Company Press Release: Topnotch Resort and Spa
December 10, 1999
STOWE, VT -- Snowshoeing is for the young and old, athletic and non-athletic alike. It's the winter sport for everyone.
So, don't hibernate. Head up to Stowe, where guests at such resorts as Topnotch can step out the door and be on
their way to discover why snowshoeing is the fastest growing winter sport. (Call Topnotch Resort and Spa at 800-451-8686,
or visit the web site at http://www.topnotch-resort.com/spa.)
``If you can walk, you can snowshoe,'' says Reggie Cooper, Topnotch's General Manager. ``An all-at-the-same-pace
activity for couples and families, snowshoeing is a low-impact, aerobic way to enjoy the outdoors. Those seeking
some peace and quiet can enjoy nature at their own speed.'' Studies have shown that snowshoeing can burn up to
1,000 calories an hour.
Gone are the old leather snowshoes that hung in the garage. The new high-tech aluminum ones are lightweight and
portable, durable and maintenance free. According to Tubbs Snowshoe Company, a Stowe-based manufacturer of snowshoes,
the number of snowshoeing enthusiasts has jumped from 440,000 in 1994 to 1.2 million people this year.
``We've seen a 25 percent increase in snowshoeing among our guests each year lately,'' says Cooper. ``Our guests
like the fact they can step out the back door and be off and running.''
Group or private treks are led by the resort's fitness professionals through 15 miles of hidden backroads and the
untarnished countryside of the Green Mountains at the foot of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. Starting
at the Nordic Barn, listed in the National Registry of History Buildings, snowshoers hike 1,300 feet to a wooded
location where a bonfire awaits. There they can sip hot chocolate and rest before crossing the Catamount Trail
that runs the full length of the state.
Topnotch provides lessons, tours, rentals and sales, along with Outdoor Adventure Packages that include deluxe
lodging, access to all trails, the Spa and Fitness Center and a daily breakfast, with rates starting at $116 (per
person, per night, double occupancy based on a two-night midweek stay).
Apres Snowshoeing
After snowshoeing, there's nothing like a massage to soothe tired muscles. At Topnotch, guests can sample 105 personal
rejuvenation treatments, many featuring a custom-blend of Vermont wildflowers. The resort's 23,000-square-foot,
state-of-the-art spa and fitness center features whirlpools, sauna and steam rooms, a Solarium with a 60-foot heated
pool, and a 15-foot hydromassage waterfall.
Topnotch's spa was just ranked the #7 in the country by Conde Nast Traveler. The resort is a member of Preferred
Hotels and Resorts.
SOURCE: Topnotch Resort and Spa