Ten Acres Lodge - A Stowe Vermont Bed and Breakfast

Morristown Team

Originally uploaded by Paul Lowry

By sledding I mean dog sledding! With the Iditarod race in the news lately, it helped me remember a grand time my wife and I had when we went dog sledding just north of here. Our good friends at Eden Mountain dog sleds took us out for a ride and it was memorable to say the least. Getting to meet the dogs, learning about the skills involved in driving and hooking up the team to the sled were just as much fun as the ride itself. I did take some video which I have yet to put into my winter video on our web site but I hope to one day soon.

The snow this year has been abundant, so the sleds should be running into April. We talk about spring skiing but perhaps we should also mention Spring Sledding! Here at Ten Acres, with the 3 inches of fresh snow this week, we still have 35 inches on the ground. I’m not fond of the shoveling part of winter but it is nice to see the season extend beyond the usual.

If you’re looking for some winter activity other than skiing, consider Stowe’s alternatives like dog sleds, snowmobiling, snow shoes and skating. And if you’re up this way, consider Ten Acres Lodge as we are starting our off season rates next week.

We hope to see you.

The statistics are in! According to the national weather service, northern VT has experienced the snowiest February on record. This current winter is already in the top 10 snowiest winters ever with more to come. The mountain has gotten over 25 feet this season. This area had been due for a big winter and it has truly come this year. We have over 40 inches on the ground here at Ten Acres Lodge so it looks like ski season will keep going for awhile…as well as snow shoveling season!

Even though skiers are still coming up, those of us who live here can’t help but think of spring. Sure, a lot of the time it’s called mud season (with good reason) but it is also a great time to unwind and relax and renew. I just posted a new package on our web site that appeals to those of us who just want to get away and do nothing for awhile. If the rat race is getting you down and you find the rats are winning….you should check us out for spring!

Meanwhile, the snow keeps falling and the skiing continues to be exceptional. I hope everyone who wanted a chance to ski this year has come up to Stowe to check it out for themselves.

It’s coming…again…

A winter storm warning and that means snow…lots of it! The latest prediction is 10-15 inches. With about 32 inches of natural snow on the ground right now here at Ten Acres, it looks like skiing and snowmobiling will be around for awhile. That’s good news for our guests as we head into the snowiest part of the season. That’s right…the latter half of Feb and early March is historically the snowiest part of the year. I guess it’s more shovelling for me!

On other Ten Acres Lodge news, we will be announcing soon on our web site several exciting packages for the year. One of the packages will be for the spring and will be called the “blissfully unplugged” package. I got the idea from a great article in the New York Times. It talks about the fast pace most of us live and perhaps it is OK to sit around and do nothing, if only for a weekend. The package includes two nights lodging, 2 full breakfasts and dinner on Sat. night. If need be we will take away your cell phone, disconnect the wi fi and do whatever else we need to do to make sure you are disconnected from the real world…at least for a day or two. Experience “slothfulness” like never before and relax, recharge and re-connect. Details can be found on our web site.

We are thinking about green grass and shady trees, even though it is still a few months away but the time to plan a special getaway is now so give us a call. If skiing is your thing, the snow keeps falling and the conditions are great so give Stowe a visit!

With the internet, everyone has weather information for anywhere in the world, right at their fingertips. Yet, I think it is always useful to have an “eyewitness report”, since weather conditions are so important to our guests this time of year.

Today (Feb. 5) we were blessed with another 4 inches of fresh snow with more on the way this week. At Ten Acres, we currently have 25 inches on the ground. Compared to last year, this years snow fall has been a bumper crop! And, Feb. and March are historically the snowiest months of the season so we have much to look forward to if you’re a skier or winter sports enthusiast. Unfortunately it means for me…more shoveling! But I know our guests love it and that makes all the hard work worth it.

Looking to the spring, you might want to consider coming up for a quiet relaxing time. We are currently putting together some neat packages that will offer an affordable weekend stay and give you the chance to relax and retool in the quiet serenity of Stowe Vermont in the spring. Stay tuned to this space for more information.

If you’re looking to get some skiing in, think about coming up. The snow is plentiful and the setting is terrific. Hope to see you!

Every January Stowe celebrates winter with the “Stowe Winter Carnival”. It really is a great time to visit with scores of activites for both young and old. Skiing certainly takes center stage but other activities include a snow golf tournament, snow volleyball, a film festival, youth hockey tournament, village block party (with fireworks) and much, much more. The highlight for me is the ice carving competetion. These artists produce some magificent carvings from blocks of ice and must be seen to be believed. We had an ice carving done here at Ten Acres Lodge last winter and I gave the carver an unusual request. In memory of my father, a career Naval Pilot, I asked him to duplicate the badge of honor all pilots wear on their uniforms…a pair of wings with an anchor. He seemed a little challenged by my request but the final outcome was amazing, as you can see in the picture. If you have a chance, you really should come out and see these artists work their magic.

If you like winter and look to celebrate it in style, come up to Stowe in late January for the Stowe Winter Carnival.

As for snow, our annual January thaw is over and the winter pattern has returned. We lost some snow cover but we had so much on the ground to begin with, that it has not affected any snow related activities. Skiing continues (my friends here tell the conditions are great), snowmobiles are running, dog sleds are out in force and more snow is on the way. It is shaping up to be a fantastic season.

December was quite a month for us here in Stowe. Snowfall in December was more than any local can remember in years past. Reports were 110+ inches fell on the mountain during the month. Here at Ten Acres Lodge, while our totals were smaller, we had close to three feet on the ground for most of the month. The total snow pack on the mountain is about 2 months ahead of schedule…meaning on average, the base is this much in March, not in January! While we are going through our annual “January thaw” this week, it appears the winter pattern will return and more snow is on the way.

At Ten Acres Lodge things have been happening as well. We have just installed 32″ LCD HDTV’s in all our rooms. We get about 10 Hi Def channels and they look great. I hope our guests will appreciate it after a long day on the slopes or a vigorous hike in the mountains.

The restaurant we have leased out, known as Steve and Erika’s, will be closing at the end of March. The two businesses just weren’t compatable, so the parties decided to end the relationship. Steve produced a great product so I’m sure he will continue to make taste buds dance at another place. We wish Steve and Erika all the best.

We don’t look to open the restaurant to the public again but that doesn’t mean we don’t have plans. Look to this space for announcements on our restaurant in the near future.

Look for more snow in the coming weeks. Stowe is primed for a great season and we’d love to host you.

This is our 4th winter here in Stowe, so far be it from me to declare myself an expert on local Vermont weather. Heck, the so called experts can’t get forecasts right anyway (just look at the past two “hurricane forecasts” that predicted record numbers of hurricanes). But so far, the winter is shaping up to be fabulous this year. Early this week, at Ten Acres in Stowe Vermont we received 14 inches of new snow. The mountain got more. This on top of the 6+ inches on the ground. In the 4 winters I’ve seen, this is the most snow this early in the season I’ve seen. That bodes well for the downhill skiers but perhaps more importantly, it is great for the XC skiers, snowmobiles and dog sleding. If you love winter sports, I must tell you that Stowe is looking to have a great season. Come and see us!

icytrees at stowe

Originally uploaded by paul+photos=moody

Unlike the past two winters here in Stowe, we’re excited that mother nature has decided to give us an early Christmas present…SNOW and lots of it! Well, maybe not LOTS but certainly more than we’ve had at this time of year in the past. The Mountain (Stowe Montain Resort) has gotten over 3 feet of snow in the past two weeks and down here we have about 6 inches on the ground now. Haven’t seen the grass (or the leaves I didn’t pick up) for two weeks now. That’s good news for most of our guests who come here for downhill and cross country skiing. This morning looked much like this picture that was taken in 2005…a blanket of white powder covering the trees. Perhaps this is the winter many of us have been waiting for. I have heard our snowfall is greater so far than out west which is unusual.

On another front, I am excited to announce that our lodge was featured in a full page ad in USA Today on Nov. 28. The ad is for Megellan GPS devices. Their ad agency had contacted us for permission to use our picture and we were happy to let them use it. It is a great picture, taken by a friend of mine, Jim Armstrong. He is a professional photographer and it truly shows in the ad. I hope you have a chance to see it…we are proud and grateful for the opportunity to showcase our place. We hope it sells a lot of GPS devices….and maybe a few rooms for us. The ad will run several more times in the coming weeks in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

If you like winter…if you like snow…if you like skiing, you must head up to Stowe. It’s looking like a banner year for skiing!

icytrees at stowe

Originally uploaded by paul+photos=moody

The leaves have lost their luster and begin the process of dropping to the ground. When all the leaves fall off, the locals call it stick season…no leaves…no snow…nothing. Going on “leaf patrol” (what I call raking leaves) reminds me that nature will soon change course and the sticks will turn white and the ground will be blanketed with snow.

Living in a “ski town” its interesting that people don’t tend to come until there is snow in their back yard. Yet, with all the advances of snow making and, our natural weather, we usually have enough snow for skiing even when most of New England does not. The outlook for this winter is….who knows? All the experts were calling for 10+ hurricanes this season yet only several appeared, so how can we trust any long range forecast? We’ll just hope it is a “normal winter” which brings with it plenty of the white stuff and fun for all…except for those of us who have to shovel it!

In the snow making area, I was told that the Trapps Nordic center will have some snow making capability this winter. That will help the many folks who come to visit us at Ten Acres Lodge since we seem to attract many cross country enthusiasts.

I know its hard to imagine winter right now but it is coming. If you plan on skiing, make your plans now. If you’d like a place to stay, give us a shout…we’d love to have you.

The professional hockey season started in Stowe last week even though no one knew about it. The Boston Bruins were in town for a little break from the rigors of training camp and for some team building. I was fortunate enough to be asked to lead their team building event while they were here.

It was great fun for me. I used to do this kind of work all the time in my corporate life and I’ve missed it since I bought Ten Acres three years ago. My plan was always to host team building events here at the lodge and now I’m hopeful that will begin to happen.

The team was great and did an excellent job throwing themselves into the activities I had designed to meet their needs. The Bruins are a commited organization that has invested resources of all kinds to help with the development of the club. I met with the team’s Sports Psychologists and gained insight into their challenges and goals. From there it was faciliate the event and help them discover how to work better.

One activity we did was orienteering. This was my first experience with it as a facilitator and I found it to be a useful activity. The guys loved it and worked hard to find all the targets. The other activitites were classic “low ropes” challenges…these are basically problem solving activities that require a team to think collectively. I was pleased at not only how well they did solving the problems, but the enthusiasm in discussing the process afterwards. They wanted to learn and get better. If you want to read an article on the day, click this link http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=999&NewsID=842992&CategoryID=18256&on=1
The coaches and management seemed pleased with the day and I was fortunate to be asked to join the team for dinner that night. Some great stories were shared as well as dreams of a run to the playoffs. I haven’t followed hockey that much, but I told the guys I would be keeping an eye out on them throughout the season.

While the official start of the season for the Bruins is this Friday (in Dallas), to me, the season really started on an open field surrounded by fall colors in Stowe VT.