Stratton, VT  January 9-11th, 2009 

It was two years ago, almost to the day, that Cresthaven last visited Stratton Mountain.  On that trip, we had 60 degree temperatures, heavy rains, and about 4 open trails (barely!).  This year, we had pretty much 100% of the mountain open, temperatures in the 20's, packed powder conditions on Saturday and fresh powder on Sunday.   What a difference two years makes!

After a terrific day of skiing on Saturday, many of us met at Grizzly's Pub in the base lodge where the band "Changes in Latitudes" played some great tunes (after a 2 hour tune-up!).  True to their name, the band's playlist was liberally sprinkled with Jimmy Buffet songs.  After that, it was back to the Inn as Stratton for more adult libations (hot buttered rum anyone?) and a delicious buffet dinner.

We were expecting 2-3 inches of snow overnight Saturday so we were pleasantly surprised (most of us, anyway) Sunday morning to find that they had gotten more like 10 inches!  The skies were overcast at first, but they cleared up nicely by late morning.  Being east coast skiers and more accustomed to ice than powder, there were some complaints of fatigue and sore muscles from fighting the deep stuff, but plenty of smiles too.  It was a great warm up for our upcoming trip to Jackson Hole where I hear they're getting lots of powder.

The only bad thing about the weekend was watching the Giants lose to the Eagles to end their hopes for a 2nd consecutive Super Bowl.  A few of us had talked early in the day about asking to postpone the 4:00 PM departure time until after the game was over, but by 4:00 PM we were happy to get on the bus and away from the cheering Eagles fans on the other side of the lobby bar.  A sad ending to an otherwise perfect weekend!

Things I learned on this trip...  if your feet get cold skiing, try putting "udder butter" on them.  And if that doesn't work, try peanut butter - right Ralph?... They don't always put the rope across closed trails at the top of the trail, sometimes you have to read the big orange sign that says "closed!"

Additional Links:    Stratton Vermont: January -11, 2009 Ski Trip Detail Page...       Photo Gallery...