The future is bright. Big changes are happening at Sugarloaf on and off the mountain. Vastly expanded terrain, new lifts, village improvements, new summer offerings, and more. This is our roadmap for the future. We call it Sugarloaf 2020, and it’s happening now.
Sugarloaf 2020 has already made Sugarloaf the largest ski area in the East, upgraded lifts and facilities, and improved snowmaking. Here’s what’s coming next.
COMPLETED: Over the last two years more than 300 acres of new terrain has opened in the Brackett Basin and Burnt Mountain areas, officially making Sugarloaf the largest ski area east of the Rocky Mountains. The new Brackett Basin area opened during the winter of 2011 with 270 acres of the rowdiest and most easily accessible sidecountry skiing on the East Coast. Last year we opened an additional 135 acres, including the first portions of Phase 2.
WHAT’S NEXT: This summer our glade crew will continue to expand Phase 2 terrain further into the Burnt Mountain Wilderness. Over the coming years Phase 2 will be completed, and glade crews will work their way over to the north face of Burnt Mountain to open an additional 250 acres in Phase III.
COMPLETED: The past few years have seen upgrades to facilities around the mountain, including interior and exterior Base Lodge renovations, a new Beach, an improved Hotel arrival, the new Sugarloaf Sugar Shack, and updated lift buildings.
WHAT’S NEXT: Get ready for a revitalized Loaf. New Base Lodge bathrooms, a renovated and expanded Sugarloaf Ski Shop, an expanded Bullwinkle’s deck, technological improvements to let you accumulate and redeem Boyne Rewards points more easily, plus new restaurant offerings and menu items as Sugarloaf takes over management of resort food services.
COMPLETED: Working toward the ultimate goal of doubling snowmaking capacity while halving energy consumption, more than 150 new low-energy snowguns have been added, all water pumps have been replaced with newer, more efficient models, all air compressors have been rebuilt, and a mid-mountain pumphouse added to increase summit capacity.
WHAT’S NEXT: This summer, roughly $1 million will be spent on 300 new, state-of-the-art low-energy snow guns. Other resorts in the Boyne family have both had enormous success with similar model snowguns in the past, increasing overall output by 25% or more.
We are also continuing to work with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to establish a new water source on Caribou Pond in the coming years.
COMPLETED: The history of collaboration between the Town of Carrabassett Valley and Sugarloaf runs deep. Together, we’ve worked to build and operate the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center and Sugarloaf Golf Club.
WHAT’S NEXT: This mutually beneficial relationship continues in 2012, with a new $1.7 million irrigation for the Sugarloaf Golf Club to ensure that the club maintains its standing as the premier golf course in Maine
COMPLETED: Our partnership with CVA and the Ski Club have been crucial to maintaining Sugarloaf’s pedigree as the East’s premier mountain for alpine competition, with projects from the SuperPipe to the Jean-Luce Timing Building to the new freestyle air bag.
WHAT’S NEXT: Through this partnership, plans are in the works to break ground on a new Competition Center, which will be home-base for all alpine competitions and serve as meeting space for summer conferences.
COMPLETED: In December of 2011 the new Skyline lift, a high-speed, fixed
grip quad featuring a state-of-the-art conveyor loading system was installed
at a cost of roughly $3 million to replace the Spillway East and West double
chairs.
Wind mitigation improvements including wind fencing and new sheave trains
have also been made to several lifts.
WHAT’S NEXT: Additional lift replacements will be a key part of the Sugarloaf 2020 plan, and several options are currently being evaluated, including replacement of the King Pine quad with a high-speed detachable, replacement of the Double Runner chairs with a fixed-grip quad, a summit t-bar, and replacement of the Timberline quad.
That’s the question Sugarloaf managers have asked themselves for generations. Something special took hold when Amos Winter cut that first trail, and more than 60 years later it hasn’t let go.
Boyne Resorts and CNL recognized this when they came together to purchase Sugarloaf in 2007. They saw the greatest skier’s mountain in the east, in need of a little TLC.
Sugarloaf 2020 is TLC on steroids. As we move forward with the plans it will be with a goal to amplify the physical pieces that make the mountain a great place to ski while nurturing the spirit that makes it Sugarloaf.
We think it’s just what Amos would do.