Some people complete on the ski slope and others prefer competing on the ski line. The fashion conciousness that pervades Stratton makes clear that the mountain is preferred by the latter. It's not that Stratton doesn't have some first-rate trails and a second-to-none junior racing program, it's just that a great number of the skiers care about the clothes they wear, and they'll notice yours as well.

Although Stratton's parking lot was fairly crowded for a midweek morning, once on the lifts, the crowds disappeared. From the top we took what Stratton has advertised as its "challenging new Liftline trail." It's actually the same as last year's Liftline except they cut down some of the trees in the middle and made the whole run less difficult.

Like the skiers, the trails at Stratton are exceptionally well-groomed, and Liftline was no exception. The snow was carefully packed to provide a great packed-powder surface. Even on days when other mountains are icy, Stratton's trail groomers are able to scrape up a frozen granular surface.

With a steep pitch and a view that looked far to the north, Liftline is one of the best trails in Vermont. It's not too steep, but it is fun.

In addition to their extensive development at the base, Stratton has also been pouring money into improving their lifts and trails. Having installed more than three new high-speed quad lifts during the past two years, Stratton has managed to cut back considerably on their once large liftlines.

But while other Vermont mountains are scrambling to attract college students, Stratton's attitude seems ambivalent at best. There are no special college ski weeks, and there are few special events catering to the 18-to-25 set.

Okemo

Five years ago an article on Vermont's top resorts would not have included Okemo, a central Vermont mountain that has since undergone extensive reconstructive surgery.

While other areas have been happy to put their condos at the mountain base, Okemo has built several that are midway up the slope at the top of a chairlift. In the lift department, Okemo has removed the low-capacity pomas and now has three new triples and one new quad chair.

All this development has moved Okemo from the small, family mountain to the large resort category of ski areas. The nice thing about Okemo is that it hasn't lost any of its friendliness.

While Okemo does not have any special college ski weeks like some of the other places, the resort does try to attract students. The only mountain to offer a student discount, Okemo sells mid-week lift tickets for $13.50 (half of the regular $27) to anyone with a valid college ID.

Heading up one of the new summit triples, and then down "World Cup" we were a little disappointed. The night before the sno-cats had ground up the snow into golf ball-sized chunks--not the greatest surface for skiing. But the lower half of the mountain had been spared the sno-cats' wrath and was as good skiing as we would see on any mountain that day.

With all the new improvements, Okemo has definitely made it as a major mountain. Like all Vermont areas, however, it is dwarfed by its northern neighbor Killington.

Killington

Killington isn't a mountain; it's a combination six-mountain mega-area, complete with more than 100 trails and 17 lifts. But don't be fooled by its size; bigness doesn't necessarily mean greatness.