First Stowe Weekend down and it was a WHITE OUT!
So far, for 2016 it was the best weekend of the year!… of course… Our whole crew was STOWEKD and that positive energy fed into those positive vibes! As soon the OvR bus left the city, the drinks were flowing amongst conversation on the promising forecasts. Reports of up to a foot of snowfall was expected across the weekend and we were all destined to be on the right place at the right time! You could feel it! This weekend was going to be another OvR Classic Stowe experience! Three days filled with old friends, new friends, laughs, good times and perhaps most important for this occasion, FRESH SNOW!
After a couple stops on the way to freshen up and gather provisions, we did it again… We arrived back in town at one of our favorite mountain destinations on the east, Stowe, Vermont. It was snowing heavy at points all the way through the winding roads of northern VT, but still we killed it on time, pulling up to our hotel just after dark and way ahead of schedule. Most notable on arrival, Stowe was covered in snow!!! On approach, you could tell we were in for some of the freshest conditions we’d seen since we started to roll out our season on-snow back in November!
From the time our bus arrived to the time we settled into the hotel, 2 inches accumulated in town!
Greeted warmly at the Mountaineer inn with smiles, coffee, room keys and lift tickets, our home for the weekend was on point! After settling into our rooms, the energy was too high to call it a night. Everyone started resurfacing at the bar and in the quaint hotel common areas to share New Year’s stories, goals for 2016 and plan out how Stowe fit into the proper kickoff for a fresh year. Piecasso, the legendary local pizza spot always appreciates the OvR crew arrival, because you know we were cranking out the orders! You make pizza that good, and you can’t expect we aren’t getting after it! Bathing suit clad crew also surfaced and got after the pool, sauna, and gigantic volcano style hot tub (one of the reasons we stay at the Mountaineer).
Storm Re-Surfaced Late Saturday Morning!
DAY ONE WAS A BLAST, FRESH SNOW EVERYWHERE!
Saturday morning, the crew started to get going at varying times, but it definitely seemed we had a crew of gamers! Most were up early to get after it!!! Stowe has the earliest operating chairlift in the country (and I think in the world), kicking things off at 7:00am and that early shuttle was packed! Things stared off cloudy in the early part of the morning, but the sun poked through occasionally. It was all good though, you could feel more snow on the way… The cold front was moving in fast, visibility started to fade and then there it was… HEAVY SNOW rolled in right before our eyes onto the highest peak in VT at MT Mansfield!!!
There is nothing like free fresh beer from Burlingtons own, MAGIC HAT!
After our Saturday Stowe shred session, a bunch of us got back on the bus and headed straight for the Magic Hat Brewery in Burlington, a regular stop on our OvRride Stowe weekends. If you’re going to be up in VT, you really should visit one of their awesome breweries. Our friends at Magic Hat keep their doors open late to hook us up with a private tour and tasting, deserved of another HUGE shoutout!
We started off at the bar with a bunch of free tokens redeemable for a tastings of brews on tap. Tapping straight from the source is always the way to go! Magic Hat served up a wide variety of beer so delicious it left everyone wanting more. Since we weren’t driving and they’re friends of the program, the pours were liberal and went a bit longer and later than your average tour. No doubt growlers and cases of the VT “Magic” brew went rolling out the door with our high spirited crew!
WHOS GOT A MAGIC HAT?
On the way back to the hotel, BLIZZARD conditions hit full effect. Luckily, the OvR bus is no stranger to snowy weather, so we all arrived back in Stowe safe and satisfied. You didn’t need a weather report to know it was DUMPING, but nonetheless, reports were unanimous: It was going to snow ALL NIGHT with a good 6-8 inches of accumulation before first chair hit the top of STOWE! FIRST POW DAY of 2016, ON THE MAP!!!!! CHEEERS ALL AROUND!!!! HYPE HIT A HIGH!!! STOWKED!!! Some crew hit town to explore the Stowe Mountain night life, others head straight back to the hotel to mellow out for that early rise. First Chair Freshness Awaits!!!
After some lounging in the hotel a couple of had to take that walk back to Piecasso. If you’re in the know about VT beer, this might make you jealous… we got after a few Heady Toppers! If you hadn’t heard, “The Topper” is very rare, highly regarded beer out of Vermont. This double IPA brewed by The Alchemist in Waterbury, VT is unpasteurized and kept refrigerated by the extremely limited authorized retailers lucky enough to stock it, right up to point of sale. As of December, 2015, it was rated the 5th best beer in the world by Beer Advocate (formerly #1), and has been described as “a complex web of genius.” Sold in extremely limited production, it sells out within seconds or minutes of being released. It’s common for people to travel long distances in an attempt to obtain Heady Topper from retail establishments in Vermont, and we just rolled into Piecasso and there it was! I overheard it called “Pine Tree” in a can by a Stowe local, solid endorsement. It might be time for OvRride to get some of this for next trip!!! That beer might be reason enough to head up to Vermont!
FIRST CHAIR SUNDAY WITH OVER 6 INCHES!
A bunch of the crew was up early and ready to get after it Sunday morning! We hit the earliest shuttle Sunday morning and head straight for that early gondi! Heavy snow the entire day kept things fresh, soft and white! I haven’t been so hyped for a white out in so long!!! The mountain was on the move with the weather too! Every time we hit the top, Stowe opened new trails! The OvRride Stowe crew was primed and ready to unleash our attack on that fresh POWDER! You would have thought the crowds would have hit and tore it up, but every time we reached the base, you couldn’t find a line. Over joyed for this first solid storm of the season, you can be sure our crew was all smiles! Conditions were clean and fresh turns were aplenty! YOU REALLY COULDN’T ASK FOR A BETTER WAY TO START 2016!!!
ALL WHITE EVERYTHING!
NOTHING LIKE A POW DAY ENDER!
The Snow Gods Blessed STOWE and OvRride With Some Amazing Conditions! BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT AND HAD A GREAT TIME WITH US! CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN SOON!!!
PHOTOS- Christopher.Martin @CMARTPHOTO