First and foremost, I must thank Michelle Hunzek for giving me the opportunity to help as a parent skier for the two Youth Ski Trips to Stowe, VT. My son had joined the youth group at St. John's of Rochester where this wonderfully energetic person would take time to talk and listen to the teens of our church each week. She has been taking the teen on a trip to Vermont every year for more years than she will admit to. My son wanted to go and asked if I would go with him. I jumped at the chance, but did have to go through a formal vetting process with one of the priest. Being a St. Bonas grad and having taken the Boy Scout to many ski events helped with the approval.
Wow, I was going to ... Ski Vermont and at the legendary Stowe Resort. Well, we left Rochester, NY with no snow on the ground around March 24th-ish. The bus trip was longer than expected, but Michelle answer to how much longer was alway "two more hours" no matter where we were on the way. The plan was to ski two days back-to-back arriving @ night and leaving after finishing skiing on the second day. We stayed at a bunk house called the Round Hearth. It would be the place to dry out, eat and relax at night. The rooms were named after the slope @ Stowe. The parent skiers had upgraded accommodations versus the teens who were bunked together. The large hearth and its warming fire was @ the center of the main gathering room. My favorite time passing attraction was a game where you swing a ring and try to catch it on the hook. On occasion, you would get the ring on the hook several times in a row.
The next morning, after a nice breakfast, we loaded up the bus and headed to the mountain. As we approached it became quick clear that this was no ordinary place to ski. The Front Four stood out like no other group of trails I had ever seen. They were narrow, very steep and had many hidden "attractions". We started on "Toll Road" by far one of the most scenic trails I had ever seen. Graduating from the intermediate slopes like "Lord", we decided it was time to tackle the "Front Four". The first one encountered was Liftline as "Starr" was closed - too dangerous? The other members of the "Front Four" are National and Goat. Of these by far the most treacherous and feared is Goat. Without no snow-making or grooming, Goat is rough and tumble. What it does have are serious elevation drops, large boulders, trees and even a stream. Many people will say they skied Goat. In reality, only about 4% are telling the truth. Goat is accessable, but was closed to skiing with the sign saying "Beware!" Well, I think that what it said. Therefore, Liftline quickly became my favorite run. I was able to master from the fall edge to base after a minor spill or two. On the third time down, I had completed the steepest section only to fall after trying to stop, then sliding down until reaching the first mogul. I wouldn't fall again on Liftline, but this trail wasn't going allow perfect runs everytime.
Next, we ventured across the mountain and up to the top on the famous Stowe gondola. See part 2 Youth Ski Trip.
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