The "Sugarbush Thread"

Stratton has yellow jacket mountain safety people at a lot of choke points and slow areas, very visible this year. Saw one at the snow bowl lift stop someone and take a pic of the guy holding his pass, sounded like you get warnings first.

I've been skiing ME for over 25 years. I don't think the issue is people skiing fast. It has always been a skier's mountain and people have generally had a very good understanding of how to manage themselves on the mountain there. Sure there are always going to be those exceptions to the rule where some knucklehead is ripping along out of control, but you could say that about any mountain.

To me the issue is that there's a new skier at ME the last year or two, especially this year. Standing in the wrong place on trails, failing to clear away from the top of lifts, standing in clusters between Walt's and the Summit chair so you have to stop and shuffle through when coming across from Rim Run, blocking access to the GMX gates, standing in front of gates on the trails (like the ones set up to control cross traffic on Mainstream), blocking passage around the ski racks by the GML. I actually saw a guy ahead of me in the lift line call out some morons who couldn't quite figure out, or just ignored, the concept of alternating in the lift line. I've stayed out of the lodges for the most part this year too. From what I've seen, the people skiing "fast" on the groomers this weekend were just trying to get past an unpredictable or erratic mob. Skiing around them is sometimes safer than trying to figure out what they're doing.

And for sure it's more crowded this year. I don't think I remember a random Sunday with no new snow that saw cars all the way down the access road and parked on both sides. Maybe a Saturday? Maybe a Sunday powder day? Mabye a vacation weekend? Yesterday might have been a picturesque rare bluebird day, but I don't think just a pretty day used to draw those kinds of numbers. And at ME, the conditions add to the impact of big crowds. When it's like it was yesterday when the bumps and woods aren't great options and Inverness isn't running or is closed completely, it concentrates everyone on Northstar-Cruiser-Which Way to get down to the base. That's just always been a fact of life at ME.

No yellow coats at SB please. I think the Sunday crowd at ME had much to do with the race and spectators. LP was pretty much empty. Not going to disagree that people ski fast on Northstar but it would be nice if the entire beginner area of ME wasn't a terrain park so they had someplace to learn besides Northstar. And yes, Ikon has brought a different type of skier than we are used to.

tumbler said:

No yellow coats at SB please. I think the Sunday crowd at ME had much to do with the race and spectators. LP was pretty much empty. Not going to disagree that people ski fast on Northstar but it would be nice if the entire beginner area of ME wasn't a terrain park so they had someplace to learn besides Northstar. And yes, Ikon has brought a different type of skier than we are used to.

Click to expand...

I was surprised to hear how many people were at ME on Sunday considering that LP wasn't really that crowded at all. If there was a race of some sort, then that makes sense.

Good point as well that ME really lacks a separate beginner area.

Is Sugarbush really making snow on Castlerock Connection? I saw this mentioned Sunday as well, but thought maybe it was just a mistake that day. Now it is back again being mentioned today.

That had a gun running from lower jester blowing down it.

tumbler said:

That had a gun running from lower jester blowing down it.

Click to expand...

Castlerock Connection runs from the bottom of Birch over to CR from the North Lynx side.

The unnamed spur running down from Lower Jester makes more sense...but that's not technically the trail they mention.

Act 250 filing for HG replacement has been submitted: https://anrweb.vt.gov/anr/act250/Details.aspx?Num=5W0768-3

It will be a loading carpet lift as largely suspected. Looks like $3.2M for the lift ($4M overall for the project) per the permit application. There will be excavating (aka "surface lowering" as the application puts it) near the top to make a wider offload area and reduce the uphill climb to Jester. Lift capacity is expected to have a slight increase from 1,468 passengers/hour to 1,814 passengers/hour. Alignment itself remains the same from what I can tell.

cdskier said:

Castlerock Connection runs from the bottom of Birch over to CR from the North Lynx side.

The unnamed spur running down from Lower Jester makes more sense...but that's not technically the trail they mention.

Click to expand...

We have done this in the past attempting to keep CR open as l long as possible. (Tree Skier will be happy). With the additional snowmaking on Steins, Snowball, Spring Fling and Downspout, it looks like the Sugarbush team is setting us up for a good Spring.

thetrailboss said:

Yeah, well, maybe it is time for SB to enforce them. Out here ski areas do post ski patrol/mountain hosts at problematic places at problematic times to help enforce speed and control.

Has anyone here spoken to ski patro

Click to expand...

cdskier said:

Act 250 filing for HG replacement has been submitted: https://anrweb.vt.gov/anr/act250/Details.aspx?Num=5W0768-3

It will be a loading carpet lift as largely suspected. Looks like $3.2M for the lift ($4M overall for the project) per the permit application. There will be excavating (aka "surface lowering" as the application puts it) near the top to make a wider offload area and reduce the uphill climb to Jester. Lift capacity is expected to have a slight increase from 1,468 passengers/hour to 1,814 passengers/hour. Alignment itself remains the same from what I can tell.

Click to expand...

There are some designated wetlands near the bottom terminal so that will likely determine where the new one can go. As I mentioned earlier they are hopefully the design will allow for a lower profile (near to the ground) so less exposure to the NW winds. Heavier chairs and slats like on the Bravo chair can help with wind too.

WinS said:

There are some designated wetlands near the bottom terminal so that will likely determine where the new one can go. As I mentioned earlier they are hopefully the design will allow for a lower profile (near to the ground) so less exposure to the NW winds. Heavier chairs and slats like on the Bravo chair can help with wind too.

Click to expand...

On the slat topic...I don't think I ever saw this mentioned, but I noticed that the rest of the chairs on bravo this year now have slats as well.

Debating making the trip up this weekend, but in an effort to accommodate my wife's wishes, I'd like to be home on Sunday a bit earlier than normal so we can go to a friends for the game. Thus, thinking of skiing SB on Saturday and heading down towards Stratton for Saturday night. Ski Stratton on Sunday and have a shorter ride home which still gives me a decent amount of time on the slopes at Stratton on Sunday. Anyone know of a reasonable (clean and moderately priced) hotel room in the Stratton area? Also, would be looking for a decent place to eat on Saturday night. Thanks in advance for the help.

In and outside of Burlington, I have all the chain options available like Marriott, Hilton, Hampton, etc. Not seeing something like that near Stratton.

mikec142 said:

Debating making the trip up this weekend, but in an effort to accommodate my wife's wishes, I'd like to be home on Sunday a bit earlier than normal so we can go to a friends for the game. Thus, thinking of skiing SB on Saturday and heading down towards Stratton for Saturday night. Ski Stratton on Sunday and have a shorter ride home which still gives me a decent amount of time on the slopes at Stratton on Sunday. Anyone know of a reasonable (clean and moderately priced) hotel room in the Stratton area? Also, would be looking for a decent place to eat on Saturday night. Thanks in advance for the help.

In and outside of Burlington, I have all the chain options available like Marriott, Hilton, Hampton, etc. Not seeing something like that near Stratton.

Click to expand...

What about in Manchester, VT?

mikec142 said:

Debating making the trip up this weekend, but in an effort to accommodate my wife's wishes, I'd like to be home on Sunday a bit earlier than normal so we can go to a friends for the game. Thus, thinking of skiing SB on Saturday and heading down towards Stratton for Saturday night. Ski Stratton on Sunday and have a shorter ride home which still gives me a decent amount of time on the slopes at Stratton on Sunday. Anyone know of a reasonable (clean and moderately priced) hotel room in the Stratton area? Also, would be looking for a decent place to eat on Saturday night. Thanks in advance for the help.

In and outside of Burlington, I have all the chain options available like Marriott, Hilton, Hampton, etc. Not seeing something like that near Stratton.

Click to expand...

reluctant panther for dinner in Manchester. There is a hampton inn in manchester but don't know your budget.

Whoa...the Hampton Inn in Manchester is almost $400/night. Lol. I was thinking more sub $200 with a preference for lower.

Rutland is nice this time of year.

mikec142 said:

Whoa...the Hampton Inn in Manchester is almost $400/night. Lol. I was thinking more sub $200 with a preference for lower.

Click to expand...

Gotta love dynamic pricing!

It's everywhere... I mean Saturday night in peak ski season, during presidents day weekend, only a few days out, that seems on point. I don't think there are any other "chain" hotels in Manchester.

Courtyard marriot lebanon is 161 saturday night. easy drive from bush prob 1:15 to stratton park at sunbowl for 830 start

tumbler said:

No yellow coats at SB please. I think the Sunday crowd at ME had much to do with the race and spectators. LP was pretty much empty. Not going to disagree that people ski fast on Northstar but it would be nice if the entire beginner area of ME wasn't a terrain park so they had someplace to learn besides Northstar. And yes, Ikon has brought a different type of skier than we are used to.

Click to expand...

Agreed on all points. The race on Inverness was a U10 race, with kids from all clubs north of Sugarbush/GMVS. Figure they need a ride with Mom and Dad, 200 kids in the race makes for a bunch of additional cars.

But, it was about as nice a day as you can get at ME.

And I agree: Ikon has brought in a different kinds of snow enthusiast to the hill, and not in a good way. I have skied here for nearly 40 years and I have never felt as nervous about skiing on a weekend as I do now. Crowd, speed, lack of courtesy....yes, I am getting old and showing it, but overall the clientele needs to get it together as far as safety and consideration, but so is life today.