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Radical places to ride Sugarloaf on a powder day

wshaw

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So I'm going up to Sugarloaf this January with a bunch of friends and none of us have ever been there. Naturally we're praying for snow every day, so if anyone can give me some ol'e tips on where to ride on a powder day that would be greaaaaat. We thoroughly enjoy the trees, and the more pillows, cliffs, and natural thangz to jump off of the better. I CANT WAIT.


rad_6.jpg
Ideally, we'd like to be as stoked as these guys. Except on snowboards.

Cheers
 

Tin

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Oct 14, 2009
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ZooMass Slamherst
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ss20

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Jan 13, 2013
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A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
If you're looking for on the map, you might come across a kind sole on here that will help you out. If you''re looking for off the map, good luck. Pray someone sends you a PM because no one's gonna discuss any off-map stuff on a public ski forum.

And those pictures of "stoke" are... ugh.
 

janski

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Mar 7, 2010
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Nantucket MA
So I'm going up to Sugarloaf this January with a bunch of friends and none of us have ever been there. Naturally we're praying for snow every day, so if anyone can give me some ol'e tips on where to ride on a powder day that would be greaaaaat. We thoroughly enjoy the trees, and the more pillows, cliffs, and natural thangz to jump off of the better. I CANT WAIT.


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Ideally, we'd like to be as stoked as these guys. Except on snowboards.

Cheers
try anything skiers right of king pine lift
 

wshaw

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How is the hike from the king pine chair lift to the top of Burnt Mountain?
 

bigbog

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Bangor and the state's woodlands
wshaw...need to stick to the meds;-) a king pine hike to Burnt and back = hours(I'd guess);-).
Brackett, if I'm not mistaken, is open.. I've been absent a lot in the past decade, but on the west end...King's Landing is a nice trail to hit.
Agree on east of janski on skier's right off King Pine. Ripsaw can be a terrific time...(by memory 4+yrs;-)).
Think they often leave portion of Competition Hill ungroomed on a pow day..but just about anything mid-mountain has enough cover now.
Agree with MMW....and I don't know what%
 
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C-Rex

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Enfield, CT
Bracket is generally where it's at when the snow is good. Be carefull down near the bottom though, it flattens out in spots and you can definitely get stuck on a board. I busted out the collapsable poles after the first time I got stuck and they really helped. There's also some great stuff between trails on the other side of the mountain too. Binder is a great trail. Look for the little entrances on the sides near the start of lower Binder. They lead to some drops that dump you back onto the trail. it has lots of little side hits and cool contours.
 

skiMEbike

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As MMW stated....There's really not any more "secrets" at Sugarloaf with most everything in bounds & on the map....That being said, I consider myself a regular & there are still some spots that I've yet to ski due to the amount of snow required to ski some spots or just don't have the desire (i.e. due to time/energy requirements- like Burnt Mtn, far out reaches of Bracket)...Here are some suggestions/advice for skiing the mountain & spots to seek out:
- Next trip plan for March...Most of the gnarly stuff requires lots of snow which is not typically in play in January, but you never know,
- Stay away from Superquad...That's where the masses ski (& even if it's not busy...run out below skyline chair will put you to sleep),
- Same for Wiffletree lift...However a nice beginner area/pod
- King Pine, Skyline, & Timberline (to access the top) chairs are your main choices for expert terrain....King Pine being the least busy with access to a nice pod of expert trails & Brackett Basin. King Pine can be nice for early morning sun, and typically its the last area to be groomed (which is typically 2-3 trails).
-Do hit up Bubblecuffer & Winter's Way....IMO some of the best classic New England steep bump runs...always au natural & never groomed,
-Do one top to bottom Tote Road run (non-stop if you can),
-Tight low angle glades Toke Road (skier's left on Binder) & Pipecleaner (skier's left off Timberline)...Sorry do not know the "real" names, & neither to the locals. Being boarders, beware of the long traverse @ end of Pipecleaner.
-If the backside is open, do it....One of the steeper sections on the mountain with a nice above treeline low angle approach before it feels like you drop off the face of the earth.
-Don't underestimate the front side snowfields (skier's right of Gondi Line)....Just as steep as the backside without all the hype. In addition the front side extentions can get some of the blowover snow from the snowmaking on Nitro & Gondi,
-There are steep glades between all trails from Winter's Way to skier's right all the way to King Pine chair,
-One of my favorite glades is between Skidder & Hayburner longer than some of the ones off the face & has some steepness,
-Brackett is huge....I've generally never ventured to far from Ripsaw & never gone below the King Pine chair, so not much intel on the far raches of Brackett...There's generally two "steep" sections (1 near the top of the glade & 1 one just above Bottom of King Pine chair) that runs acrosss Brackett....These two sections will provide the best opportunities to huck some air in Brackett. Below king pine chair is really flat (& could result in multiple chairs to get back with possibly some hiking).
-Some of the gnarliest stuff (which I have no first hand experience) is the latest stuff they added to the map on the backside: Ball & Chain, Adrenaline, Hell's Gate, etc.
-Don't look for any signs for the on map glades there are maybe 1 or two that I can think of,
-Obey the resort boundary markers....There's some really steep areas that dump you literally in the middle of no where and you truly may not survive or be found for days,
- Feel free to check in at the patrol shack at the top of Skyline for advice from patrol on where to find things,
- Be prepared for cold & wind...Some of my coldest days @ Sugarloaf not surprisingly are in January,
- Be sure to hit up Bullwinkles...Great mid mountain lodge.
 
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