I think you have a good chance of having a nice experience at either place, and I don't know that I would recommend one over the other. You didn't ask, but I will give as much of a side by side as I can.
Skiing:
Both are great, and probably will have the best conditions available in the eastern U.S. Stowe doesn't have much green terrain, but it does have quite a good amount of blues. I have found the groomed terrain at Killington to be more crowded, but to be fair in the past 6 years or so I have only been to Killington to ski moguls, so my input might be dated. The skiing at Stowe is almost all top to bottom (~2000ft vert). Killington has more shorter lifts and some lifts that start halfway up and end at the top. I find this makes the lift lines shorter at Killington (in April this may not be a problem either place). Killington will almost certainly have more total acreage of green/blue runs open. The views from the top of Stowe, IMO are much better than at Killington. Similar to Whiteface, I think the views from the top of Stowe are worth a trip. The lift tickets at Stowe are insane (175/day walk up or something). I don't know what they are at Killington, but the Spring pass last year was 229 for unlimited skiing after sometime mid march.
Lodging:
Both have a lodge slope-side, but I think Stowe's is more ski in/out friendly than Killington's. I don't know how expensive the lodge at Killington is, but the one at Stowe is very expensive. The slope side at Stowe is at the Spruce peak area. It has an ice skating rink and a few restaurants and I like to hang out there after skiing, enjoying a beer while my daughter skates. It is open to everyone and the rink is free if you have your own skates, but April might be too warm. Both Killington and Stowe have lots of other lodging options on the access road to the mountain, and, as a general rule, Stowe is more expensive.
Dining:
At Stowe, if you pack your lunch you have to eat at either the Midway lodge or the Mansfield (which have relatively poor choices for buying food). The nicer place to buy food at Stowe (by Spruce peak) does not allow packed lunches, although the food isn't completely unreasonably priced. It is super crowded however, so if you don't plan on eating early or late, you will be searching for a table (if we eat there we try to get in before 11am). I don't think Killington has any such restriction on bringing food, but COVID may have changed that. For dinner, both places have lots of solid options on the access roads.
Parking:
The parking at Stowe is almost comically bad, and numerous times this season the lots have been full at 10:30, and there is no good solution other than turning around getting on the mountain shuttle or waiting until the afternoon. The parking for lift opening (before 8am) is not bad, and that is when we arrive. Killington has no such problem that I am aware of.
Other Than Skiing:
Stowe, while being a tourist destination, does still have some charm and there is a nice town to walk around in. The bike path, which is always open but may or may not have snow on it, is really cool for walking, running, biking, or xc-skiing. I feel like Killington has no such charming features, but maybe I don't know about them. I do believe Killington has a stronger party scene than Stowe (where it is almost nonexistent), but those days are long behind me and I am far from an expert on partying.
Hope that helps!!
Last edited:
