Tree skiing, New England-style
Photo © Chuck Waskuch (2001), courtesy Stowe Mountain Resort

Stowe's Mount Mansfield is Vermont's highest peak, standing at 4,395 feet and rising imperiously above the surrounding landscape, including the resort's lesser 3,300-foot Spruce Peak. Expert downhillers head to Stowe to tick off the reputation-enhancing Front Four—Goat, Lift Line, National, and Starr—that line Mansfield's sides.

But, there's another black diamond hidden in the rough, the treacherous Hellbrook, a gnarly river canyon that rises steeply out of Smuggler's Notch. No, it's not on the trail map. Yes, you've got to hike a bit. And no, local skiers won't help you find it—they aren't about to share their private stash. It's steep, it's tight, it's got everything from powder to ice—in short, it has all the technical demands of classically unforgiving Eastern tree skiing. Even hikers in the summer urge caution for this trail.

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