Stratton Mountain,Vermont USA

General Feel.

Stratton Mountain regularly ranks in the top 20 best resorts of the East of USA for its immaculate grooming, vast snowmaking abilities, fast lift service, and classy mountain village. It also ranks in the top 10 for terrain parks. People tend to love Stratton. It's an upscale East coast resort that has great terrain, great grooming, and a great atmosphere.

Quick Facts

• Season: Late November to April
• Ticket Price: $69 for Full Day Adult Mid-week
• Night Skiing: No
• Average Snowfall: 180 inches/ 4.57m
• Acres: 600 acres
• Runs: 92
• Tree Skiing: Yes
• Longest Trail: 1.2 miles/ 1.92km
• Lifts: 15
• Vertical: 2,003 ft / 610m
• Elevation: Base – 1872 ft-570m / Summit – 3875 ft-1181m
• Snowmaking: 95%, 570 acres
• Terrain Parks: 4
• Terrain
• Beginner – 42% (Trails)
• Intermediate – 31% (Trails)
• Expert – 27% (Trails)

Tips.

• Stratton Mountain is owned by Intrawest – the company that owns Copper Mountain, Winter Park, Whistler, Steamboat, and a few others.
• Check out Kidderbrook and Snow Bowl to avoid some of the crowds.
• Has been known to be on the expensive side.
• Stratton is so impressed with their snow making abilities, they have a "Great Snow Guarantee" where you can ski free for one hour at any time on any day and if you don't love it, you can return your ticket for another day.

Off Piste.

Stratton is not known for it's off piste. It's known as a place that wins Gold medals for their grooming work. It's a place to go slide around on the snow and have a blast, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its hidden secrets.

Approximately 95% of the terrain is capable of snowmaking; there are always fresh tracks to find at Stratton. In fact, the snowmaking can cover three football fields in a foot of snow in one hour.

If you're looking to get past the easier terrain, head to the top of Stratton. Then you can test out some of the double diamond terrain like Test pilot, Why not, Free Fall Gully, Vertigo, or Grizzly Bear. There are lots of long runs and plenty of trees.

Family Rating.

There is something for everyone at the Stratton Mountain. In fact it has received Gold medals for its Family Programs. You can go shopping in specialty or outlet store. You can sign the kids up for ski school, day care, or Kid's Night Out. Or take the whole family out for ice-skating, snowshoe tours, skiing mountain tours, horse drawn carriage rides, snowmobile tours, or full moon hikes.

But if you want to ski with the whole family, the Stratton Mountain is one of the best places around. The terrain is all in close proximity to each other. If you need a break from skiing green groomers on the East Meadow, you can veer off on Lower Slalom Glade rip the trees and meet back up with the family a little bit lower down the mountain then you can all ride the chairlift up together again. Pretty cool.

Food and Restaurants.

Grab coffee in the morning at Wired and breakfast at Cob's Market. Then go skiing for awhile before you eat lunch at the Partridge in a Pantry Deli or Mulligan's. If you want to have a nice meal by the fire, head to Luna. Or you can take the kids out for pizza and pasta at Mulberry Street. There are plenty of places to dine in Stratton.

Bars

No matter where you go skiing, part of the ski culture is the après ski. Stratton is tops for this scene. Start out with a beer and a pizza at Grizzly's an Outside Magazine "Top 5 Après Ski Bar", then head to the Green Door Pub for some pool, foosball, wings, and sports. If you're still interested in heading out for the night try some of Vermont's delicious wine bars like Domaine, Verde, or Mulberry St. You're bound to have a good night in Stratton.

Disclosure.

Compiled for ski-adventure-guide.com by Mr D, a skier of course.