This is the least explored area of the Chin. Located between Cliff Trail Gully and Climbing Gully, Garden offers a variety of open terrain that feeds into the lower section of Climbing Gully. Be sure to scope your line from below, so you don’t get cliffed out trying to re-enter the Climbing Gully. As with all terrain on the Chin, be aware that you are stepping outside the resort boundary into the wilderness here. There are unmarked hazards such as cliffs, avalanche terrain, and miles of unmarked forest that one can easily become lost in if they don’t know where they are going. Carry a beacon, prove, shovel, water, food, warm layers, and a first aid kit, and travel with one or more partners. Most importantly, be willing to turn around if you have doubts about conditions or finding your route. It’s better to bail than become a rescue statistic.

Tight skiing chute skiing directly off the summit of Mount Mansfield. A Vermont classic. Drop in near a prominent boulder on the summit, ski down a low angle snowfield, this funnels into a very steep and narrow chute. Ski tight turns into a wider runout that fans out, as the name would imply. This tight section is steep and can slough you out easily on a powder day. Although small, the avalanches this terrain can produce could easily sweep you into trees below. From here you can descend straight down through another chute and ski towards Taft Lodge, or hang a hard left towards the Adams Apple to gain access to Hellbrook and other lines in that area. As with all terrain on the Chin, be aware that you are stepping outside the resort boundary into the wilderness here. There are unmarked hazards such as cliffs, avalanche terrain, and miles of unmarked forest that one can easily become lost in if they don’t know where they are going. Carry a beacon, prove, shovel, water, food, warm layers, and a first aid kit, and travel with one or more partners. Most importantly, be willing to turn around if you have doubts about conditions or finding your route. It’s better to bail than become a rescue statistic.

Cut in 1934 for by Charlie Lord and Perry Merrill’s CCC crew. These were among the first cut glades on the mountain, these days they remain one of the most popular zones, with wide conifers and many different aisles to ski. For the most part they are spacious and low angle but you can find tighter spots to either side. Eventually you cross Glades Return, marking the end of the “marked” section of these woods, but skiers can continue to enjoy the woods by crossing this trail, following tighter woods down to Cliff Trail. Ski out to Nosedive or continue down Drifter for a long run in the woods, beside the famous Nosedive.

This is a nice hardwood glade to the right of The Riverbed, marked with a wooden sign that reads Whitewater. Ski widely spaced trees to join Chin Clip runout.

The old spruce double used to go all the way to the true summit. These days a short walk from the sensation quad is required, and the original Main Street Headwall is overgrown. With a lot of snow, this makes for fun skiing around baby trees, down to the large cliff that was blasted out by the creation of the new Main Street. Skirt this to skiers right to exit.

This is a more recent addition to the glade network. Just before the first section of Toll Road meets Ridgeview, drop into the woods. Excellent conifer glade skiing meanders down towards the next bend of Toll Road. Exit near the red area boundary fence.

A very tight chute through an otherwise improbable section of terrain. Hike up Old Nosedive or ski up the auto road to the summit of The Nose. Look for a hidden entrance. Be careful here as the entrance is blind from above and there is a BIG cliff here. Drop in off the summit under a prominent rock formation and ski a very exposed panel. Be careful if it’s sloughing here, as there is a cliff below you. Hang a right just before the exposure, following a very tight passage through the trees, into the exit chute. Ski out a tight exit to a flat zone, and pop out at the auto road. Be aware that this is a serious line with high consequence. A fall at the top or a small avalanche could pull you over a big cliff in the upper part of the line. This is big mountain terrain and despite being so close to the quad, can get serious fast. Don’t get in over your head.

According to Kim Brown, story goes this glade was cut by himself and a friend named Skip. They spent all summer doing grueling work cutting spruce and fir trees into a tight aisle. Upon going to ski their stash for the first time, they enjoyed incredible powder. However in October of 1984, they realized their error, when a friend Roger told them he spotted their route from the Spruce parking lot. The chute they cut was too visible, and over time intrepid skiers found their line. While this line failed to be a secret, it’s still a lot of fun. Drop into Upper Goat and look for an entrance to skiers left. The chute is a little wider than pipeline, but with more obstacles. This quick drops into Goat Woods and exits out to Midway.

From the first turn of Bypass, look for a left trending traverse. The first option leads to an awkward commitment move. Take the next one down, they lead to the same place. There are a number of chutes to drop into along the way. The most prominent of these is at the end of the traverse, this is known as The Diving Board. During to the big rock at the top. Steep skiing in nice chutes blend into conifers glades. Exit to Rimrock and pick up Nosedive Glades for more. As with all terrain on the Kitchen Wall. This area is much more serious than your average unmarked glade. It’s very possible to get lost here, or potentially get cliffed out above 100 foot cliffs. Though avalanche terrain here is small in size, even a small slough could carry you into a tree or over a cliff. Carry a beacon, probe and shovel, as well as other resources such as food, water and layers should you need to survive a night on the mountain. Most importantly, have a plan and be willing to turn around should you feel you are in danger of getting lost, or doubtful about the conditions. Don’t become a rescue statistic!

An excellent little sidecountry stash at Smuggs. Wide open woods and a remote feel for being so close to the trail. Ski back from the top of Sterling Peak to gain access to the long trail, follow this north to summit a small knoll. From there you can traverse into the woods and locate a series of drop ins. Short isles lead to a patch of wide open woods, until you cross Shuttle. From here you can pick up Lower Hershey.

From the top of Perry Merril, just before the first turn, look for a traverse to skiers right. Stay high above the travel and follow this traverse past a couple steep turns, come around the corner to a prominent cliff band. Ski along the base of the cliff, enjoying this cool perspective of the mountain. While early drop ins are tempting, for the widest glades, continue all the way to the end. Ski through some big snow covered boulders and low angle conifers glades. Exit to an unmarked crosscut and join Mac and Cheese back to Rimrock

Some mellow birch glades off Chapel Lane. These are on the trail map now. Short but sweet. Watch your exit, there’s a small embankment above Toll Road in low snow that has caused some entertaining crashes from people coming out too hot.

A true classic, and the easiest option off The Chin. A little hard to spot from the ridge, look for a faint Col between a false summit and the true summit. Ski an open chute to a dog leg, ski left down the more narrow exit chute and blend back into treeline. Follow the path of least resistance towards Taft Lodge, for the easiest exit, look for a drainage gully to the right, ski this to exit at Chin Clip. As with all terrain on the Chin, be aware that you are stepping outside the resort boundary into the wilderness here. There are unmarked hazards such as cliffs, avalanche terrain, and miles of unmarked forest that one can easily become lost in if they don’t know where they are going. Carry a beacon, prove, shovel, water, food, warm layers, and a first aid kit, and travel with one or more partners. Most importantly, be willing to turn around if you have doubts about conditions or finding your route. It’s better to bail than become a rescue statistic.

From Shuttle, after you exit Hershey Highway, or if you’re just coming from the top of the double, drop in to skiers right and ski a gladed chute down to a big drainage. Lower angle skiing and nice hardwood glades bring you out to Lower Rumrunner

I put these as a separate listing since the character changes. These were once some of the best hardwood glades on the mountain, until a microburst destroyed the area in 2014. This area was closed for a while, but is now reopened. However, it’s full of new growth now and not as great an offering as it once was. However, it does still has a few good lanes of glade skiing for the intrepid visitor, and is certainly still worth dipping into in search of fresh tracks.

This is a more direct entrance to the Birthday Bowls, cut by local legends Kim Brown and Skip. Hike up to the summit of Spruce Peak and look for a tight traverse into the woods. This eventually takes a hard turn to skiers right to a steep fall glade. Excellent turns down this steep pitch drop you directly into the heart of the Birthday Bowls. Be aware that skiing into the notch, even in non avalanche terrain is a serious endeavor, and many skiers have been rescued as a result of getting lost or cliffed out in this terrain. Carry a backpack with enough food, water and layers to survive a night out, and don’t go unless you have a plan.

According to Kim Brown, this line was cut in the 1990s by a local named Jeffrey, as an alternative powder stash to the now busy glades of the Front Four. Take the long traverse into the woods that’s obvious to skiers right of Sunrise. Crest over a knoll into a a short chute. It opens up into a wider glade briefly before spilling out into Toll Road.

This was supposedly the first glade to be cut in this area when the Mountain Triple was introduced. This offers nice hardwood glades between Hackett’s Highway and North Slope.

Conifer glades between Whirlaway and Sterling. Ski this moderately tight glade to rejoin Sterling. You can pick up Green Mile for more woods skiing from here.

Look to skiers right of Chin Clip for an obvious entrance. A tight drop in quickly widens, almost as wide as the cut ski trails. Ski this excellent river bed, dropping a few small waterfalls. Arrive at an obvious rope line blocking off a big waterfall drop into a flat pool. Traverse right here and either drop back into the Riverbed, or ski Whitewater.

Now on the trailmap with a signed entrance, these can be entered to skiers right off Sunset or more steeply off Toll Road. Wide hardwood glades generally trending right, make a great place for new glade skiers to learn to weave through trees. Exit out to Chapel Lane

From the first turn of Bypass, look for a left trending traverse. The first option leads to an awkward commitment move. Take the next one down, they lead to the same place. There are a number of chutes to drop into along the way. The most prominent of these is at the end of the traverse, this is known as The Diving Board. During to the big rock at the top. Steep skiing in nice chutes blend into conifers glades. Exit to Rimrock and pick up Nosedive Glades for more. As with all terrain on the Kitchen Wall. This area is much more serious than your average unmarked glade. It’s very possible to get lost here, or potentially get cliffed out above 100 foot cliffs. Though avalanche terrain here is small in size, even a small slough could carry you into a tree or over a cliff. Carry a beacon, probe and shovel, as well as other resources such as food, water and layers should you need to survive a night on the mountain. Most importantly, have a plan and be willing to turn around should you feel you are in danger of getting lost, or doubtful about the conditions. Don’t become a rescue statistic!

Look for an entrance to skiers right on Drifter and drop. Very tight chute skiing brings you down to Catwalk, where you can pick up some more skiing across the trail. According to some insider info, patrol rescues a lot of skiers from this zone. Please be cautious.

This refers to the series of chutes out beyond Angel Food. The further out you go, the steeper and shorter they get. The tree spacing is wide and playful up high, before rolling off into steep chutes and big cliffs. The name comes from the fact that these lines once had individual signs that read Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. These signs were stolen over the years, and since then these lines have taken on new names and nicknames. An important thing to note here is that once you traverse past Angel Food and the first creek you cross afterwards, all of the terrain beyond here exits through avalanche terrain, and the further out you go, the bigger and more serious the paths get. Don’t get in over your head by following the traverse blindly in search of fresh tracks. Traverse past Angel Food and past a big drainage, sidestep up to where an old painting is hung from a tree. This is a good landmark too, as the terrain being the painting is where things start to get serious. The first drop in you come to is a long open glade that stays left of the big gully and eventually leads to some mini slides. The next line over, Planet X, also sometimes called Banana Chute, descends through wide open, Japan-like glade skiing. Pick up a faint right trending drainage that eventually cuts under a steep waterfall into a steep, open chute. Cutting left before this chute will get you cliffed out above a large ice climb known as Driving Force. Ski this out to the Notch Road. The final drop in is reached by traversing a little bit further. Another wide open glade quickly funnels you into a gully. What looks unassuming from above quickly becomes a high walled chute, threading a needle through a prominent cliff band. This is quite fun to ski but also presents the biggest avalanche hazard of the 3. At the bottom, traverse skiers right to avoid having to cross a creek.

This refers to the series of chutes out beyond Angel Food. The further out you go, the steeper and shorter they get. The tree spacing is wide and playful up high, before rolling off into steep chutes and big cliffs. The name comes from the fact that these lines once had individual signs that read Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. These signs were stolen over the years, and since then these lines have taken on new names and nicknames. An important thing to note here is that once you traverse past Angel Food and the first creek you cross afterwards, all of the terrain beyond here exits through avalanche terrain, and the further out you go, the bigger and more serious the paths get. Don’t get in over your head by following the traverse blindly in search of fresh tracks. Traverse past Angel Food and past a big drainage, sidestep up to where an old painting is hung from a tree. This is a good landmark too, as the terrain being the painting is where things start to get serious. The first drop in you come to is a long open glade that stays left of the big gully and eventually leads to some mini slides. The next line over, Planet X, also sometimes called Banana Chute, descends through wide open, Japan-like glade skiing. Pick up a faint right trending drainage that eventually cuts under a steep waterfall into a steep, open chute. Cutting left before this chute will get you cliffed out above a large ice climb known as Driving Force. Ski this out to the Notch Road. The final drop in is reached by traversing a little bit further. Another wide open glade quickly funnels you into a gully. What looks unassuming from above quickly becomes a high walled chute, threading a needle through a prominent cliff band. This is quite fun to ski but also presents the biggest avalanche hazard of the 3. At the bottom, traverse right to avoid having to cross a creek.

Another glade that was once on the trailmap but got removed for some reason. After Toll Road crosses sunset, ski across the long flat section and pass Sunset Woods. You’ll see another drop in that’s very inviting. A short steeper section quickly mellows to a nice open hardwood glade. This is a great option if you’re ripping Toll Road with your family that doesn’t like glades, you can ski this and try to beat them around the next turn!

A very unique line for the northeast. This follows the sharp ridge of the Long Trail, with lots of potential lines. Ski north off the summit along the ridge, side slip through some rocks as it begins to get steep. Ski along the ridge for as long as you want, at any point you can drop off to skiers right to ski the steep open face. This is the most direct way to get to Hellbrook. As with all terrain on the Chin, be aware that you are stepping outside the resort boundary into the wilderness here. There are unmarked hazards such as cliffs, avalanche terrain, and miles of unmarked forest that one can easily become lost in if they don’t know where they are going. Carry a beacon, prove, shovel, water, food, warm layers, and a first aid kit, and travel with one or more partners. Most importantly, be willing to turn around if you have doubts about conditions or finding your route. It’s better to bail than become a rescue statistic.

Cut by the Friends of The Devil Trail Crew in 1990 according to Kim Brown, this small chunk of woods is known as Treasure Island. This small patch of woods between Hayride and Hayride loop offers a few nice turns!

From the dog leg of Ridge Run, ski straight into the woods. A steep section that can be thin cover, drops down to rejoin Side Street.

On the trail map but mostly adding for visual. This is a great ski option for learning ski trees. Skiers left off of Lord look for a marked entry. The initial entrance has a roll over that gets steep for a few turns, but sticking to skiers right makes for an easier passage. There’s a few good rocks to drop off if you’re looking for airs. When the glades end on Christiana, you can hang left and follow it out to North Slope to pick up more good glades in Triple Treasure.

A short and steep little basin off Ridge Run dropping down to Side Street.

These glades can be found to skiers right of the Teardrop Trail. This is one of the longest continuous glades in Stowe, starting from the top of the mountain and being mostly uninterrupted to the base. Hellbrook and Beast of The East may be a little bit longer. From the top of The Teardrop, drop in to skiers right, ski conifer glades that slowly get wider until you transition to hard woods, at the half way mark you cross the CCC Road. Either traverse back to teardrop here, or ski the lower section. The lower section is lower angle and a little less defined. Make sure you trend skiers left for an easy return to your car.

Ski the beginning of Perry Merril looking for entrances to the woods to skiers left. Drop in to a conifer glade that leads to a very short slide. Ski the obvious chute to a waterfall drop, huck or skirt this to rejoin Perry Merril.

From the top of the quad, take a hard left beneath the Octagon, and above Upper Goat. Enter the woods at an unlikely spot. Very steep, very tight turns lead to a traverse right. This eventually blends into Goat Woods and exits on Midway. A note on history: According to Kim Brown’s 6 part article about glade skiing in Stowe, this line was originally cut by Peter Ruschp, who was tasked with cutting a narrow trail up to the Octagon, in order to run water to a spigots. It was improved in the summer of 1893 by locals named John and Skip.

This isn’t great skiing and bares little value, other than the fact you can ski past the old concrete steps of the old abandoned Practice Rope Tow. Drop through the woods and cut through the flats, out to a clearing with the old concrete steps, joining the very bottom of Lower Liftline.

Pick these up at the split between Lord and Sunrise. This starts with steeper conifer glades that are fun and flowy, this is a good intro to harder glades at Stowe, since you could cut out to either side if you needed to. Assuming you stayed in. Cross Toll Road and pick up another section of woods, similar to Chapel Glades. This section is easier with open hardwoods and lots of potential lines. Link this up with Christie Glades and Triple Treasure for a fun gladed run down the sunny side of the mountain!

The first trail to be cut on Mount Mansfield, this existed before the chairlifts did. Throughout the near century long history of Stowe, this trail has been preserved and can now be skied starting from the Quad. Drop in to what looks like a glade, behind the boundary rope near the top of Toll Road. Ski down a long traverse, to begin a long meandering section. Enjoy this classic New England ski trail, passing a short and very steep section called the elevator shaft. The trail slowly gets more and more gradual until you meet the Burt Trail. Skate out to 108 following the Burt Trail, convenient exiting right by The Matterhorn. Making this line a great warm up for apres ski! While this is technically a trail, it is not patrolled by the resorts and is far from rescue. Be aware that you are largely on your own in the event of an injury, and rescue is costly.

This was cut by a Cliff House caretaker named Dale, who maintained a private stash over the years and was responsible for many classics, including Tomba’s and Angel Food. Drop into the Riverbed, and hang a left as soon as one becomes obvious, into the woods to skiers left of the riverbed. A tight chute begins here, that takes you to a wider hardwood glade similar to Whitewater. Engaging skiing brings you all the way down to Chin Clip Runout.

The obvious alpine zone above Perry Merril, Rock Garden offers some of the most unique skiing in the East. In New England we mostly have either chutes, gullies or slides. This is more of a pillow zone. Hike up the Cliff Trail Gully to the ridge, and hike south along the ridge to an obvious crest of boulders. There are two prominent drop ins. One to skiers left (easiest) the other to skiers right, (steeper and blind at a right trending ramp). Drop in and enjoy this playground of drops, boulders and baby trees, down to treeline and connect with the Kitchen Wall Traverse. While this area is not far from Perry Merril, it presents a massive opportunity for injury, and a solo skier unable to self evacuate died of hypothermia in this area in 2024. Don’t underestimate this terrain.

This isn’t a glade, so much as a sneaky way to navigate the mountain. Look for a drop in to skiers right of the final headwall of Upper Smuggler’s, a few tight turns lead to a traverse to skiers right under a prominent rock band. Follow this until you pop out above Sunny Spruce. This is only significant because it’s the only way to reach the top of Sunny Spruce starting from Sensation without a walk, allowing you to link any of the trails up here with an Upper Smuggler’s lap. In theory, you could also get to Town Line Chutes and Butt Crack this way. This could be good too if you’re trying to hit Notch lines usually accessed from Stowe, but coming from the Smuggs Side. Rare but I’ve had friends do it. According to a longtime local named June, Duck was a patroller and member of Stowe Mountain Rescue, who still skis to this day.

Right across from where Haychute enters Middle Goat. Hang a left into the woods. A short but engaging glade brings you to Midway.

Another one cut by Dale. This had a sign in it that said “Lower Tom”, but a local of 60 years named June tells me its original name was Sideways. Directly across from the exit air of Tomba, ski into the next patch of woods. A tight entrance leads up a tight glade. Follow this to a faint drainage to High Road. It’s possible to cut through the next patch of woods to meet Rimrock and connect with Hazelton.

Hike up the auto road, until you’re roughly across from the exit of The Booger, you’ll see a prominent open patch below the road. This is the top of Stu’s Chute. Drop in and ski the open patch down into the woods, here you come to a flat bench and you can either hang left or right. Both routes bring you through excellent tree skiing, ending on the traverse for Bypass Chutes. According to an article written by Kim Brown in Stowe Reporter, this line was cut in 1982, by a band of skiers consisting of himself, and two other skiers named John and Skip. They cut it with basic loppers and a small pole saw, after a fateful trip to the Wasatch the winter before, where Brown realized he didn’t know how to ski powder, and therefore, needed to cut some powder stashes on the local mountain to have a place to practice. The chute was named after Stuart Hall, who installed the famous Snow Stake on Mount Mansfield, located very close by to the top of this chute. Interestingly, it was later discovered that this route roughly followed the original Bypass. As with all terrain on the Kitchen Wall. This area is much more serious than your average unmarked glade. It’s very possible to get lost here, or potentially get cliffed out above 100 foot cliffs. Though avalanche terrain here is small in size, even a small slough could carry you into a tree or over a cliff. Carry a beacon, probe and shovel, as well as other resources such as food, water and layers should you need to survive a night on the mountain. Most importantly, have a plan and be willing to turn around should you feel you are in danger of getting lost, or doubtful about the conditions. Don’t become a rescue statistic!

Another good patch of woods at the intersection of Tyro and Standard. Jump into the woods right behind the sign. Usually not as tracked as other nearby zones. The name of this zone was also relayed to me by June.

Many know this as part of Angel Food, but this originally its own zone known. It was cut and named Oz by Dale, the local responsible for Angel Food as well as the Outer Planets. See the description for Angel Food, as well as part 4/6 of the series written by Kim Brown in the Stowe Reporter, for more history on Dale and his axe wielding contributions to the ski community. After skiing the upper section of Angel Food, look for the obvious traverse right. This eventually brings you onto a sharp, gladed ridge, this is Oz. Follow the ridge down and right, along the way you may see signs for drop ins along the left side. Many of these have been stollen but some still remain as of 2024. Staying on the ridge the whole time eventually leads you to a short hill, that spits you out in the gondola parking lot, making for a short walk back.

The sliver of woods between T-Line and Gulch. The upper section is tighter and steeper. Below crossover however, is a very mellow glade with good spacing, and big healthy trees. This section would make a great learning environment. Continue to the base area.

A nice sliver of hardwood glades to skiers right of Gulch. This was once on the trailmap, but got removed for some reason. The lower section below Crossover features some excellent, low angle skiing through tall, healthy trees. Another good intro to unmarked glades.

These woods can be accessed off the intersection between Ruthie’s and Father Bob’s. Mellow mixed hardwoods and conifers with good spacing, staying skiers left of the drainage until you can exit left to Lower Chillcoot

The earliest drop in off the traverse, these woods are less technical than the chutes and provide direct access to Nosedive Glades. Ski in the second entrance to skiers left off of bypass, the first leads to a weird turn usually sporting an ice bulge. Drop immediately into the woods and enjoy steep conifer glades down to Rimrock.

The woods in between Doc Dempsey’s and F.I.S. Like a tighter version of Doc Dempsey’s, this one makes for a fun way to mix things up. Ski tight conifers glades, crossing a cut across trails along the way. While not the best offering at Smuggs, this line holds historical significance. According to June, during the early days of Smuggs, woods skiing was illegal. Taint was the only woods line people skied.

Located skiers left of Upper Meadows, these short hardwood glades are often overlooked, and can still have fresh snow well after the usual spots are thrashed. It’s also a great glade to learn how to ski trees, since it’s low angle and very short. My sister skied some of her first trees here on a family trip many years back.

This trail starts at the backcountry gate and follows a narrow trail downhill to Sterling Pond. Hike back up the obvious uphill to gain access to Sterling Peak in Smuggs.

A nice glade off Sunny Spruce. This was supposedly cut by a crew of Johnson students. While it’s short and requires a creek crossing to exit, it makes up for it with wide open skiing and a high likelihood of fresh turns. Ski to the first turn of West Run and drop into the obvious drainage. Follow this down to the creek, cross it and sidestep up to a small parking area on the Notch Road. Be aware that skiing into the notch, even in non avalanche terrain is a serious endeavor, and many skiers have been rescued as a result of getting lost or cliffed out in this terrain. Carry a backpack with enough food, water and layers to survive a night out, and don’t go unless you have a plan.

On the trail map but I added anyway for the sake of history. According to Kim Brown’s 6 part series on the history of the Stowe Glades, the “Tres Amigos” in reference here are John, Skip, and Christian. The Tres Amigos as we know it today was once an about 4 different lines (Tres Amigos, Red Sled, Major Jones, Oh Shit). These days they are all intermingled into what we know now as Tres Amigos, but the true OGs could tell the difference. There’s a variety of entrances, but the highest is up skiers left of Hayride, be on the lookout because it’s easy to miss. A short, tight entrance in conifer glades, leads to a tight and technical chute. This gives way to wider, but still steep hardwoods. Eventually you’ll cross Shyfter’s Shot, from here more glades can be skied down to Houghton’s

At the intersection of Liftline and National, ski behind the small pumphouse into the woods. Ski a wide, low angle chute that pops out on midway. Continue down a steeper chute to pop out on Lower Midway. A note on history, this was named after a local named Roger, who broke his leg at the exit on Lower Midway.

At the junction of Perry Merril and Gondolier, ski into the obvious riverbed gully. Really fun skiing here leads to two options, hang a left into Gondolier, or traverse right into a glade that exits on Switchback.

Take Profanity (hiking required) Hourglass or North Ridge (more direct) to the Col between The Chin and the Adam’s Apple. Ski along the Hellbrook Trail around the backside of the Adams Apple to the top of a skinny brook. A narrow drop in leads to a skinny, faint riverbed. Ski down as the line slowly opens up, with glade hits and tributaries along the sides, offering plenty of places to find fresh turns. Eventually everything funnels you into one big gully. Enjoy these natural halfpipe turns, making sure you catch the traverse left before you start to encounter cliff drops in the lower gully. Nice turns through natural glades bring you down to the Notch Road, which you can skate back to the gondola. Hellbrook is difficult to navigate to without tracks or in poor visibility. It is comparably very far from from the resort and features unmarked hazards such as cliffs, water holes, and small avalanches terrain features. A small, unanticipated mistake can be deadly. Carry food, water, warm layers, an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel. If in doubt, don’t traverse out to Hellbrook and ski back to the resort.

Glades to skiers right of Smugglers Alley. Similar to Hershey Highway, but tighter and likely more tracked.

From the first turn of Bypass, look for a left trending traverse. The first option leads to an awkward commitment move. Take the next one down, they lead to the same place. There are a number of chutes to drop into along the way. The most prominent of these is at the end of the traverse, this is known as The Diving Board. During to the big rock at the top. Steep skiing in nice chutes blend into conifers glades. Exit to Rimrock and pick up Nosedive Glades for more. As with all terrain on the Kitchen Wall. This area is much more serious than your average unmarked glade. It’s very possible to get lost here, or potentially get cliffed out above 100 foot cliffs. Though avalanche terrain here is small in size, even a small slough could carry you into a tree or over a cliff. Carry a beacon, probe and shovel, as well as other resources such as food, water and layers should you need to survive a night on the mountain. Most importantly, have a plan and be willing to turn around should you feel you are in danger of getting lost, or doubtful about the conditions. Don’t become a rescue statistic!

Route 108 to be exact. In the summer, this provides an exciting drive for flat landers, stellar access for bouldering. It also usually costs at least one truck driver per season a few hours and a pretty penny, when they ignore signs and realize they do not fit, resulting in a tedious rescue. In the winter however, it remains unplowed, providing ample access to Vermont’s most incredible sidecountry. For some, the notch road makes a great first skin, or a morning snowshoe. For others, it’s simply the mellow glade back after skiing thousands of feet of glades. Either way, the Notch Road is the heart of it all, providing a return back to Stowe or Smuggs after skiing sidecountry, as well as an approach to numerous “bottom up” objectives, such as Blind Fate and Playground Gullies. It’s as straightforward as it comes, but an important thing to note is that the hight of land is right near Playground Gully, meaning anything south of Playground Gully allows for an easy ski back to the gondola. If you ski Birthday Bowls or back bowls, you will need to walk back up to the height of land before you can ski back to Stowe. Plan some extra time for that.

This refers to the series of chutes out beyond Angel Food. The further out you go, the steeper and shorter they get. The tree spacing is wide and playful up high, before rolling off into steep chutes and big cliffs. The name comes from the fact that these lines once had individual signs that read Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. These signs were stolen over the years, and since then these lines have taken on new names and nicknames. An important thing to note here is that once you traverse past Angel Food and the first creek you cross afterwards, all of the terrain beyond here exits through avalanche terrain, and the further out you go, the bigger and more serious the paths get. Don’t get in over your head by following the traverse blindly in search of fresh tracks. Traverse past Angel Food and past a big drainage, sidestep up to where an old painting is hung from a tree. This is a good landmark too, as the terrain being the painting is where things start to get serious. The first drop in you come to is a long open glade that stays left of the big gully and eventually leads to some mini slides. The next line over, Planet X, also sometimes called Banana Chute, descends through wide open, Japan-like glade skiing. Pick up a faint right trending drainage that eventually cuts under a steep waterfall into a steep, open chute. Cutting left before this chute will get you cliffed out above a large ice climb known as Driving Force. Ski this out to the Notch Road. The final drop in is reached by traversing a little bit further. Another wide open glade quickly funnels you into a gully. What looks unassuming from above quickly becomes a high walled chute, threading a needle through a prominent cliff band. This is quite fun to ski but also presents the biggest avalanche hazard of the 3. At the bottom, make sure you hang right to avoid having to cross a creek.

In the days before lifts, there were two trails on Mount Mansfield. The Bruce and The Teardrop. When the east side of Mount Mansfield eventually developed into Stowe Mountain Resort, the Teardrop fell out of fashion. While The Bruce can be skied at the end of the day with a quick car spot, the Teardrop is about an hour and 45 minutes away, meaning skinning up from the Underhill side is probably the move. You could also ski in from the Stowe side and skin back up. The Teardrop ends abruptly below the forehead, so if coming from the Mount Mansfield auto road, you have to ski a short and tight section of the Long Trail to access it. The Teardrop meanders through a series of twists and turns, with a few steeper rolls that make for an exciting ski. It’s very classic New England style. As you rip this narrow, meandering strip of snow, just imagine how it felt on long wooden skis! About half way down you’ll pass a split for the CCC road to skiers right. Stay to skiers left for the Teardrop. Finish with a short low angle section back to the parking lot in Underhill State Park. A note on history. According to part 1 of Kim Brown’s 6 part series on the history of glade skiing in Stowe, The Teardrop was maintained by a crew of Burlington and Underhill locals, but overtime the connection from the Stowe side was lost to overgrowth. In 1982, Kim, alongside friends John and Skip, bushwhacked to find The Teardrop from the Stowe Side. The zigzagged until ultimately locating a sign that only showed the letters EA and RO. They quickly realized it must’ve once read “TEARDROP”. Just a few feet off the bypass trail beneath the Forehead, they were able to re-establish the connection to this historic trail.

Follow lower Midway to right before it meets Lower Liftline, drop in to skiers left. Low angle glades that roughly follow a faint drainage lead you to an exit on Sepp’s Run. Hence the name. A savy linkup is to ski National Glades - Partridge - Roger’s Chute - Upper Sepp’s for an all gladed run down the Front Four.

Hang a left into the woods just before National Drop In. Very tight woods lead to a dicey straight line exit to skiers right of the Liftline Waterfall.

A patchwork of sorts. This borrows the bottom half of the summer hiking route Hazelton Trail, utilizing glades in the top half to get there. Follow Rimrock and look for a drop in near a small area boundary sign. Follow nicely spaced glades and drainages until you hit a creek, traverse left to where you can see the zip line. Join the Hazelton Trail for the highlight, skinning along a really skinny ridge, super unique. After the ridge, follow hardwood glades back to Perry Merril.

A short and sweet little glade stash left of centerline, according to Kim Brown’s 6 part series, this was cut by a local named Johnny O.

This is the narrow patch of woods to skiers left of Hackett’s Highway. You can traverse into it at any point from either side, but for the full run, drop in from the crosscut between Hayride and Lord. A tight chute leads to a steep section, cross Maiden Lane and drop into open hardwoods. Milk the glade skiing down to the drainage that crosses Hackett’s, then exit right. It’s possible to stick left of the creek here and gain access to an obviously improved glade to skiers left.

Tight skiing chute skiing directly off the summit of Mount Mansfield. A Vermont classic. Drop in near a prominent boulder on the summit, ski down a low angle snowfield, this funnels into a very steep and narrow chute. Ski tight turns into a wider runout that fans out, as the name would imply. From here you can descend straight down through another chute and ski towards Taft Lodge, or hang a hard left towards the Adams Apple to gain access to Hellbrook and other lines in that area. As with all terrain on the Chin, be aware that you are stepping outside the resort boundary into the wilderness here. There are unmarked hazards such as cliffs, avalanche terrain, and miles of unmarked forest that one can easily become lost in if they don’t know where they are going. Carry a beacon, prove, shovel, water, food, warm layers, and a first aid kit, and travel with one or more partners. Most importantly, be willing to turn around if you have doubts about conditions or finding your route. It’s better to bail than become a rescue statistic.

This starts as a steep chute off Armando’s Alley just after it crosses Spruce Line. This is never open anymore so if rope ducking is not within your ethics, you can pick up the next section by skiing Sterling to #1 Cut Across. Ski it out to rejoin Sterling and pick up one more section of glades to skiers right. Ending by #3 Cut Across.

Originally cut in 1893 by the Friends of The Devil Trail Crew, this is now recognized as a official run at Stowe, Its shown on the trailmap as starting from S53, but can be skied all the way from the top. Drop in from between Starr and Lookout, a sneaky entrance leads two potential chutes. These are like wider versions of Pipeline 2. The chutes end just above S53, and you can enjoy hardwood glades with some cool features to jump off down to Starr.

Like an unmarked, slightly less steep version of Black Hole. These are the woods between Freefall and F.I.S. Tight conifer glades and a few rocky sections define the line. I have a vivid memory of their being a fixed rope in place to get to through a rocky section, but that was when I was 9 and thought I was on Black Hole, so don’t take my word for it!

A nice patch of steeper glades between Bootlegger and Smugglers Alley.

This is the obvious, vaguely S shaped chute. This is the standard hiking route to reach the lines on the Chin. It also makes a neat ski line in itself. Hike up to the signed backcountry gate and follow a cut trail to the bottom of the trail. Climb a gully to a section of trees, then enter a low angle upper gully. Top out at the ridge, if headed to The Chin, another hundred feet of low ridge walking will get you there. If skiing climbing Gully, drop in here and enjoy open turns. Navigate through some baby trees into the lower gully. Rather than traverse back right on the access trail, ski straight out the bottom to join Chin Clip. As with all terrain on the Chin, be aware that you are stepping outside the resort boundary into the wilderness here. There are unmarked hazards such as cliffs, avalanche terrain, and miles of unmarked forest that one can easily become lost in if they don’t know where they are going. Carry a beacon, prove, shovel, water, food, warm layers, and a first aid kit, and travel with one or more partners. Most importantly, be willing to turn around if you have doubts about conditions or finding your route. It’s better to bail than become a rescue statistic.

Right across from where Wishbone exits onto switchback, drop into the next patch of woods. This is General’s Line. Usually not super tracked out.

At the area boundary sign on the skiers left side of Chin Clip, traverse to skiers left into beautiful hardwood glades. Drop in and ski wide open woods until you reach a traverse, follow this back to Chin Clip for an easy return to the Gondola.

A Stowe classic, especially when linked with Profanity Chute. Angel Food is a long hardwood glade, reached by traversing far left from Chin Clip at the area boundary gate. Stay high for longer than you think, passing a drainage and a wooden bench with a nice view, to reach a drop in with a sign that reads “Angel Food”. A short tight section opens up into an expanse of hardwoods offering plenty of room for turns. Eventually you reach an obvious traverse, hanging a right here leads to “Oz” which comes out behind the parking lot for the gondola, and thus a shorter walk back. Most people go this way, but for more freshies, pass the traverse and continue down Angel Food. The lower food steepens and remains open all the way down to the Notch Road. A note on History, as per Kim Brown’s 6 part article in Stowe Reporter. Angel Food was cut by Dale, a local who lived atop the gondola as a cliff house caretaker. He cut Angel Food in the 1980s with just an axe, although other locals such as Skip and Brown himself did help out on occasion. According to research by Dave Goodman, the route Dale found was likely the path of the original Chin Clip, which skirted much more beneath the Chin than today’s version of the trail. For much of the season, this route was only skied by them. However, Dale let a few ski patrol in on the secret. Before he knew it, word had gone around about this zone to the point where Dale found it all tracked up. Today, it is well known and enjoyed by many.

For an easy downhill from Smuggs back to Spruce Peak, you can pole plant to the south end of Sterling Pond and pick up a gentle trail that drops you slowly to Sterling Trail. This doesn’t get used often since most people skiing between Stowe and Smuggs are there to access the Birthday Bowls

The Birthday Bowls and Back Bowls are used interchangeably but I’ve come to understand it this way. If you drop in from Spruce Peak it’s the Birthday Bowls. If you drop in from Smugglers Notch Ski Area it’s the Back Bowls. Whatever you call it, this zone offers excellent glades. Ski down the trail that connects Spruce Peak to Sterling Pond, look for entrances to skiers left. Some are sneakier than others, but the most obvious is a drop in below a retaining wall to skiers left. Drop the retaining wall (or ski around to the right) and traverse to skiers left until you enter a beautiful hardwood glades. From here its proper go anywhere terrain. Pick your line through classic northern Vermont maple, beech and birch, hunting for the freshest line down to the Notch Road. If you’re coming from Stowe, throw the skins on and get walking. If coming from Smuggs, enjoy the gentle glide back to the parking lot. Be aware that skiing into the notch, even in non avalanche terrain is a serious endeavor, and many skiers have been rescued as a result of getting lost or cliffed out in this terrain. Carry a backpack with enough food, water and layers to survive a night out, and don’t go unless you have a plan.

Following Cliff Trail down to Nosedive, look for a drop in to skiers left above 20 feet before the trails merge. Ski engaging glades and drainages along the left edge of Nosedive. Make sure you cut right before the big creek gully, or suffer an annoying traverse out.

This is the standard approach to Rock Garden and an alternate approach to The Chin. It also makes a nice ski like. From behind the gondola, bootpack up through the trees to a steep section, the upper gully is wide and lower angle. Top out at a notch in the ridge. If heading to rock garden, follow the ridge south. If skiing Cliff Trail Gully, click in and enjoy the ride. Open turns with an alpine feel bring you back to treeline. As with all terrain on the Chin, be aware that you are stepping outside the resort boundary into the wilderness here. There are unmarked hazards such as cliffs, avalanche terrain, and miles of unmarked forest that one can easily become lost in if they don’t know where they are going. Carry a beacon, prove, shovel, water, food, warm layers, and a first aid kit, and travel with one or more partners. Most importantly, be willing to turn around if you have doubts about conditions or finding your route. It’s better to bail than become a rescue statistic.

Like Pipeline but much steeper, more narrow, and generally more sketchy. This line is technically closed, but not heavily enforced, it makes an exciting ski. Slip into the narrow entrance off Chillcoot near the intersection with catwalk. The line quickly becomes steep. Hop turns and half turns bring you down a narrow chute into dense vegetation. A small mandatory air gives way to lower angle woods to finish. Definitely give this one time to fill in and try to catch it in fresh snow.

A new addition to the trailmap, these once unmarked glades between Nosedive and National have been cleaned up and named after Mary Mason. A great moderate glade with lots of places to cut out.

Below the unmarked crosscut that you pop out on beneath the Kitchen Wall Traverse, is another short conifer glade. This is Mac and Cheese. Ski through nicely spaced trees to Rimrock

According to Kim Brown, this glade was cut by a well known local named Skip in 1985. Despite discouragement that this was too obvious, he was inspired by this particular patch of woods. He named originally named this line “Skippy’s Dream”. However, the name was changed when a local named Roger, who Roger’s Chute is named for, dropped in. During his run, he accidentally skied over a nesting Partridge. Not wanting to be wasteful, he took it home, cooked it into a stew, and ate it. More than likely, this “partridge” was probably a Spruce Grouse, but the name endured, and is now referred to by those “in the know” as The Partridge. Ski along Haychute and drop in to the woods between Liftline and Goat. Ski tight conifers glades, continuing to trend right, until you can pop out on middle National.

On the trail map now as S53 Woods, this is one of the most well loved glades on the mountain. The top section, located between Upper Starr and Upper National, is very tight and technical. Unlike the fun chutes in Upper Lookout Glades, this entrance is side slippy and generally funky. A better entrance can be had from S53. A really glorious section of open hardwoods brings you steeply down the face below S53, from here, it’s most natural to cut out to Liftline. However, the skiing can be milked all the way down, crossing Phil’s Zuggy and Houghton’s, it just gets a little tighter. Ski for as long as you like, watching for cliffs in the middle section.

Another option right off the top of Sterling, between Thomke’s Express and Bootlegger. Ski moderately spaced Conifer Glades out to Rumrunner

This can be a walked or skinned up to approach a variety of lines. Hike up past the backcountry sign and trend low angle ground. The first landmark you’ll pass is the entrance to Stu’s Chute at a big clearing beneath the road. Beyond that. Any ski routes are obscure and hard to follow, until you pass the entrance for the Amherst Trail, which provides access to the Amherst Chute. Beyond that you’ll pass the long trail, which provides access to Hundred Inch Chute from the quad side. After passing the long trail, you come around the backside of The Nose. You’ll pass the Long Trail again, providing access to the Tear Drop from the Stowe Side. If heading for The Nose, keep going until you reach the final uphill to the summit. You’ll pass a variety of cell tower related buildings. From here you can follow a very narrow trail to Old Nosedive, or saddle up and ski The Booger.

The Back Bowls are an excellent hardwood glade on the Spruce Peak side of the notch. Most commonly approached from Smugglers Notch by skiing down to Sterling Pond from the backside of Sterling, they can also be approached from Stowe side by skiing the connector trail from the top of Sensation Quad. Either way, get to Sterling Pond and ski to the west end of the pond towards the obvious drainage. As you enter the woods, you’ll quickly find yourself in a gladed isle. As you ski down into hardwoods, the glades expand a bit and there’s more room for turns. Ski this out to Notch Road. If you’re coming from Stowe, throw the skins on and get walking. If coming from Smuggs, enjoy the gentle glide back to the parking lot. Be aware that skiing into the notch, even in non avalanche terrain is a serious endeavor, and many skiers have been rescued as a result of getting lost or cliffed out in this terrain. Carry a backpack with enough food, water and layers to survive a night out, and don’t go unless you have a plan.

Back in the days before chairlifts, the original Nosedive Trail went all the way to the summit of The Nose. These days, it’s grown in a little bit, but it can still be skied. Hike up the obvious trail above Toll Road until it narrows to a hiking trail. Ski tight and exciting turns around trees and over rollers back to Nosedive. This is fun to combine with The Bruce.