Stratton Mountain Resort

Stratton Mountain Resort is located on Stratton Mountain near Manchester, Vermont. The resort is mid-sized with 625 acres of skiable land. The peak lift serviced elevation at Stratton is 3785 feet, while the base lodge sits at 1872 feet. This gives a vertical of just over 2000 feet, which is the sixth highest in Vermont. Stratton receives an average of 180 inches (4.6 meters) of snow per year and has snowmaking coverage over 93 percent of the resort.

The Lifts and Trails

Stratton has 97 named trails across the park with a difficulty mix of 16 double blacks, 19 single blacks, 37 blues, and 41 greens. There are 11 ski lifts in the lift system, including four six-packs, three quads, one triple, one double, and one gondola, all of which work to ferry 33,428 skiers up the mountain.

The mountain has two base areas. The primary base lodge has the snow sports school and the novice area. When beginners are ready to stretch their skis, they can take the Tamarack lift up and hit some gentle steeps and even a novice rated glade. The Sun Bowl Lodge hosts the tube park and two lifts that reach midmountain. The trails at the drop off point are primarily intermediates with a couple of green trails around the outskirts. The slopes here are fairly even and well groomed, so even if you’re still unsure, you should be able to handle a blue groomed cruiser.

Expert skiers should head right up to the peak to play there. From the peak area, there are a series of single and double black diamond steeps with some great glades mixed in. Hit the Black Bear Chute and take a sharp right into Bear Down for a fun tree-lined experience. If you want just a pure speed experience, take the upper standard and go nuts as you ski underneath the summit gondola path.

The Other Things

Apres-ski is alive and well at Stratton. Whether you’re taking a quick lunch on the peak at Hubert Haus or grabbing some coffee at the Mid-mountain lodge, there’s always something to distract you from skiing. The shops at the base lodge resort have weekly specials and the restaurants are top notch.  If you like live music, hit Grizzly’s in the Village for live bands that start at three. If you want to take a break from skiing, hop on a Fat Bike and explore some winter trails a little differently than you’re used to. And if you’re here with your family, consider taking a free mountain guided tour on skis. There are kids nights where you can drop off your little ones while you and your spouse have a quiet dinner or visit the spa. Regardless, no matter what your party size or composition, there’s something you’ll love at Stratton.