Spring Stowe

There’s something wonderful about living two seasons in one day. Spring in New England is the perfect time for it. The weather seems to embrace this idea, going from warm sunshine to snow and back to sunshine again in just hours.

This blending of seasons is one of the reasons I continue to gravitate to northern mountain ski towns for fun, long after most other folks are thinking “golf course” or “beach.” In a ski town, no matter what the weather throws at you, you can always find some outdoor fun and exercise.

One of our most memorable long-weekend trips took us to Stowe, Vermont in early April. There we found just the right combination of winter and spring. Lodging prices were enticingly “off-season.” More excellent restaurants than could be sampled in a dozen weekends were available. The snow was still deep on the fabled ski trails on Mount Mansfield. We found some wonderful active outdoor activities, like horseback riding at Windy Willows Farm, to fill the afternoons.

We liked it so much, we went back again the next year. Though we made our plans last minute, we still found lots of lodging options. This time, we wanted someplace convenient, reasonably priced, low-key and a little off the beaten track. In a place like Stowe you can be as picky as you want. We chose the Timberholm Inn with its cozy rooms and gracious-but-unobtrusive innkeepers. A lovely common room,  a hot tub for those chilly spring evenings, and an award-winning breakfast more than filled our needs. If you want something different, from sybaritic luxury to comfortable economy, Stowe probably has it.

Both mornings we lingered over breakfast, arriving at the ski area just as the sun had begun to soften the snow. Spring skiing can be a relaxed affair -- at least until you hit the hill and get seduced by that buttery soft corn snow. Then you are likely to keep at it until your thighs are screaming for mercy. I saw several folks on the hill saving money and getting a real aerobic workout by climbing up, then skiing down. Personally, I save that tactic for later in the spring after the lifts shut down.

When I ski in early April, I want to get in as many runs as possible.

With very few people on the mountain and no lift lines, it was easy to get all the runs we wanted in a short time. We quit the first day when the strong sun turned the lower mountain snow to wet slush. On the second day we stopped when the clouds moved in with the threat of rain.

After all that exercise, we needed a warm-down and biking seemed like the perfect activity. Stowe Village maintains a 5.3-mile long recreation path that extends from the village center to the Topnotch Resort on the access road. We rented comfortable hybrid bikes at the Nordic Barn (802-253-6433) right at the upper end of the trail, cruised down to town and back. It wasn’t exactly a workout, but after skiing all morning, it was enough to keep the muscles loose and the blood flowing. If we’d wanted to go farther, there were plenty of back roads leading off to new adventures.

With all that activity we needed to eat. We had lunch at Gracie’s (802-253-8741) an old favorite (don’t miss their burgers). Dinner was at the new “Piecasso” (802-253-4411) which has great pizza and terrific Italian fare at reasonable prices. Dinner alone was worth the trip.

Other ski towns to visit in the spring

Of course Stowe isn’t the only place to ease into spring. As long as the nearby ski resorts are open, any of these would do very nicely for an active weekend getaway:. I guarantee that if you look around a little, you’ll find something to do outdoors in any of these areas.

• Lake Placid, New York
• Killington, Vermont 
• Mad River Valley, Vermont
• Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
• Bethel, Maine