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I grew up in Albany, New York, and skied locally at Royal Mountain which is located in the Adirondack Foothills. I also skied areas in southern Vermont like Bromley Mountain Ski Resort & Stratton Mountain Resort. For many years, my family went to Stowe, Vermont, in early March to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. I started skiing during the winter of 1965-66 when a lift ticket at Stowe cost $8.00. There were no high-speed lifts and with lift lines on a busy day, a skier might only get a single run in an hour. The one thing that has not changed over the years is the beauty of a crisp winter morning and that feeling of wind in the face when gliding down the hill. The lure of the mountain was as strong then as it is now.
Stowe is a mountain that does not need much of an introduction amongst skiers; people skied it as early as 1921 and the Toll House rope tow started running for the 1936-37 season. On average, Stowe receives three hundred-plus inches of snow per year. Mt. Mansfield’s 2,160’ vertical drop guarantees long, leg-burning runs. It’s also famous for its Single Chair (1940) which was 6,330 feet long and covered a 2,030’ climb to the summit.
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The Nose Dive. Huh? Why a nose? Why a dive? Put them together and you get one of Vermont’s most famous trails. My Dad talked about it so often that I knew about it before I even learned to ski. It started with the Seven Deadly Sisters that had been cut down to three because they were so steep and icy. After those gnarly turns and pitch, it continued to the bottom of Mt. Mansfield. A third of the way down was a glade on the skier’s left. This trail had a steep pitch, challenging conditions, and trees! According to my Dad, it was “The Trail” that a skier had to master, but first I had to learn to ski.
Fast forward to 2024: Mt. Mansfield and Spruce Mountain’s (debut 1949-50) lifts have been modernized and the famous Single Chair is now a high-speed Quad. Stowe also runs two gondolas (one crosses a parking lot), one six-pack, three more quads, one triple, two doubles, and two carpets. The available terrain has not changed very much from when I first skied it in the late 60s and early 70s as a kid. Stowe has a bit of something for everyone with beginner and immediate trails, but the draw of the historic Front Four (Starr, Liftline, National, and Goat), glades, and the Nose Dive make this destination skiing for anyone looking for challenging terrain and great snow.
Season One: The Toll House is Stowe’s beginner area which was originally serviced by a T-bar. My obsession with ski equipment started at an early age and I clearly remember my Fischer Red Master skis, Cubco Bindings (with safety straps), and leather boots with buckles. My older sister complained I had it easy because when she started skiing, her boots were lace-ups. Early models of plastic boots were still in development and not widespread. Skiing felt much colder then: this was before Gore-Tex, down mittens, and modern fabrics with their wicking properties. Socks were thick rag wool. As soon as I clicked into my skis and took my mittens off to do the safety straps, my fingers would freeze. Perpetually cold toes were the norm. My clearest memory of that week was hanging onto that T-bar and skiing run after run. When I would close my eyes at night, I would see the trail stretching out before me and I would ski it in my mind until I fell asleep.
Season Two: Spruce Mountain where the biggest thrill was getting to ride the chairlift and making parallel turns. Spruce was huge and it had a perfect view of Mt. Mansfield, where the Nose Dive was still waiting. Riding the chair lift which was a huge improvement from the T-Bar at the Toll House. I spent the mornings in ski school. The instructors were incredible skiers with their beautiful forms who loved Wedelin, seamless heel-thrust turns. I spent my time learning to Stem Christy which led to parallel turns, the holy grail of advanced skiing. My equipment was still the same. By today’s standards, the skis, boots, and bindings of that era would be considered almost primitive and I have never met anyone who has fond memories of Cubco Bindings and safety straps.
Season Three found me finally skiing Mt. Mansfield and for most of the time, I was skiing off the gondola. Towards the end of the week, my Dad and sister decided that I should make the pilgrimage up the Single Chair. It was bone-chilling cold and they gave me a wool blanket to wear. As a small kid, I was lost in it; alone with my thoughts, I rode up watching skiers tackle the Liftline. I stumbled over the blanket and was hit by the chair: a very graceful start! After a quick hot chocolate in the Octagon, Dad suggested that we go ski the Upper Perry Merrill. The trail started with steep turning sections and then transitioned to a long gliding run to the bottom of the mountain. The challenge of the pitch kept me focused as I completed turn after turn in the crisp, clear air. At the bottom, I said, “I didn’t know that Mt. Mansfield had an Upper Perry Merrill.” They laughed and told me we had just skied the Nose Dive!
Those yearly trips to Stowe, along with my local areas, were the catalyst for my lifelong passion for skiing. With all the advances in equipment, technique, lifts, snowmaking, and grooming, one might think skiing is an entirely different sport. The simple joys of gliding, carving, and going fast remain the same. Whether you started skiing decades ago or just this past season, we can all relate to that surge of adrenaline at the end of a great run. I still close my eyes at night and see trails stretching out endlessly in front of me. I ski myself to sleep the same way I did when I was a boy and some things never change!
If you want to challenge the Nose Dive or just want to learn more about this famous resort, visit Stowe’s website.
