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Yeah, I was there satruday morning for a few hours. Thought it was going to get a lot warmer, a lot earlier, but it didn't. Stopped at about 12:30 and it was starting to feel like the warm air was rolling in. Pretty fun morning though - bumps were a let down, but Switchback, DW, main street were all nice...Sidewinder was death cookies. Good time.

Wow! Nice score guys! Enjoy the trip.

yeah, take a lesson for sure - don't wait for your trip. As GSS said, keep your hands to in front or you - that get's your weight out front which is ht you want.

Mad Taco is great. Tres Amigos in Stowe is probably good too. But I think this is a reincarnation of the the old place - they are now in the old Rusty Nail building. Or something like that. Maybe the Rusty Nail moved in with them> I don't know...haven't tried it yet. But have had Mad Taco. But to get to Mad Taco you would drive past the Prohibition Pig, and even if you don't drink beer, that would be foolish.

Such a great mountain. So many nooks and crannies. Would love to move to Waterbury and have Stowe, MRG and Sugarbush all within 20 minutes drive.

Part of S-53 is back on the map. Skiers right of lift line to lookout. I've never skied the left woods of lift line. Have to look for that next time.

Awesome - you are right on the access road. There is a free bus that will shuttle you right to the mountain. Your first day I think you will have to start on the Spruce side of the street and get your Stowe card. Then after that you can go right to the lifts. And you are a 1/2 mile from the Matterhorn. Best Apres spot there. Great food too. Don't be freaked out that they are serving sushi in a hard core locals bar - it's excellent. Matterhorn Bowl is the best. Pizza and appetizers are great too. And they have live music most nights. Awesome place. The Shed is the bar at the base of the Forerunner Quad and that's the best on- mountain bar. If I were staying on the access road and was using the bus, I would end every day at the Shed, then take the Bus to the Matterhorn for an appetizer and beer, then hotel and head out to town for dinner. Do you enjoy beer? As mentioned, don't miss the Bench. Best beer menu around. If you are overwhelmed, Hill Farmstead is IMO the best beer on tap in northern Vt. 'Edward' is their pale ale and it's great. If you like shuffle board, go to the Roost. If you don't mind a 20 minute drive, dinner at Waterbury - which you will pass through on your way to Stowe. Prohibition Pig is exceptionally good BBQ and again, killer beer menu. I'd skip the Ben and Jerry's tour - we did it this winter. Kind of lame. Excuse me if I mis-read your skiing, but if you are looking for mellower blacks, in addition to the aforementioned tails off the Quad and Gondola, Whirlaway - if open - and Smugglers off the Sensation Quad, and also on the lift - Sterling is a great blue trail. If you need to check one of the front four off your list, and you are feeling intimidated (again, I apologize if I am mis reading your skiing - I don't mean to insult) Lift Line is often groomed on the skier's left side, and honestly after the head wall and first two pitches, it's a pretty normal trail. The head wall is crazy steep, but you know....just slid down that SOB.... You can also try your hand at lower national off liftline - which, if there is snow - will be wall to wall bumps, but a mellower pitch compared to upper national. Goat is probably my favorite trail in the world, and really, just a quintessential New England ski trail - if the snow is soft, and you are up for it....might be worth giving it a go...maybe skip upper goat (if it's open - it often isn't) and slide through the trees at the top of the Lifeline head wall. 9 times of 10, that's the start the trail as upper is usually closed. It's as steep as lifeline, but 1/4 as wide, and always bumped side to side. So, you can kind of get a sense of what you are in for if you ski the groomed half of liftline. But really, there is so much great blue and mellow black terrain at Stowe - just an absurd amount really....Perry Merril, Gondolier, Sunrise, Nose Dive, Chin Clip....so many great cruisers. On mountain food - Spruce lodge has great food - both variety and quality. But gets wicked crowded. The Octagon a the top of the Quad is very good, and often a bit less jammed. I've never eaten at the top of the Gondi - the cliff house I think it's called. But it's a sit down affair. Skip the lodge at the base of the quad for food - kind of lame and jammed most days. Have fun man - Stowe is an incredible mountain and a really, really fun town. And +1 on the cooler and Heady Topper and Focal Banger. Their Crusher is also an incredibly good, and smooth drinking, 9% ABV double IPA. They have a bunch of other beers now, but HT and FB are still my favorites. Sorry for the long post. I love that place.

Where are you staying at Stowe? With family? Friends? Solo?

If CB and Blue are equal distance, and you plan to ski as much as you seem to be tis year, Blue Mountain is a no brainer. Much, much better mountain all the way around and the VIP line will make the experience awesome I would think.

You guys getting ice with this storm?

Having just been to Sugarbush last week, it seems to me, Valley Lodge = Mt. Ellen and Summit Lodge = Lincoln Peak.

This post wins the internet.

Broke my 'No Blue Mountain' streak of probably about 18 months today. Skied with my daughters. Great day. Not too crowded, not too cold.... I agree ROTD was Nightmare> Dream weaver. Barneys was ok, but the middle section kind of sucked. Death cookies on Sidewinder, challenge was picked over by the time we skied it - actually just the top was totally slick. The rest was OK. Skied everything else except paradise and widow maker. real nice day. Really like wha they did with the lower lodge - way more efficient and plenty of coolers! Stuck my head out the front door around 11:30 and looked for you guys, but didn't wander far - girls wanted to get back out there.

thanks. lower lodge it is...

Ha - that's right - there was a facebook post about that guy and his coffee, right?

Wasn't there some brew-ha-ha about bringing lunch coolers into the lodge a few years back? Is that still going on? We might head to Blue tomorrow.

Details on getting chased off the mountain please?

Yeah, I guess if the school groups aren't coming - probably the biggest part of their night business. But yeah, I can see some people not getting the message and being upset.

How's the storm treating Blue? Why are the closing at 4 today and tomorrow? Winds? Temps? Both?

Ah - yeah, cold day to be working with water!

What line of work are you in?

Late by your standards. We try to be on the mountain by 9:30.

Yeah, it was weird - did 7 or 8 day trips with my daughters and all of them were to the catskills except one to Elk. Started at Hunter on black friday - my first time there - and realized the drive was manageable. Did hunter 3 times before X-mas, including a powder day, then was told the crowds just get worse and worse after new years, so we switched to Belleayre and Plattekill for a day. Last year they just kept getting snow, which made it worth it. Tree skiing at Belleayre is pretty damn solid if there is snow, same with Plattekill, though our day there was kind of a bust. But it was odd not to spend a day at Blue or Jack Frost....not sure the conditions will warrant the extra drive next weekend, so most likely will end the streak. Seems to me the only person I've met IRL here is Moe Ghoul when I bought a case of beer from him. Maybe I'll end that streak as well.

Wow - you guys got 6"? That's great - thought this was more of a coastal storm. Bummer about the lift lines, but next weekend should be better if they open the valley. We might break our 'no blue for 20 months' streak and head there next sunday...unless the catskills get snow this week i suppose.

Did they get upper mainstreet open? Come around? Or will Saturday just be Vista>lower mainstreet?