Topnotch At Stowe: Ski, Relax, Recharge
A Great Spot Close To The Big Mountain.
View the stars from the outdoor heated pool at Topnotch.
As one person said, Stowe, VT, takes its wellness seriously and nowhere is that more apparent than at Topnotch Resort. The 120-acre wooded getaway is a place to recharge and refuel in a calm and soothing environment.
The attractive, minimalist hotel has just 68 rooms, plus two restaurants. From the minute you swing open the large wood front doors, you are swarmed by friendly staff ready to help.
Floor to ceiling windows overlook Mt. Mansfield, which beckons, ski me, ski me, which is easily done. Take the resort’s free shuttle up to the Spruce Peak parking area without the hassle of parking.
Alternative snow activities abound, including sleigh rides. Think grandkids.
Topnotch caters to both rabid outdoor types and those who are on a different pace. If you need a chillax day or have someone in your group who does not ski, Topnotch offers a schedule of daily fitness activities—some are free, some have fees. They range from Pilates to Vinyasa Yoga, from Qui Gong to Chakra Balancing; plus a morning stretch at 8:25 a.m.
You can do as much or as little as you like. No one is judging you.
The five-mile Stowe Recreation Path runs along the river across the road. You can fat bike, Nordic ski, hike, snowshoe, walk your dog (Topnotch has several pet friendly rooms). Rent gear from MountainOps, a high-end retail and rental shop that works with Topnotch and where you can pick up local intel.
SeniorsSkiing readers are also tennis players. Check the courts at Topnotch.
Tennis anyone? You can take daily adult clinics at Topnotch Tennis, with four indoor courts, recently resurfaced and relit, consistently is ranked as one of the top tennis resorts in the U.S.
The piece de resistance, however, is the 35,000-foot spa. You have absolutely no excuse to not be on the slopes the next day due to sore muscles. A cascading waterfall indoor hot tub hydro-massages aching shoulders, while an indoor pool with a dedicated lap lane lets you stretch out the whole body. A steam room, sauna, and shower will also help melt away any tight spots.
An outdoor heated pool and hot tub let you swim or soak under the stars.
You may not be interested in the fitness center, after beating yourself to a pulp on Stowe’s Front Four, but if you do, it has a wide selection of cardio and weight equipment and attractive studio. The spa also has 30 treatment rooms. I highly recommend the signature hops massage with Scott, which left me feeling as bendy as the Mom in The Incredibles.
After the day outdoors, the ravenous will appreciate The Flannel which uses local, seasonal, fresh ingredients from local farmers, Vermont cheesemakers, and culinary artisans, supervised by chef Ryan Lajoie. The Roost, an informal lobby bar, is a popular locals’ après-ski spot with live music weekends and offers more casual fare and a kids’ menu. Topnotch is a place all generations can enjoy.
In spring, rates go down at this four-diamond luxury resort, just in time for Vermont maple sugaring season. Both are sweet deals. Plus Stowe just got three feet of snow.
A New Yorker Discovers New Mexico Resorts
A Veteran Skier Can’t Find Ice On His Visit To Taos, Angel Fire, Ski Santa Fe.
Taos Kachina Peak is at 12,481 where the snow stays cold. Credit: Taos
The past three times I skied here in the East the skiing was good. That means the trails were all skiable but every run you would encounter different conditions. Most mornings after a cold night, you will find nice groomed corduroy which had set up overnight due to the cold temperatures. We have not received much snow but thank God for snow making. After a run or two the firm corduroy changes to loose large granular pieces. Then after a couple more runs that will change to a fine granulated sugar, again very skiable. As the day progresses that sugar finds its way to the sides of the trails and the rest of the trail, especially the slightly steeper spots get scrappy and eventually Boiler plate. Time to go home!
Now once in awhile you will hit a day when it was snowing or had just snowed. Here in the Northeast this seems to be happening less and less and I am convinced that it is a product of global warming.
As Eastern Skiers we can usually ski any condition as it changes throughout the day and lately that has been the norm. I still love it but it can get frustrating.
Compare that to skiing out West. West, as in New Mexico. Mountains? You bet.
Here’s what I discovered on a recent trip. The New Mexico ski areas are much higher than the Northeast and as you climb up you get colder and receive more major snowstorms. Skiing at Taos, Red River and Santa Fe you will be skiing approximately from 9,000 ft. to 12,000 feet, that’s 6,000 feet higher than the tallest mountain in the Northeastern United States which is mount Washington in New Hampshire (6288″).
The average snowfall in Taos is around 300″ per year of very dry fluffy powder due to the high elevation. It’s 220″ at Ski Santa Fe, 214″ at Red River. With the higher elevations the temps are lower and the snow sits longer. Compared that to the Eastern ski areas where the elevations are below 4,000 feet. Whiteface is the highest ski area at 4,650′ with average snowfall of just over 100″. Altitude, acreage, the snow and weather is all the difference.
In the East we fight icy weather conditions up to 4,000 ft., whereas the higher and drier climate of the Rockies are well above 10,000 feet above sea level.
In the East there are wind chills that are very, very cold, where out West it is sunny during the day with Blue Bird sunny skiers. (Most of the time, it seems.)
Moguls are hard and icy here in the East but in the West they are constantly soft snow. No matter how big the moguls may be they are usually always soft so you actually can be a hero out West while in the East you battle the ice on the downside of almost every one.
Length of trails at all the New Mexico areas were substantial, open Bowls compared to dense trees of the Eastern trails. Bigger vertical gets plenty of skiing in the West compared to skiing shorter lifts in the East and more runs.
Taos has the most expert terrain especially now that you don’t have to hike Kachina peak with 1294 acres 51% expert 25% intermediate and 21% beginner. There was only one main lift that gets you to the numerous other fixed grip lifts on the mountain.
Angel Fire has some two mile runs, and best of all 70-75 seniors pay $29, 75+ pay zero. Credit: Angel Fire
Angel Fire has 560 acres of skiing with 23% expert 56% intermediate and 21% beginner with their main Chile Express lift over 2 miles long so all the runs down are very long. Their two main lifts are hi speed and you get plenty of skiing in a day. And Angel Fire loves seniors: 70-74 pay $29 a day, over 75 free.
SkiSantaFe has super senior (72+) tickets for $0. Thanks guys.
Ski Santa Fe was the smallest in skiable acres with 660 acres 40% expert 40% intermediate and 20% beginner but still had plusses. One of which is that you can stay in Santa Fe and drive to the ski area and enjoy the culture. And seniors 72 plus ski free at this resort. Thanks, Ski Santa Fe.
Bottom Line: New Mexico Ski Resorts enjoy low humidity, consistently low temperatures due to elevation and enough snowfall that ice doesn’t form. It is consistently packed powder from top to bottom
Mystery Glimpse: Bumpin’ Gonds
What Ski Area Is This?
And what’s the story behind these yellow and blue gondolas?
Special thanks to Dana Mathios, curator of the Colorado Snowsports Museum, for providing this week’s photo.
Last Week
This is a photo of Cannon Mountain, Franconia, NH, home of America’s first aerial tramway which began operation in 1938 and was renovated in the 80s. Taken from the air by a passing friendly aviator, the resort has a reputation as one comment pointed out for being “too cold and too fast”. Regardless, one feature of Cannon that endears the state-owned resort to SeniorsSkiing.com is that seniors 65-plus ski for free. That is, if you are a New Hampshire resident. Still, that’s a gift.
That wide swath you see on the right side of the mountain is the training hill for myriad ski teams. At the very base is the Mittersill Alpine Resort. A reader reports the training hill was closed for 40 years, but it’s clearly back in operation, accessible from the base by a t-bar. Quaint, no?
Here’s a short video showing the ride up the tram.
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