Special Edition: Great News for SeniorsSkiing.com Subscribers!
Subscribers to SeniorsSkiing.com are now eligible to receive substantial discounts on a wide variety of equipment, gear, accessories, clothing, etc.
Flipping out over deals for SeniorSkiing.com subscribers!
Credit: Oystein Aasheim
We have arranged for this subscriber benefit with ProMotive.com, the online community for industry experts and influencers that matches qualified members with exclusive discounts on top brands.
These offers—the same as or similar to those available to professional ski and snowboard instructors—are based on the understanding that SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers influence buying decisions by their peers.
There is no cost for being a SeniorsSkiing.com subscriber, and there is no fee for using ProMotive.com.
Look for emails from us soon and over the coming weeks. They will explain the simple registration process and will link to ProMotive’s “Snow Influencers Team.”
Our Subscriber Survey revealed our readers want discounts for seniors. We hope you enjoy this new subscriber benefit!
Mike Maginn, Jon Weisberg, Co-Publishers
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Stowe Mountain Resort—Easy Ways Down
Legendary Ski Trails As Well As Amazing Blue Runs.
Stowe in the morning. Skiing starts at 7:30 am.
Credit: Stowe Mountain Resorts
Visibility was poor as I slid onto the Forerunner Quad to reach the summit of Stowe Mountain Resort, braced by Mt. Mansfield, highest peak in Vermont at 4,395 feet. Somewhere below in the gray swirl were the legendary front four—the Goat, Starr, National, Liftline—the gnarliest and most iconic ski trails in the East, double black diamonds all.
But apprehension vanished after the first few turns on the Lord.
Lifts and Terrain
Easy intermediate cruisers like the Lord and Ridgeview provide smooth sailing down from the top of the quad (elevation 3,615 feet), new in 2012. Even the seven-turn Nose Dive (nee Barnes, circa 1930s) is sheer joy on a good day. The average 2,200 vertical feet of those top-to-bottom cruisers allows you to slide into the rhythm.
Volunteer Stowe Host Peter Lawlor has been skiing at the mountain for 70 years.
Credit: Tamsin Venn
The management has gotten much better at taking care of trails and making snow, says Peter Lawlor, 83, a volunteer Stowe Host from Shelburne, Vt., skiing Stowe for 70 years. Lawlor very kindly took a few runs with me, providing company and hair-raising tales of the brave young racers on ice-slicked courses he had witnessed in decades past, including a youthful Andrea Meade Lawrence.
Hop over to the eight-person Gondola, and you’ve got more senior-friendly cruisers on the meandering Perry Merrill and the Gondolier, plus swank dining at the summit in the Cliff House Restaurant. After lunch, move over to the sunny slopes at Spruce Peak. The Sensation Quad lands you at the top of Spruce Peak for a fast cruise down Sterling or Main Street.
Lodges and Dining
Anchoring the trails here is the self contained pedestrian Spruce Peak Village, a game changer for the resort, full of senior-friendly amenities.
The Spruce Camp Base Lodge has vast amounts of space; the soaring Great Room Grill means never having to say, “Are you leaving? Can we have your table?” Heated snow free walkways, spacious ski racks, the Easy Over gondola that takes you from the Mansfield parking area over to Spruce Peak all mean minimal schlepping.
The Stowe Mountain Lodge, the slope-side condo hotel straight out of Architectural Digest, rolls out your skis on trolleys and heats your boots.
Need a lift blanket? Chairs heading up on a frosty day at Stowe.
Credit: Stowe Mountain Resort
The pedestrian village also has an ice skating rink, performing arts center, Stowe Mountain Club with special privileges, and kids Adventure Center (soon to open).
The Evolution Stowe Card provides hands free lift access and lets you reload your daily lift ticket online for savings.
Use the newly installed GPS Ride Systems app on the free shuttle bus that runs from the village to the mountain —stay inside until the bus comes.
For Seniors: Lifts open at 7:30 am weekends and holidays. Ski when slopes are uncrowded, freshly groomed, and the light is good.
Free Stowe Host-guided mountain tours meet at 10:30 on weekends and holidays in Spruce Plaza outside Spruce Camp Base Lodge.
WoW, Women of Winter, meet regularly to ski together to ski off the Forerunner Quad.
Bottom Line
Senior pricing: Senior Daily Lift Pass, 65 and older: $82 (Online)
Super Senior Daily Lift Pass, 70 and older: With purchase of Super Senior ByPass, online direct-to-lift ticket, $42 per day.
Stowe Statistics
Vertical: 2,360 feet, Trails: 116, Trail Acreage: 468, Lifts: 13, Snowmaking coverage: 83 percent, Beginner: 16 percent, Intermediate: 55 percent, Expert: 29 percent
Stowe’s Mt. Mansfield has some legendary trails in front: Goat, Starr, National.
Credit: Stowe Mountain Resort
SeniorsSkiing Guide: Mission Ridge On A Snowy Day
Day Trip-able Area From Seattle Offers Senior Bargains and “Uncrowds.”
Skiers enjoy the soft snow on Chair 3 at Mission Ridge on a snowy day.
Credit: John Nelson
“My wife and I are retiring and moving here this year,” the skier from the Seattle area said as we rode the chairlift at Mission Ridge. “We love it here.”
I could see the attraction of this gem on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains. Mission has bargain pricing, and beautiful, uncrowded terrain far from the busy ski areas nearer to Seattle.
During my visit, a major blizzard dumped all day, turning the open slopes of Mission into a playground of powder. With a sparse midweek crowd, I skied untracked lines all day in what felt like my own, private ski area.
The best of the best was Bomber Bowl, where swirling storm winds dumped more soft powder amid the gladed slopes.
Snow, terrain and more
- Location: Mission is located just 12 miles from Wenatchee, Wash., an agricultural hub on the Columbia River known as the apple capital of Washington state. The bustling town also has a growing number of wineries to attract visitors, along with ample dining and lodging options. It takes about three hours to drive to Mission from Seattle.
- Snowfall: This is the “dry” side of the Cascades, so less snow falls here than on the western slopes of the mountains. It also means more sunny skies. Ample snowmaking keeps the mountain slopes covered during early season and lean snow years.
- Terrain: About 2,000 acres of rolling terrain drops off the top of the ridge, with a great deal more of easily accessed side country. About 30 percent of the terrain is rated advanced; 70 percent is beginner and intermediate. Gladed tree skiing and bowls are situated off a high ridge with dramatic cliffs, giving the area an appealing, open feeling.
- Vertical: 2,250 feet from base (4,570) to ridge-top (6,820).
- Lifts: Four chairlifts serve the basin; one is a high-speed quad taking skiers from mid-mountain to the top of Mission Ridge.
- Views: 14,410-foot Mount Rainier and the Cascade Range are visible from the top. The ski area faces the Columbia Plateau to the east.
- History and legend: In 1944, a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber crashed on the ridge during a training flight. A piece of the wing is on display at Bomber Bowl, one of the signature runs at Mission Ridge. Legend has it that if you touch the wing, you’ll bring fresh powder to the ski area; consequently, riders stop by often to work the mountain mojo.
Touch the bomber wing at Mission Ridge and legend has it you’ll bring a new storm.
Credit: John Nelson
Lot to lift access
- Mission has two main parking lots. Drivers may drop-off passengers and gear near the lodge and ticket kiosk. On weekends during the height of the season, the lots can fill up early.
- An inexpensive bus service operates from Wenatchee. A regional airport serves the town, as does Amtrak.
- Accommodations are plentiful in Wenatchee. A little farther away (about a one-hour drive) is the tourist hub of Leavenworth, Wash., with many more hotels and restaurants.
Culture
- The vibe: Small-town friendly. Locals will talk with pride about their ski area, but you’re also likely to run into refugees from Seattle who come here to escape the west-side crowds.
- Dining: The Hampton Lodge at the base of the mountain offers a cafeteria and restaurant/pub. On the mountain is Midway Lodge, a cozy dining and drinking hut.
Bottom line
- Adult tickets are $55; seniors 70 and older pay just $15. Season passes for 70+ seniors are just $125.
- Lots of uncrowded, gladed skiing in an area that averages more than 300 sunny days a year. Touch the bomber wing for luck (and you might bring a new storm).
- Parking is limited on weekends in high season; midweek is empty.
Mission Ridge Webcam click here
Skiers drop under the cliffs on Bomber Bowl, one of Mission Ridge’s signature runs.
Credit: John Nelson
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