Talk to me about Sugarloaf

[Joshua]

I have never been, and I am sure its worth the trip, the mountain looks great on the trail map, but is it anyone's home mountain on here? How are the glades?

 

[Skierman]

It isn't my home mountain, but I have been there before.

And basically it is worth the trip. Pretty much the best mountain ever... It was 6 hours for me, but since you live in CT, probably longer for you. We stayed in the Sugarloaf Inn. It wasn't the nicest place for the amount we paid, but it was RIGHT on the mountain, giving you ski-in, ski-out access.

I didn't ski the glades at all since I was with a snowboarder and he can't board in the trees..

Hope that helped a little.

 

[riverc0il]

I didn't ski the glades at all since I was with a snowboarder and he can't obviously.

i hate to derail this thread so quickly, but what is obvious about a snowboarder not being able to ride the trees? i don't follow, boarders can rip the trees just as well as skiers can.

back to the loaf, this is definitely on the short list of must ski mountains for the new england skier. i was not a glade skier when i was there, so i can not speak for the trees. but the mountain is solid. for the drive, i want to get over there again, but would only do so with over night accomidations and a very high probability of snow field access. hard to get affordable lodging when you fly solo though.

 

[Skierman]

i hate to derail this thread so quickly, but what is obvious about a snowboarder not being able to ride the trees? i don't follow, boarders can rip the trees just as well as skiers can.

Edited. I was trying to get him to go in some of the glades, but it was only his 2 - 3 year of snowboarding, so he was too afraid...

Back on topic:

 

[Ascend the Snow]

Just bought my all-east college plass, planning on spending more time at Sugarloaf this winter than at college I hope

 

[Briskies]

I have skied the Loaf every winter for 10+ days growing up in maine. Alot of the glades marked on the map are pretty good and tough. Can't Dog glade is great, steep with a couple of drops. Not quite comparable to Jay but, on a good snow year there are many places to just duck into the woods.

 

[kingdom-tele]

sugarloaf is one of the best, isolated and skis big, i would recommend waiting till late feb or march so you can access the upper mountain above tree line area, i would also recommend calling and getting a condo if your going with more than 4 people- there isn't a lot going on- although the bars are sufficient for me - you could make a good night of it just hanging by the fire and making dinner - the pure wood skiing is doable up there, just a little more conifer than hardwood and in my opinion tighter, the marked glades are comparable to all other gladed trail, some good ravines and good shots between trails

it will definitely keep occupied for three - five days

 

[Joshua]

How much snow is necessary to access the upper mountain? Is it ever open earlier?

 

[snoseek]

for the most part a deep base (late feb-early apr.) is required. sometimes a series of early dumps can open up the backside. also a factor is the wind. lots of snow blows right off the summit cone, so a real big dump without wind (pretty rare, but happens) and you can be in business for a while. that same notorious wind also makes for some super deep stashes just below treeline, be careful, have fun

 

[Joshua]

I am def. hitting it this year, especially with my all east pass. I will spend a few days

The other question I have is I will most likely be travelling with my GF, a very very very inexperienced skier, is there enough "easy" stuff and non-skiing stuff to keep her happy?

 

[loafer89]

There is alot of easier skiing off of the Double Runner chairs on Boardwalk, Lower Narrow Guage, Lower Winters Way and to some degree off of the Whiffletree Express chair.

Boardwalk is one of the best beginner trails around and is a shorter version of Snowshed at Killington.

 

[shwilly]

hard to get affordable lodging when you fly solo

I highly recommend the Maine Roadhouse on rt. 16 near Stratton. They have $20 bunks, $40 private rooms, internet access, and a common kitchen area. It's cheap, but not divey at all.

Other than that, the Stratton Motel and Farmington Motel are pretty cheap. The White Wolf Inn in Stratton isn't completely exorbitant.

On-mountain stuff is ridiculous except for the occasional ski-and-stay deal.

 

[ChileMass]

Great mountain, skis BIG, terrain is top-notch. Can be wicked cold if windy - late season better than Jan/Feb. Long drive, but if you're going for 3+ days it's worth it from anywhere in New England. IMHO the accommodations are few, older, sorta beat up and expensive. Maybe it was just the place we stayed. Average skier ability level may be the best in Northeast. People are wonderfully friendly. Lots of events and stuff for kids/families. One of the top 5 in the region......

 

[Greg]

Talk to you about Sugarloaf? This is all you need to know:

The place is just simply RADICAL! Truly a must-ski for any advanced Northeast skier. The vibe is just cool. The only other places I've skied with a similar vibe is MRG and Sugarbush. I've only skied the Loaf in April (during Reggae) but the terrain is just awesome. I'd love to ski there mid-season after a dump. I've only dabbled in the Kickback glades off Skidder, but they were totally skiable the first week of April 2005. Need to get back there soon...

 

[Joshua]

they say a picture is worth a thousand words, no? I counted 83 in your post...hahaha

 

[Greg]

they say a picture is worth a thousand words, no? I counted 83 in your post...hahaha

1,083 reasons to give the mighty Loaf a try! :idea:

:beer:

 

[K2Trav]

Check out www.k2trav.com for everything you would ever want to know about the Loaf.

The Glades are incredible, I would say ski every glade except for Cant dog, its usually skied off. Become friends with a local and ski some secret glades, they are incredible. The Snowfields usually dont open until End of Feb to mid march, they are usually skiable by mid january, ive skied the backside the day after christmas before, but they tend to get skied off quickly so its not worth opening until Spring. Remember the superquad is not the only lift.

 

[Joshua]

I am all about secret glades...ill try to find some locals when I go up, looks like March is the time to go unless there is some crazy dumps before then

 

[denali]

www.sugarloafsticker.com

 

[Birdman829]

I grew up in Massachusetts, but my godfather has always had a place at the loaf so i consider it my home mountain. I skied there for the first time in 1992 (I was four and it was my first time skiing) and would probably do 2 weekends a year or so up through high school.

The summer before my junior year in high school, I worked in Carrabassett Valley all summer for my godfather building his new house. That winter, I had a car and a pass and went up whenever possible and ended up getting 34 days. I did the same thing last winter but only got 29 days . This winter I plan on getting a Sun-Fri college pass and skiing there during winter and spring break.

As for terrain, its tops in the east among the places I've skied. Great grooming, some pretty steep stuff (both groomed and ungroomed) and some fun trees and above treeline stuff later in the season. The Key to hitting the loaf is, hit it in mid-March. Before that, there isn't as much natural snow most years. March is also the snowiest month so that will be your best chance at a powder day if you're planning in advance. I'll be there from the 11th to the 16th of March so if you're there then maybe we can make some turns. [/ramble]