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February 2024 by J D.
We took a moonlight snowshoe hike late in February. We were lucky and it was only my wife, myself, and our guide, Mel. The night was incredible educaitonal about Stowe and snowshoeing, and he was great guide. He also discussed the opportunities for skiing,hiking, and kayaking with great enthusiasm. Because there were just the two of us, we were able to experience more of the paths and the area. This allowed Mel to tailor the hike to our interests and help us when we had (minor) difficulties with the snowshoes themselves. (We had never done this before.) The time in the sugarhouse was relaxing, with warm cider and great Cabot cheese and mustards. (I thought their connections to other businesses in the are was fascinating.) The stars were clearer than I've seen in quite a while and we finished the evening feeling refreshed though we really take a long hike. Well worth it and a highlight of this visit to Stowe.
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October 2023 by G H
A must do activity when visiting the Stowe area. Such a peaceful kayak ride and they deliver the kayaks right to the water and help you get in. It’s a little pricy but worth it if you have a busy day planned and just want to enjoy the kayaking without the hassle of renting one for the whole day. Lots of mosquitos near where you lock up the kayaks when you’re done so beware. The staff at Umiak were very friendly and helpful! I would email/call them about exact times and reservations.
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October 2023 by Karen M.
We opted to not bring our own kayak on our recent road trip and rent instead. Umiak provided us with a great 2 person car top rental. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The launch for Waterbury reservoir was about 10 minutes away and we were soon on the water. The colors were stunning, it was so peaceful. very easy to pickup and return! Would not hesitate to rent from Umiak again if we are in the area. Thank you!
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October 2023 by Norma Jean
Mel was a good instructor! He was patient with me and I learned a lot about kayaking. I was nervous at first but now I'm really comfortable doing it and I had fun!
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September 2023 by Jonathon S.
I was coming off the long trail NOBO and in need of new boots before the next section over camels hump and Mansfield. Steve dropped off new boots for me in waitsfield-such a kind gesture that I'm super grateful for.
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August 2023 by Ben
I bought my last kayak there, the price was great communication by email was excellent before I went to pick it. I got back home after an 3:30 hour drive and I noticed that there were missing parts, so I tried to contact (twice) the same person by email and he never replied !
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August 2023 by Cora Redmond
Fun trip! We floated on a tubing trip. The whole family had a great time. The company was very accommodating for our schedule.
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August 2023 by Stacey Long
We came to Vermont shortly after they had experienced flooding in July 2023. Umiak had trouble getting permission from the state to run their river tours because of the river status being unsafe/flooded, but they were so incredibly on top of reaching out to us to keep us in the loop and to reschedule us from a river tour to a reservoir paddle, which suited us just fine! I was grateful that they didn't just cancel on us when things got tough to reschedule, and in the end, we had a really good time taking my daughter out on her first kayak trip.
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August 2023 by Tatiana Santa Lucia
My husband and took an Intro to Canoeing session at the Waterbury Reservoir. It was my very first time canoeing. We really enjoyed ourselves and look forward to doing it again one day. Carlo was our instructor. He was fantastic, very knowledgeable and patient. Thank you!
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June 2023 by Jessica Weber
Thanks for the sweet yaks and all the help getting them loaded!Amazing that we got to try the kayaks on the onsite pond before buying. Really helped.
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April 2023 by Michelle Jimmo
Amazing staff, helpful and knowledgeable. About a 45 min drive but worth the effort. They added accessories to my Kayak. A drain hole and a way to better secure it.
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April 2023 by RSand2003
We rented XC skis from here. The staff was friendly, very knowledgeable and helpful. I would recommend them for any outdoor retail or rental needs.
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March 2023 by Laurie92
We had a wonderful experience on our snowshoe tour with Kenrick. He was a wonderful guide and made a nervous first time snow shoer feel completely at ease. He catered the tour completely to us letting us set the pace along the way and encouraging us to stop, enjoy nature and take pictures . The staff at Umiak was so helpful answering any questions we had ahead of time. At the end of the tour I left with a new activity I now want to explore further.
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March 2023 by Aaron Patton
Amazing alpine touring guided experience. Staff and guides at Umiak Stowe have been great across 2 visits. It was my first AT - skinning uphill and back-country downhill. If you're looking for a place to learn, or to see if this is something you'd like, this is a great place for it. I'd recommend a private tour, or a group at a similar level. That's because the guide can customize the challenge-level, and you'll likely learn faster, or get to the downhill types you like the best. Not to say a group wouldn't work too, just do it regardless. Experienced back-country enthusiasts would likely love this too - it was obvious there was more challenging terrain, and the guide had plenty of options-ready to make a day efficient and fun, and was himself passionate and skilled in AT. I was on a private because I was a last minute sign-up without knowing better, and in retrospect I am glad that was the option. And plenty of good conversation and tips throughout - uphill modes, equipment transitions, jump turns, and even a movie I hadn't heard of. I got lucky with the weather, powder the night before, and snow during the tour - and there was a well established base. Other FAQs/tips for people thinking about it (some of these are in the confirmation email, but I know some people like to hear it first hand): Includes skis, skins, boots, poles, transport. Not included and per your preference is backpack, food/lunch, and ski clothing items like helmet, goggles, and flexible layers. I had 1 insulated and 1 non-insulated bottle - the non-insulated started to freeze. Website worked well for booking and with a quick confirmation. I experienced some oddities with their email address, but it was easy enough to call the shop instead. One of my favorite quotes from the day: "Do you like hiking... skiing... views... quiet... and a good workout?...Then alpine touring will be perfect. This is all five."
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March 2023 by Mel M.
We went dog sledding and it was great! We were nervous of the early evening timing, but because of day light savings, it was beautiful. It's about 25 minutes on the sled (for some reason I thought it would be longer) which in the end with my child was fine. It's a pretty open area so there are not trees etc... and my son loved it. It's not the cheapest, but was definitely a memorable experience for the family and would recommend highly!
