Ski Ranch

(This post has been updated from its original version).

Here's a ski house with a unique twist...it's also a luxury retreat, a horse farm, even a yoga retreat...and much more!  The Ski House of the Day is the Mt. Mansfield Ranch in Stowe, Vermont.

The ranch consists of a huge house, plus a few barns, all located just a quarter mile from the base of Stowe's ski trails! Skiing at Stowe is pretty easy with the shuttle stop right in front of the house.

This "ski house" has ten bedrooms, and five bathrooms:

It also has a sweet outdoor hot tub with a view of the mountains:

... plus an indoor cedar sauna (for eight!).  Perfect for apres-ski.

With a Vermont farm-country vibe, the property and its multiple barns are filled with authentic Vermont antiques, horse-drawn carriages, antique farm tractors, (plus ski decor as well as horse decor) and more.

And, of course, there are the beautiful horses...

Whether it's in a saddle or on skis (or both)...it looks like there are happy trails to be had all around this ski house.

And...on top of everything else...the Mt Mansfield Ranch is also a Yoga Retreat ?  Wow!

(How perfect a location for Mountain Pose is this?

 Where better to connect with nature than in these beautiful mountains, in the snow, with the beautiful animals, and the natural surroundings of Stowe!

I love the multiple personalities of this place.  It's a ski house, a luxury retreat, a horse farm, and a yoga retreat all rolled up into one grand place.  But the most impressive twist of all about this ranch seems to be the owner himself...who has earned a reputation as none other than...the "Stowe Cowboy":

It seems he's as multi-faceted as his ranch...not only is he a ranch owner with a varied and interesting background, and is the "Stowe Cowboy", but he is also a generous philanthropist, with numerous very worthy projects.  And it seems that this multi-functional ranch serves as a vehicle for his philanthropy...which makes this particular house so much more than the fascinating ski house that it is.  Giving back to the community, it seems, is as much a part of this ranch as are the house, barns, and horses.  And that's worth meditating about...and maybe even setting our own intentions toward.

At the end of most yoga practices, Namaste is the customary greeting.  I have come to understand it to mean, "I see the good in you."  So I'll conclude my thoughts about this ski house with:    Namaste, Stowe Cowboy, Namaste!