Smuggs and Stowe, despite sharing a mountain, are vastly different areas. Both have some good on-piste terrain. I'd say Goat at Stowe and Black Hole at Smuggs are fairly comparable in their difficulty. However, Stowe has Smuggs beat hands down for back and side country. Stowe is on Mansfield, which has some genuine above treeline backcountry spots, off the Chin and the Lips. Add into that the bc trails off the Nose, and the adventurous who have the wherewithal to ski the backside and drive an hour back to Stowe, and Stowe smashes Smuggs. Not taking anything away from off-piste at Smuggs, there are some great lines there. But anything Smuggs has, Stowe has more of, and Stowe has things Smuggs doesn't.
Beyond terrain, the lift system at Stowe is definitely better than Smuggs, without a doubt. The Fourrunner at Stowe may be the oldest high speed quad in the country, but it's still a high speed. Add to that the gondi and a couple high speeds on Spruce, and Stowe wins in that category. Although Stowe does have its share of rickety old slow lifts as well.
On hill amenities... Waffle Cabin at Stowe. Damn, now I need to go get one. Hang on.......... Okay, back. Mmmmmmm, phenomenal.
Apres. Matterhorn (feeling 'Horny?), Rusty Nail, Shed... Stowe wins.
Kids programs goes to Smuggs. Stowe is good, but Smuggs makes its hay on kids programs, so they put more into it.
The people goes to Smuggs as well. Both hills have a great crew of locals and semi-locals(Burlingtonians and such). However, at Stowe you're more likely to find people who dont follow etiquette rules and the Responsibility Code. Last week I watched 3 snowboarders in jogging pants and hoodie sweatshirts sideslip their way down Goat. They tore away the snow cover in about a half dozen troughs, and then one of them almost ran into me. When I suggested they should probably find an easier trail that's more within their ability, they cursed me out and told me they didn't know where they were going when they got here. I kindly reminded them that they passed a sign at the top of S-53 warning that the terrain ahead was for Experts Only, and again passed another one as they entered Goat... which was right next to the bright orange closed rope that was across the entrance they used. You encounter that type with a great deal more frequency at Stowe than at Smuggs, unfortunately. The greater difficulty in getting to Smuggs, and its aforementioned lack of amenities tends to repel the lowest common denominator that you find at Stowe.
Stowe has developed itself into high end destination resort, and has the more corporate feel that goes along with that. That can be a drawback for some, but it also means Stowe has the more high-end amenities that a major resort has. Smuggs still retains a smaller, more local feel, which many people like. But that also means that Smuggs has a more basic, older infrastructure. So I'd say that's a tossup, a give and take betweent the two.
Overall, I give the medal to Stowe.
