A notch above: Topnotch Resort’s transformation echoes Stowe’s evolution

Topnotch Resort has been one of the pillars of Stowe's Mountain Road since 1959. (Topnotch)

STOWE, Vt. — They’re putting in a Starbucks. 

Yes, in Stowe. 

Maybe it was inevitable, even in a town that has managed to shun franchises in the past (remember McDonald’s topsy-turvy history on Mountain Road?) with the sort of New England obstinance that gives Vermonters their character. It’s an admirable protection for local values and economy that I first experienced as a college student in Vermont in the early-to-mid ’90s, back when it was the only state in the nation without a Wal-Mart. The widespread resistance to the retail giant even continues to this day (Vermont still only has six Wal-Mart stores, fewest in the nation), where spending local in the hundreds of villages and towns of the Green Mountain State has a different value than giving it to a faceless operation.  

So, imagine my surprise one evening on a recent visit to Stowe village where my wife and I came upon a “coming soon” sign at 109 Main St. 

Starbucks. 

This isn’t an anti-Starbucks crusade. It is a franchise I enjoy. That doesn’t mean it belongs in a setting that very much prides itself on small-town charm. Then again, a lot has changed in the past seven years.

Indeed, Vail Resorts’ acquisition of Stowe Mountain Resort, and its introduction of the Epic Pass, in 2016 sparked seismic changes for the “Ski Capital of the East,” drawing more tourists than ever and finding fewer and fewer places to put them, not to mention their cars. According to the Stowe Reporter, the Vermont Department of Taxes has shown an increase in meals and rooms tax receipts of 17 percent since Vail Resorts took over. Earlier this year, the town even introduced its first stoplight — located at the corner of Route 100 and West Hill Road — offering, the Reporter said, “a solution to the congestion in one of the town’s major intersections.” 

Despite being the ski area’s opening weekend, only days before Thanksgiving, there was no traffic to speak of in the middle of November. Mountain Road businesses were still in the midst of stick season, even as the lifts began to wake up atop the hill. My wife and I had booked this trip prior to Vail announcing Stowe’s target date to open, so the ability to bust out my skis for their first runs of the season was a welcome bonus to look forward to while my wife enjoyed her day being pampered at the same place where she, 21 years ago, woke up with me as her husband for the first time. 

I first fell in love with Stowe during my college years, when, in an age of Nirvana and “90210,” it reflected skiing’s golden age, when disco and Jimmy Carter bumper stickers ruled. Much of Stowe in the 1990s was stuck in the ski decor of the 1970s — sunken living rooms and freestanding fireplaces — and the vibe was unlike anything I had felt in any mountain town before. I was instantly smitten by the time-capsule aspect of Stowe, introducing a nostalgia for an era I was too young to enjoy the first time around. I even tried fondue. 

So, when my then-fiancee suggested Stowe as the site of our destination wedding, she knew she had me at hello. 

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The view was the No. 1 reason we decided to have our reception at Topnotch Resort 21 years ago, planning a September cocktail hour in the shadow of Mount Mansfield. The others were the welcoming nature of the staff, all of whom helped create a memorable day in both of our lives, as well as that ever-present ’70s-era warmth, notably present in the lobby’s low-lit Buttertub Bistro. Take a step into the comfortably-sized pub and you almost could hear the ghost stories of ski escapades past rustle down the bar. 

Except, when I strolled in to check in at Topnotch one Friday afternoon last month, the Buttertub was no more, replaced by The Roost, now Topnotch’s signature restaurant. The lighting in the lobby was magnified and I was twisted around. Because, was the fireplace always there? What happened to the longer hall at the entrance? Did I even park at the right hotel? 

Suffice to say, Topnotch has had a facelift since we were married there in 2002. Ten years ago, the resort completed a $15 million renovation and 7,000-square-foot expansion, including a new lobby, two new restaurants and new outdoor spaces. 

“The integral relationship between the beauty of our natural world and the man-made is the basis for this major expansion of Topnotch Resort,” according to architects TruexCullins, based out of Burlington, Vt. “The entry sequence, new bar and restaurant, and the surrounding outdoor spaces are all oriented to reinforce our connection with the natural landscape.” 

It’s little surprise to discover that TruexCollins also is responsible for Hotel Vermont — the chic anchor of the Burlington waterfront — due to its comparable warmth. My wife immediately commented on the restaurant’s post-and-beam decor with “an industrial flair” that is intertwined with Vermont’s natural connection to the spectacular scenery that surrounds it. Topnotch blends rustic charm and luxury, which is pretty much the recipe for the character of the whole town. 

“Tucked into a 120-acre wooded glade at the foothills of Mount Mansfield,” Topnotch Resort combines sophistication with alpine luxury. Noted for its outstanding hospitality, the resort long has been one of the pillars of Stowe’s Mountain Road since 1959, a constant even in the face of rapid change around it. What began as a family-owned village inn with a small lounge and 24-seat restaurant soon blossomed into one of Travel+Leisure’s “World’s Best” hotels.

Our room (an executive king) was on the third floor and had 13-foot ceilings, creating an open atmosphere that helps the outdoors breathe itself into the room. In fact, it seems every time you turn at Topnotch, there’s a new way to catch a glimpse of the Mount Mansfield Front Four, framed by the property’s landscaping. When you’re smack dab in the midst of a setting like this one, it’s hard not to. 

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Eschewing first chair for a hearty breakfast at The Roost with my wife, I arrived at the mountain around 10:30 the next morning. Stowe’s controversial paid parking ($30 per day) didn’t go into effect until Dec. 1, a little benefit for the early birds. I parked at the Mansfield Lodge the old-fashioned way — aka free — and booted up at my car as a quartet of locals walking their dogs from the direction of the notch (now closed to vehicles for the season) strolled past me. 

I caught back up to them when I strolled up the Mansfield Lodge. One of the members of the group had walked up to the ticket counter, curious how much it would run for a one-day lift ticket to ski only three trails. A peak ticket this year at the mountain can run $219. What could they possibly charge on only the second day of operations? 

As I overheard the hiker tell the rest of his crew, “It’s $80. But they didn’t even know. They had to look it up.”

On that, they shook their heads in amazement and continued their walk toward the other end of the lot.

Of course, the odds of anyone walking up to the window and purchasing a ticket on the second day of the season in the age of the Epic Pass was unlikely. But if you ever did pay $80 to ski the second day of the season, this might have been one to do it. I had read the chatter online about the spring-like atmosphere (and free breakfast sandwiches) that came with opening day at the mountain, and it wasn’t long before I got a quick sense of that the following morning. The Fourrunner Quad was running to the summit, where skiers and riders could choose from Ridgeview or Lord to bring them down to what turned out to be a bump-bashing adventure on Lookout. Just when I was expecting the WROD, the white ribbon of death that represents the sliver of terrain a ski resort usually manages to open for opening day, I instead received springtime bumps and an unexpected workout. In all, I managed about 10 runs before my legs turned to jelly. 

I returned to my car and began packing up my gear in order to meet my wife, who was enjoying an afternoon facial at the Topnotch spa. Back at the lot, another car pulled in just as I was finishing up. He got a late start, he told me, because he was worried the overnight freeze might turn the mountain into a skating rink. It’s something I had feared during the morning hours, but realized quickly that it wouldn’t be an issue on this November morning. 

“I didn’t think today would compare to yesterday because of that,” I told him. 

It was then that his eyes widened from beneath the winter cap tucked over his lashes. He stared at me for just an extra moment and smiled. “Yesterday was (expletive) awesome,” he said with an appreciative sigh that I understood. I felt much the same way after Day 2. 

I caught up with my wife — and her glowing face, thanks to her visit with the spa’s esthetician — at the pool that afternoon and caught a magnificent soak in the outdoor hot tub with a temperature perfectly suited to escape the November chill before heading to the village for an evening stroll. That’s when I saw it. 

Starbucks. 

The changing face of Stowe has been taking place long before Vail got here though. Gone are former landmarks like the Shed, Miguel’s Stowe Away, and the Hob Knob Inn, replaced by a new wave of establishments that mark a new era. And despite the animosity that exists between certain sectors of the community and Vail’s presence in it, one thing remains constant — the mountain. I went back for more on Sunday morning, eager to experience the familiarity of a winter waltz on the slopes that have given me some of the most memorably skiing days of my life. As it turns out, that even applies in November. 

I did get first chair the next day (OK, my EpicMix app says I hopped on the lift at 8:02 a.m.) but it wasn’t like this was a powder day morning gathering at the quad. I was able to grab four more runs over the course of an hour (I can prove it with my EpicMix, you know), after which I regrouped with my wife for a delectable breakfast sandwich at The Roost (the bacon wasn’t an inch think, but it wasn’t far off) before heading south on I-89. After we ate, I wandered over to the front desk to check out, while she sauntered outside to grab one more view. The older woman at the front desk was the same that was at the concierge desk the night before, when I made dinner reservations. 

“I do believe I worked your wedding many years ago,” she said after confirming everything was in order.  

That one hit me, especially after the hundreds of weddings that have followed us at Topnotch over the years. Then again, that’s pretty much Vermont cordiality in a maple candy-shaped nutshell, a charm that hasn’t been bulldozed out of Stowe just yet. 

“She’s outside taking pictures,” I said, flummoxed at the woman’s memory. 

She smiled back at me. “Well, I’m glad things are working out.”  

Stowe. It hasn’t changed a bit.