The Stokemobile Report: 24 Hours at Stratton

The Stokemobile rolled through Stratton Mountain Resort for some fresh New England glade skiing. Stratton Mountain Resort photo.

This past weekend, TGR's Stokemobile spent the weekend at Stratton Mountain Resort in Southern Vermont enjoying a true rarity–New England powder (the resort saw roughly 30 inches of fresh snow fall through the week).

And after 72 hours of enjoying the sights and sounds (we also caught a Wailers concert at the resort) with our partners Outside TV and BLDG Active, we wanted to give you the low down on the best way to kill a day at the resort. Here's what we came up with.

Getting There/Lodging

One of Stratton's main attractions has long been its proximity to the southern reaches of the Northeast. It's less than five hours north of New York City, making the resort a playground for New Yorkers looking to escape the Big Apple.

Fittingly, driving directions from New York City are fairly easy. Take I-87 North to I-787 North and follow that until you get to NY-7 East. NY-7 East becomes VT-279 East, which you take until you hit Bennington, Vermont. In Bennington, you follow signs for VT-7 North. You take 7 North until you get to Manchester, Vermont where you follow signs for VT-30 South. You take that 7 miles to the town of Bondville, at which point you take a right at the 7-Eleven in town.

Stratton's unique village means you'll never have to look far for a pint or a spot to rest your head. Stratton photo.

If you aren't driving from New York and are instead coming from Connecticut or Massachusetts, your directions are even simpler: Get on I-91 North, take that until you get to Exit 2 in Vermont, get on VT-30 North until you get to Bondville.

Once you get there, chances are you'll be staying in the village at Stratton. Stratton is unique among Northeastern resort for just how built up its village is, and with a plethora of slopeside houses, condos and hotels to choose from, your best bet to compare housing options will be to search Stratton.com. 

Or, if you really want to get the best deal possible, head 17 miles north to the town of Manchester. The Hampton Inn up there has never let us down.

Fueling Up

Again, given how built up the village has become in recent years, there's a plethora of options for where to grab grub before hitting the slopes.

Benedict's in the village is the place to go if you've got a few minutes to sit down and eat. As you may have surmised by their name, they specialize in eggs Benedict but also have developed a reputation for making the best bloody Mary in town if you're feeling a bit sore in the morning.

Every now and then you get blessed with a dumping in New England like we got last week. Stratton photo.

If you're more about grabbing a quick bite on the run, the Stratton Market and Deli makes great breakfast sandwiches that locals working in ski shops have been known to trade for free tuning jobs.

The Terrain

The beauty of Stratton is that it's a single peak, so once you reach the summit there is literally no part of the mountain you can't hit. If you're looking for some great early morning skiing, taking the Sunrise lift to the Shooting Star lift opens you up to a whole world of great terrain, with Black Bear, Polar Bear, and Grizzly Bear all offering tremendous steep skiing. 

One of Stratton's hallmarks is the abundance of glades skiing that can be accessed across the mountain, so if it's been snowing you'd be best to stay in the trees and try the areas around Kinderbrook Ravine and Test Pilot, and once the sun has started to bake the mountain and it's starting to get a bit bumped out, you should head to the western side and hit runs like the Drifter trail and the Meadows.après

Après

The convenience of the village means that Stratton has an incredible après scene.

Grizzly's, which is at the base of the mountain, tends to bring in a ton of great live music acts right in town (it's where the aforementioned Wailers played) and almost always has a solid crowd. 

If you're looking to step off the immediate mountain, the Green Door Pub serves gargantuan plates of nachos along with the traditional fare of burgers and whatnot. If you still want to get a bit further away from the mountain and step away from the village, the Red Fox Inn–which is located at the bottom of the Stratton access road–is an incredible Irish bar that serves apple pie that will blow your mind.

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It all began with a dream and a little cash scraped together from fishing in Alaska... Since 1995, we've been an action sports media company committed to fueling progression through our ground-breaking films (37 and counting) and online content.