Beginner skiers - which is better?

What about nightlife?

I have never skied either of the two, but the nightlife in Killington wins hands down.

Killington is enormous, so I would say that it probably has more skiable terrain for beginners. Also, Killington has a much better nightlife and more varied accomodations than Stowe.

However, if I were to pick one of the two I would go to Stowe. Stowe is a much nicer town (Killington really doesn't have much of a "town" to it, just a series of condo developments and apres ski bars, etc). Also, I think the mountain at Stowe (Mt. Mansfield) is much nicer and a less hectic place than Killington, which attracts a lot of day-trippers and tour buses.

Skiing Killington mid-week is great (crowds and lines are minimal), but weekends can be AWFUL, especially around mid-February when many northeastern schools have vacation week (family vacations). One mid-Feb Saturday I waited in a liftline at Killington for 2.5 HOURS!!! It was the lift closest to the main parking lot and from where we parked, you could not get anywhere up the mountain without first going on this lift. Never again on a weekend!!!!!

We haven't skied Stowe, but we love Killington. It is big, lots of trail choices, gondolas as well as chair lifts, lots of restaurant and lodging choices as well. There are enough trails that even during the busy school vacations, it doesn't ice up by mid day.

stowe is better for skiing and cuter - Killington has better nightlife. Killington is also more crowded - goes with the nightlife. Liam described things fairly well

An afterthought - Stowe is also home to the real Von Trapp family (as in "The Sound of Music") who came to Stowe after leaving Austria during WW2. They run a lodge/hotel there with extensive cross-country ski trails. It is a beautiful setting overlooking the valley.

I don't mean to confuse your decision, but one point in Killington's favor - there is a free (I believe it's free, at least it used to be) shuttle bus which runs from the major condos areas to the base of the mountain and back during the day and then from the condos to the nightspots after dark. Pretty convenient, no car required.