Stratton Mountain - A Great Place to Ski or Snowboard
Stratton is Southern Vermont's highest peak. It approaches 4,000 ft. and has a 2,003 foot verticle drop.
Stratton Mountain is always covered with snow. The top of Stratton is incredibly beautiful (sometimes windy, sometimes bitter cold, but just the same, beautiful). It is located in the heart of the Green Mountain snowbelt, and gets plenty of natural snow each season. Sometimes the snow season starts in late October and ends in June. Stratton seems to get the most snow in southern Vermont.
When mother nature does not help, Stratton makes a ton of snow.
This section will be completed in late 2008. It contains "unofficial" information that we and friends in the Stratton trailblazers made up. If you have more any stories or information about Stratton, please email us at strattoncondos@aol.com. For jokes about Stratton and Southern Vermont, go to Stratton Jokes. | |
Stratton Mountain Statistics
Trails
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Stratton Mtn has 92 groomed trails. There are enough trails so that you can not ski all of them in one day. Sometimes you can not ski all of them in two days. They are composed of: |
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- Novice Runs = 42%
- Intermediate = 31%
- Advanced = 20%
- Bumped = 7%
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Note: The double black diamonds at Stratton are really bumped up black diamonds. So if they ever have been groomed (due to previous day's ice or snow conditions) they are not as difficult. But please do not think if you have ever cruzed down Upper Downeaster or Bear Down or Grizzley or World Cup or a bunch of other double blacks, that you can do them easily. They get their double black ratings because they change.
Once, a day after a foot of new powder, we thought that Grizzley might have been groomed. It was bumps under a foot of snow. A few bump experts thought it was "heaven". Our senior skiing group thought it was ... well not the opposite ... because it was fun to be down in the mountains of powder ... but let's say ... "difficult". |
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Longest Trails at
Stratton
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There are a few 3 mile long runs that just keep on going on forever. You can take Mike's way down to the Meadows and then Wanderer. You can take Upper and Lower Kidderbrook or Upper and Lower Middlebrook. Both end up in amazing paths through the woods. After a fresh snowfall, I always ski the two Middlebrook and then the two Kidderbrook runs. It is quiet and peaceful, just to be by yourself, blasting throughy the beautiful woods.
Note: brand new snowboarders may not like Lower Middlebrook and Lower Kidderbrook because they are often on one edge and the end run-out is slow. |
Summit
Elevation
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About 3,900 feet. It really depends on who you talk to. Before Stratton gave away its second peak to be preserved as forest land, it was about 4000 feet. But now if you measure it at the top of the gondola, it is 3,875 feet, give or take 6 feet due to the snow. This is the highest peak in Southern Vermont, and as such gets the snow and tremendous wind that comes across from New York and Canada. It is sometimes the coldest peak in Southern Vermont. It is absolutely magnificent to be at the Stratton summit. One morning a group of trailblazers had the opportunity to take an early lift up to see the sunrise. It is spectacular. On clear days you can see Bromley, Magic and Mount Snow clearly. Some days you can see up to Killington.
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Vertical Drop
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2003 feet. However, really good runs at Stratton are probably about 1,300 feet vertical drop. The Ursa lift has a number of runs that are certainly much longer than the upper half of the mountain. Every day we "do the bears" (Black, Polar and Grizzley) then Upper Tamarack, North American (if they are not racing on it) and Upper Standard. We feel like we have done 10,000 verticle feet on these runs alone in the first few hours of the morning |
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Terrain
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There are over 600 acres of skiing and snowboarding at Stratton. This includes over 100 acres of glades that have recently been opened up: |
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- Parks = A whole bunch. This is a perfect place for snowboarders. Make certain to get your pass.
- Easy Wide Slopes = Also a whole bunch. Stratton is perfect for the beginner or intermediate skier.
- Top to Bottom Skiing = With the gondola, generally one lift. On the Sunbowl Side, 2 high speed lifts
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Snowboarding started at Stratton. They have produced olympic gold and silver medalists in the sport. The terrain is perfect for all snowboarders and beginning to advanced skiers. It is also great for snowshoeing and telemarking. The one downside of this large round mountain is that there are no really steep double blacks, such as you get out west or even on a few of the Killington and Sugarbush runs. Stratton's challenging runs are bumped up blacks.
Once, a day after a foot of new powder, we thought that Grizzley might have been groomed. It was bumps under a foot of snow. A few bump experts thought it was "heaven". Our senior skiing group thought it was ... well not the opposite ... because it was fun to be down in the mountains of powder ... but let's say ... "difficult".
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Lifts
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15 Lifts. Stratton has the greatest high speed lifts. During the weekdays you can run up American Express, URSA, Shooting Star and Sunrise. These six packs are fast, really fast. You can get so many runs in that in two hours you are just praying for a good old slow lift where your knees can get a chance to relax.
During the cold days, you can stay with the Gondola. It gives you about a 10 minute ride to warm up away from the wind.
For the little kids, there is a great new "Cub Carpet". It is a colorful tube of a rolling carpet up the slope.
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Hours
of
Operation
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Generally 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM for the upper mountain. Until 4:00 PM on the lower mountain.
On weekends and holidays the lifts open up at 8:30 AM. After the third week in January, all lifts stay open to 4:00 PM. Of course, safety is first. With high winds or icy conditions, there could be a delayed start or even a closing. Once this season, winds were so strong (80 and 90 mph) that only the Sun Bowl could be kept open. Click here for strattoncondos.com's hours of operation. |
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Snow-
making
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Amazing. The best anywhere. Well, the best in the east. Certainly the best in Vermont.
Stratton has a huge reservoir. It is something like 200,000,000 gallons. Stratton can make enough snow to cover the road from the mountain to Fenway Park with a foot of snow in two days. (Why would anyone want to ski to Boston is another question, but they theoretically can do it.)
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Grooming
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Also absolutely amazing. Stratton can change the world overnight. Freezing rain becomes really nice frozen granular the next morning, and in two days later it is packed powder. One night or day is all it takes. To make reservations or next season, starting Thanksgiving weekend, Contact Us. |
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Contact
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Main Stratton Phone:
Toll Free Line:
Snow Phone:
Fax:
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802 297-2200
1 800 STRATTON
802 297-4211
802 297-4125
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Address
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Stratton Mountain
P. O. Box 9406
Stratton Mountain, VT 05155-9406
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