and Entertainment Calendar
11/17 Holiday Wrappings Celebration (Johnson) 11:30am
11/17 Made In China 12:00pm
11/18 Give More Heart (Barre) 10:00am
11/18 Holiday Wrappings Celebration (Johnson) 11:30am
11/18 Made In China 12:00pm
11/19 Give More Heart (Barre) 10:00am
11/19 Holiday Wrappings Celebration (Johnson) 11:30am
11/19 Made In China 12:00pm
11/19 Rotary Club Meeting (Essex Junction) 12:10pm
11/19 Lecture Series - Kevin Young (Johnson) All Day
11/20 Give More Heart (Barre) 10:00am
11/20 Holiday Wrappings Celebration (Johnson) 11:30am
11/20 Made In China 12:00pm
11/21 Give More Heart (Barre) 10:00am
11/21 Holiday Wrappings Celebration (Johnson) 11:30am
11/21 Made In China 12:00pm
11/22 Holiday Wrappings Celebration (Johnson) 11:30am
11/22 Give More Heart (Barre) 12:00pm
11/22 Made In China 12:00pm
11/23 Holiday Wrappings Celebration (Johnson) 11:30am
More Arts and Entertainment in and around Stowe
Post an Event
Add a Press Release
Contribute News
List your Organization
Feature your Business
Community Corner
EarthTalk: Green-friendly holiday gift ideas and sources
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Sports and RecreationStay Safe on the Slopes This Winter Avoid ‘Skier’s Thumb’ and Other Sports Injuries By Dr. Steve Lee NYUHospital for Joint Diseases Department of Orthopaedic...
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Stowe Opens for Skiing

Attached is a link to the FIRST snow report of the year. Come & enjoy, skiing will be great this weekend and looking forward to a perdicted snowy and cold winter. Should make for an outstanding year in Stowe. Come enjoy, check out the investment opportunities, much better than the stock market, and enjoy all that is Stowe


http://www.stowe.com/mountain/conditions.php

Winter is coming

Hello, It has been a while but winter is coming so figured I better get busy. Prediction that the ground will be white, even in the village tomorrow morning and it sure feels that way.

We will have a new feature this year. I will attach, weekly, a new list of things to do in Stowe every Sunday, unless I am skiing in which case it will not happen until Monday unless the powder is deep and than it will have to wait for Tuesday.

It has been a good summer in Stowe, great weather and the foliage was one of the all time top ten. Business has been brisk, despite the national doom and gloom. We have tripled last years income and the rental market has been explosive, we hardly have enough houses for long term rentals to keep up.

The new Stowe Mountain Lodge is open and is the most beautiful building I have ever walk through, truly a gem! If you want to rent a room for short term stay you can check our web site, www.StoweRealtyRentals.com and we have a few available, all about 30% off the rack rate of the hotel with almost all the same amenities.

Thanks for listening and I intend to give you a ski condition update from a skiers prespective each Wednesday or Thursday so you can plan your weekend. Here is the attachment


Community Events Newsletter

Week of October 20th Stowe, VT

Community Resources (new!)
Real Estate Local Jobs Weather Local Food / Farmers' Markets
Things to Do Maps and Directions Restaurants and more... Businesses:Make it easy for your Stowe customers to find you. Be a part of the local Stowe community site today!

Stowe Community Calendar
10/20 Planning Commission Meeting 5:30pm
10/21 Development Review Board Meeting 5:00pm
10/22 Historic Preservation Meeting 5:30pm
10/22 Teacher Professional Development
10/23 VT/NEA Educator's Convention - School Closed
10/24 VT/NEA Educator's Convention - School Closed
10/26 Sunday Worship Service 8:30am
10/26 Sunday Worship Service 10:30am
More Community Events in and around Stowe
Event Categories:
Business and ProfessionalClubs and OrganizationsGovernment and PoliticsHealth and FitnessReal Estate
Religion and SpiritualityRestaurantsSchools and LibrariesSports and RecreationShops and Stores

Arts and Entertainment Calendar
10/20 Purely Vermont - Local Vermont Scenes 10:00am
10/20 Made In China 12:00pm
10/20 Lecture Series - Tom Bissell (Johnson) All Day
10/21 Purely Vermont - Local Vermont Scenes 10:00am
10/21 Annual Stone Show - Rock Solid (Barre) 10:00am
10/21 Made In China 12:00pm
10/21 Dog Expert Jon Katz On Connect With Amy Miller (Barre) 7:00pm
10/22 Purely Vermont - Local Vermont Scenes 10:00am
10/22 Annual Stone Show - Rock Solid (Barre) 10:00am
10/22 Made In China 12:00pm
10/22 Rotary Club Meeting (Essex Junction) 12:10pm
10/23 Annual Stone Show - Rock Solid (Barre) 10:00am
10/23 Purely Vermont - Local Vermont Scenes 10:00am
10/23 Made In China 12:00pm
10/24 Annual Stone Show - Rock Solid (Barre) 10:00am
10/24 Purely Vermont - Local Vermont Scenes 10:00am
10/24 Made In China 12:00pm
10/24 28th Fall Fine Arts and Craft Show (Essex Junction) 12:00pm
10/25 28th Fall Fine Arts and Craft Show (Essex Junction) 9:00am
10/25 Purely Vermont - Local Vermont Scenes 10:00am
More Arts and Entertainment in and around Stowe

Community Corner
Apple Picking Orchards and Apple Farms Guide for Stowe, Vermont
Arts and EntertainmentApple Picking Resource Guide - go Apple picking in Stowe, Vermont!Want a unique, fun activity for fall in the Stowe, VT area? This is where you can find...
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Pumpkin Patch Farms in Stowe, VT, Vermont Area
Arts and EntertainmentLocal Pumpkin Patch Farms - go pick pumpkin's at a local farm in the Stowe and Lamoille County area.When there’s a crisp snap in the air, nothing beats a...
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The Power of a Single Vote - Stowe Election Information and Polling Places
Government and PoliticsStowe voters, if you think you’re too busy to get out and ­vote on Election Day or that your vote "won’t matter anyway,"­consider that just one vote ......
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Halloween happenings in and around Stowe and Lamoille county
Arts and EntertainmentIt’s time for spooks and spirits and things that go bump in the night (probably looking for the last Snickers bar in the Treat bag)! Halloween began with the ancient Celts,...
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Robin Morning Book Signing
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EarthTalk: Natural headache remedies
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2008 Hall of Fame Induction
Arts and EntertainmentJoin the Vermont Ski Museum at the 7th Annual Vermont Ski Museum Hall of Fame InductionThe Vermont Ski Museum will induct five more skiing pioneers into the Vermont Ski...
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Coping with the U.S. Financial Crisis
Government and PoliticsNo doubt about it, the current economic situation in­ the US Financial Crisis is scary. But there are things each of us can do to protect o­urselves and keep things from...
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More News and Announcements in and around Stowe

Things To Do, Summer 2008

Here is a calendar for this month:

July 4: Family BBQ and FireworksStarts at 6pm at the Stowe Country Club. Great spot for viewing the big fireworks display. Kids 12 and under eat for free. Call 253-3693.
July 5: Spruce Peak EntertainmentGuitar with Chad Hollister on the Attractions Green from 12-4pm. There is also a Putting Contest on the practice green at Stowe Mountain Club.
July 6: Interactive Art at SpruceCaricature Drawing with Marc Hughes from 12-4pm on the Attractions Green at Spruce Peak.
July 7-11: Kids Summer Mountain Adventure CampWeek # 3 of summer camp for kids at the resort. Tons of fun every day. Call 253-3685 or visit the web page at www.stowe.com for details.
July 9: Twilight Golf LeaguePut a team together and enjoy a very fun season of twilight golf at the Stowe Country Club. Call the pro shop at 253-4893 for details.
July 12: Farmers Dinner Third Annual Vermont Fresh Network Farm & Chef Partnership Benefit Dinner at the Cliff House restaurant. Call 802-253-3000 for info.
July 19: Movie Night at Spruce Peak # 1The first movie night at Spruce this summer features Wanderland, a great ski and snowboard film produced by local filmmakers, Meathead Films. 8:30 at the Summer Attractions Green.