First Time Skiing Stratton Mountain Vermont
I’m not a an expert skier but I’m also not a beginner skier either. I seem to ski many of the same mountains year after year. But this year is different.
This trip to Stratton Mountain was one of the best skiing conditions I’ve ever experienced.
| Date: | 01-22-2021 |
| Location: | Stratton, VT |
| Ticket Price: | $111 (normal $149) |
| Elevation Gain: | 138′ |
| Parking: | Sun Bowl Lot |
This year a good buddy of mine bought an IKON pass and asked if I wanted to join him for a day at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. His pass also allowed for 25% off a guest ticket. So, I called to have the pass set up and the woman at the resort mentioned that since we were only day skiers that we should park at the Sun Bowl lot so we could ski right to our car.
We decided to take her advice since neither of us had never been to that mountain. So,we both took a Friday off from work and headed west.
We got to the mountain around 9:30 and it was sunny at the parking lot and snowing at the top of the mountain. Once we got all our gear on we hit the lift and went to the top of the mountain.
At the top it was white and grey with all the snow and clouds. Is was snowing pretty good and we were in several inches of powder. This first run we stayed to the far left. Visibility was only a couple of feet, everything was just a shade of white. And very soft.
Once we got half way down the mountain the sun came out again. The trails were still soft, wide and well groomed. Almost no ice or “scratchiness” anywhere all day long. It was nice to really be able to lean back and carve into nice soft snow. This is what Imagine it would be like skiing out west.
In fact, we felt like we were out west. Lots of fun trials that go under covered bridges, over roads and trails, and through different villages along the slopes.
Almost all the lifts were open and very few people on them. The only place we encountered lines were at the bottom of the main mountain and the gondola and these moved quickly while keeping everyone social distant. Everywhere else was pretty much ski right on to the lift.
When we were ready for lunch we were pretty much able to ski right to our car like the lady had said. It was snowing at the top and the bottom of the mountain now. We went back to the Jeep and made some drinks and ate some food and warm soup. We hung out for a while and talked with a snowboarder parked next to us.
After lunch we decided to stay on Sun Bowl side of the mountain and explore it a little more. After about an hours worth of skiing my legs were pretty much spent and we headed back to the car and called it a day.
I really enjoyed skiing at Stratton Mountain. The conditions that day were amazing. Great snow, limited crowds and an all around awesome experience. If you ever have a chance to ski at Stratton Mountain, DO IT!
