KustyTheKlown
Well-known member
i think i read that outpost is getting retired and not replaced? did i hallucinate that
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The "Sugarbush Thread"
- Thread starter thetrailboss
- Start date
Oh I imagine that its fate will be similar to Castlerock--condemned by the state lift inspector. I also think that the old Castlerock was made by the same manufacturer but I might be wrong.
KustyTheKlown
Well-known member
i dont know if ive ever actually ridden outpost. i wouldnt mind if they didnt replace it. its a short walk to get to the top of it. im all for easily accessible hike-to pods.
LuckyStrike
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It's nice to ride over the outpost terrain and pick your line. I liked the upstairs restaurant in the Pico Lodge. You scan a QR code, order online, and your food shows up at the table.
letitsnow1
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Last I heard it was getting fixed but that could have changed
Newpylong
Well-known member
Outpost is going to be fixed. There are also strong indications that its eventual replacement will be a surface lift, which makes sense considering the clientele who ride the pod and the likely very poor ROI of a new chair in that location. Honestly replacing any of the Pico lifts is a very poor ROI, which is why nothing has really been done there by any owner. They will be replaced when they can't be realistically maintained any longer, but not before then.
I rode it last time. Was short but fantastic and tons of fun to lap those trails in that pod.
Thanks. I did track down this YT policy update:
Anyway, I just use some of the live streams to get a sense of coverage elsewhere. Anyone happen to know the state of Lincoln Gap?
Hawk
Well-known member
I don't know. I skied there last weekend. It's going fast. I see warm days in the forecast. We will see. I will ask around tomorrow light at the celebration / fireworks.
Another new State of the Mountain blog post and not a single mention of the lifts at ME...
State of the Mountain 3/27/26 - SugarBlog
Welcome to the end of the March, a major transition here at Sugarbush, and one I personally look forward to every year.
blog.sugarbush.com
blogpost said:
He looks forward to ME closing every year so he doesn't have to explain the lift situation?
sull1102
Active member
Up here now, today was better than I expected once the sun started to slowly warm things. Had a rough start, pick up my 26/27 Ikon hop on Inverness and get stuck for 20 minutes. I knew about GMX, but then get to Northridge and it’s running at maybe half speed at best. Overall a rough scene, Ellen needs some love this offseason.
Jumped over to LP for the afternoons grooming team did an amazing job getting things into a rideable condition, huge props to them.
Jumped over to LP for the afternoons grooming team did an amazing job getting things into a rideable condition, huge props to them.
elfnif1016
Member
Note that this post is two weeks since the last one. That is really lame in terms of reaching out to your audience. I'll get off my soapbox for now.Another new State of the Mountain blog post and not a single mention of the lifts at ME...
State of the Mountain 3/27/26 - SugarBlog
Welcome to the end of the March, a major transition here at Sugarbush, and one I personally look forward to every year.blog.sugarbush.com
It’s like Vail with Wildcat…..Another new State of the Mountain blog post and not a single mention of the lifts at ME...
State of the Mountain 3/27/26 - SugarBlog
Welcome to the end of the March, a major transition here at Sugarbush, and one I personally look forward to every year.blog.sugarbush.com
“Wait, we own that?!”
vtski802
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I'm almost willing to bet money that when the capacitor blew on GMX they said "fuck it, we'll fix it over the summer". They were never going to express ship a part from Europe.Another new State of the Mountain blog post and not a single mention of the lifts at ME...
State of the Mountain 3/27/26 - SugarBlog
Welcome to the end of the March, a major transition here at Sugarbush, and one I personally look forward to every year.blog.sugarbush.com
I think they know...fromt he snow report this morning:
Sunday afternoon and all day Monday are shaping up to be some of the best—and possibly last—chances for some glorious spring skiing. If you’ve been itching for a deck day where you can sit in the sun after knocking out an innumerable number of chute laps, I highly recommend playing hooky on Monday and heading to the mountain.
Did end up skiing Pico today. I wish conditions were a bit better, but still nice for a change of pace. A couple notable things...amazing how much less snow depth and coverage there is down there compared to Sugarbush. A decent number of natural trails here have more snow than a number of the snowmaking trails down there. Snowfall totals are only about 30" different...but just that little bit further south really made a difference in what's left.
And for as much snow as Killington makes, they seem to make up for it by making the bare minimum on many trails at Pico (there's some trails marked as having snow-making on the map that I wonder if they even made any on unless the map is wrong). My next visit I need to make sure is mid-season when everything is open and conditions are better. Still think they have some great terrain and vibe when it is all open.
And for as much snow as Killington makes, they seem to make up for it by making the bare minimum on many trails at Pico (there's some trails marked as having snow-making on the map that I wonder if they even made any on unless the map is wrong). My next visit I need to make sure is mid-season when everything is open and conditions are better. Still think they have some great terrain and vibe when it is all open.
Yeah, I hated that they only made snow on the Forty-Niner, Upper Pike, and the Golden Express areas, and even then they made snow to open these areas and then shut down. As I have said before in here, if Pico were anywhere else but where it is located (right beside Killington) it would have made it. Ironically, because it is beside Killington, it is still alive. Such an underutilized resource.
Like other parts of Killington, they have removed a lot of lifts and tried to streamline things a bit too much. Look at the trail map from like 1990. Birch Chair, Summit Poma, Outpost, Little Pico, Gnomes Knoll were all distinct pods that really made for some interesting options. A lot of these areas are now lift-less or not open very often.
Natural trails and glades are amazing at Pico. Little Pico has some legit expert terrain. Summit Glades is an all-time favorite of mine because there are just so many options and neat knolls, paths, and nooks and crannies. Upper KA and Sunset '71 are fun old New England trails.
Yeah, I miss the place. My 2000-2001 season there was epic because it was a good snow year. My last season there--2006-2007 was much less stellar conditions-wise.
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Newpylong
Well-known member
That is untrue. They made snow on every single trail at Pico with snowmaking capabilities this year, including on Outpost which had been 20-ish years since they last used it. The only trail that they sometimes drag hoses to is Sunset 71 but they chose not to do that this year. They did drag to cover Bonanza 2 with the new carpet there.
What more can you ask for? The fact of the matter is there is little ROI to put down as much depth as their larger neighbor for a 3.5 month season thats only open part of the week.
What more can you ask for? The fact of the matter is there is little ROI to put down as much depth as their larger neighbor for a 3.5 month season thats only open part of the week.
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