Stratton Mountain

Located in southern Vermont, Stratton Mountain is one of the more well-developed ski resorts in the region, with a large and contiguous system on the northeast side of the mountain. There are 97 slopes spread over approximately 243 hectares and a vertical drop of 2001.3 feet, which provides plenty of space for both cruising and more serious piste skiing. The lift capacity is high with 16 lifts, including four six-seater lifts, so it is usually possible to keep pace even when there are a lot of people.

Stratton also has a clear connection to snowboarding culture. It was one of the first major facilities to allow snowboarding, and in the area around Stratton, Jake Burton built his first snowboard – something that later grew into Burton Snowboards and influenced the entire sport. It is noticeable that snowboarding has played a strong role here, both in history and in how the mountain has been profiled over the years.

Another detail that stands out is Stratton Mountain School, founded in 1972 as a winter sports academy and college preparatory school. It has raised many competitive skiers and over the years has produced a large number of Olympians. Stratton was also the long-time home of the US Open Snowboarding & Freestyle Skiing, hosting the competition's 30th anniversary in March 2012 before moving the event to a new location the following year.