The following is the Dec 26 update from the mountain, enjoy!!
December 26, 2008
Volume 18, Number 3
Excitement at Spruce is Setting the Stage
With the holiday season in full swing it is time for the new Spruce Camp base lodge to strut its stuff. So far it has been awesome. With lots of snow on the hill and a town full of guests Stowe Mountain Resort is thriving with activity. A week that brought a whole lot of snow gave the mountain’s trail network resiliency for both fluctuations in weather and a higher volume of use during this time of the season. For those who enjoy entertainment with their skiing & riding there will be lots of activity on the mountain and in the Spruce Peak Plaza each day of this holiday week. Free skiers and riders will be happy to know that work is underway on the halfpipe that will be built on lower Standard and the Terrain Park on North Slope is completely dialed-in to rave reviews.
Music on the MountainThere is music in lots of locations throughout this holiday stretch. Spruce Camp will host Chad Hollister on Saturday, Dan Walker on Sunday and Richie Ortiz on Monday, all from 2-6pm. On Tuesday it will be Dwayne Carlton at Spruce Camp. At The Den in Mansfield base, Adam Ezra is on stage on Saturday followed on Sunday by Blue Fox. On Monday it’s Jim Charonko. In Jose’s at Midway base lodge, catch DJ Scotty on Saturday and Adam Ezra moves over there for a Sunday afternoon gig. The Fireside Tavern down at the Inn at the Mountain listen to Brett Hughes on Saturday or Jim Charonko on Sunday. John Wilson, Stowe Mountain Resort’s renaissance “lift-ie” will bring the John Wilson Jazz Duo to the Fireside on Monday. On New Year’s Eve, the Den will host Seth Yacavone, a rocking blues guitarist from 2-6pm while Spruce Camp will present the Dejas. Duncan Blaine will be at the Fireside. Wrapping up the busy week of! music, enjoy Kid Pinky and His Restless Knights at Spruce Camp.
Dining Around Stowe Mountain ResortThere are more and better options than ever for dining mountainside at Stowe Mountain Resort. The Great Room with its five unique food stations at Spruce Camp will certainly be the star of the week but it has lots of companions. The delicatessen area and José's Cantina at Midway have been popular over the years and the Cafe at Mansfield base lodge has a tradition of almost sixty years of refueling hungry skiers and snowboarders. Mountain top dining is also a real treat and the resort has two really choice locations. The Octagon which traces its roots back to 1940 has absolutely stunning views on a clear day and when it is snowing outside, the panoramic windows of the Octagon make you feel right at home in a blizzard. The Cliff House at the top of the Gondola is a Stowe landmark, and its appetizer menu is fast and very tasty. Oh, and the view from there isn’t too shabby either. New for this winter and a bit off the beaten pat! h is the Winter Cottage which in the summer is the meeting place for golf at Stowe Mountain Club. This charming new building is offering a great lunch and après ski menu each day and is just a three minute walk from the Spruce Plaza. This is a great spot for a quiet meal and a hot or cold beverage, away from busy crowds.
Spruce Camp Debut in Full SwingThis holiday week brings to the resort the culmination of a long-cherished dream for Stowe Mountain Resort, the luxury of a new base lodge at Spruce Peak to serve as the base of operations for all the skiers and snowboarders visiting Stowe during this holiday period. It took a year and a half to construct the new Spruce Camp, but the construction period was worth the wait. Opened for Thanksgiving weekend, and now in full operation, the spectacular new building is offering a level of service never before possible at the resort. With a spacious and well-appointed lower level, where rental services, ski and snowboard school desks, expanded retail and skier/rider services are located. The breathtaking main dining floor, titled The Great Room Bar & Grill with its glassed in dining areas and a great lounge for Apres-ski relaxation, completes the scene at Spruce Camp, marking the beginning of a new era at the resort. Convenient to the trails of Spruce Peak and linke! d to nearby Mount Mansfield by the Over Easy gondola, Spruce Camp is easily reached during the day from any location around the resort. It will also be a very nice spot for occasional evening activities. On Tuesday night there will be a slide show and on Wednesday night there will be fireworks celebrating the arrival of the New Year. Each day this holiday week, there will be musical entertainment beginning at 2 p.m. in the lounge area located next to the dining room. Indoor & outdoor fireplaces also compliment this state-of-the-art, architecturally stunning addition to Stowe.
Mountain ReportsTrail Report: The trail count is currently sitting at 82 trails. Most of the key routes on the hill are open. At Mansfield everything served by the Triple Chair is in very good cruising condition. A highlight for most of the winter has been the twin pair of Standard and Tyro. Sunrise has been open since the first weekend. For the crowd looking for steeps, Liftline is in very good shape top to bottom with a mix of manmade and natural snow. Hayride is open with guns going but has plenty of cover. Starr and Goat are on hold for the moment along with Lookout but the next storm should see those routes re-opened. Gondolier and Perry Merrill are in very good shape as well thanks to a lengthy stretch of snowmaking early in the month. Mother Nature’s bounty has also added to the mix. Switchback and Cliff Trail are also in good shape and the latter was extensively manicured this summer to enhance its suitability for grooming. The Toll House trails! are now open and they offer a very quiet venue for new skiers and riders to work on their skills with relatively little activity nearby. Spruce has lots of open terrain from top to bottom. Pretty much all of lower Spruce is open and the Inspiration and Easy Street learning areas are in very good shape. On the upper part of the mountain Upper Main Street is open as well as Sterling. There is still snowmaking work to be done on the mid-section of Main Street. Smuggler’s and Whirlaway should re-open after the next storm.
Snow report: There was a whole lot of snow that fell over the last seven days. It snowed daily for a six day stretch and nearly three feet of the white stuff arrived to bring joy to the hearts of Stowe’s skiers and riders. There were a couple of temperature spikes but all of that snow has left the snowpack in very good shape for this holiday week. The reading at the WCAX snow stake alongside the Toll Road reached a season high of 43” before consolidation settled the pack to its current depth of 39”. That reading is about 7” higher than average for this point in the winter!
Snowmaking/Grooming Report: This week the big target for snowmakers is Hayride, the last of the major routes still receiving manmade cover. Nosedive was absolutely buried with snow coming into this stretch and people were quite entertained by skiing Nosedive with huge “whales” from the guns and more than two feet of fresh powder from Mother Nature. Guns are also doing resurfacing work on North Slope, always the first trail to be covered in the fall and they are hard at work blowing snow on Lower Standard for the halfpipe. The pipe dragon should be able to start cutting the pipe within a few more days.
Lift Report: All week the Quad will continue as always to be the first lift running. It opens at 7:30am, the earliest lift operation in the East. The Triple opens at 8:00am and the Lookout Double opens as needed. The Gondola is open usually at 8:30am and the Spruce Lifts cycle in beginning at 9am. All lifts at Spruce Peak are expected to be in full operation throughout the holiday week. The Toll House Double opens at 9am and the Midway Surface lift will be running daily. The Over Easy transfer gondola runs daily from 7:30am through at least 5pm.
Snow Pack in Great ShapeThere has been a variation in weather over the first five weeks of the season but through it all the snowpack has been steadily increasing in depth. Right now the mountain has better than three feet of natural snowpack and with man-made snow added to most of the key routes the hill will remain in very good shape throughout this next week of lively activity.
Ski and Snowboard School Tips For ParentsThis is the busy stretch for ski/snowboard school and most of all for the children’s programs. Here are a couple of tips that can help out;- Pre-register. Space is limited and you can reserve on-line. - Get there early. It is recommended that you arrive a minimum of 30-60 minutes ahead of scheduled program times. This ensures that your kids can be out on the hill with the appropriate group on-time. - Arrange rental gear in advance, pick up any needed gear and arrive at registration with your kids ready to go.
Calendar
December 27-28: Inverted Snowboarder Ice Carving on the Spruce Peak Plaza.
December 29-30: Igloo Village Building on the Spruce Peak Plaza.
December 30: Landscape Photography Workshop Spruce Camp - This complimentary workshop will appeal to photographers of many different skill levels. Space limited --advance RSVP required to
Dhatoff@sprucepeak.com December 30: Movie Night at Spruce Camp - Tuesday night film series kicks off with a slide show entitled “Off Piste In The North East.”
December 31: Fireworks - West Slope is the venue and the Spruce Camp will be the place to watch the colorful display as the new year arrives in Stowe. 7 p.m. launch
December 31: Cruise into the New Year - Kickoff to the citizen’s race season hosted by the Mount Mansfield Ski and Snowboard Club. For info call: 253-7704.
January 2: Mountain Film Series - Enjoy a film from Stowe’s own Meathead Films. The offering is called “Head for the Hills.” It will be shown from 6:30-8:30 at Spruce Camp and proceeds benefit the Vermont Ski Museum.
