AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge: Mount Sunapee

[Greg]

Sue Liston from Mount Sunapee also agreed to take the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge! This is your chance to get official answers to your ski-related questions direct from a Northeast ski resort representative! Please post some suggested questions in this thread and I'll select ten to present for official responses.

As always, please be respectful of Sue and keep it civil. Also, please refrain from asking specifics about skier visit numbers, financials, demographic information, etc. Sunapee needs to be discrete about certain information.

Ask away!

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Sue -

Thanks for taking our questions. Can you provide some details on the proposed expansion to the west flank of Mt. Sunapee in terms of vertical, trails (number and types), lifts, lodges, etc...?

Also, are there any plans (if only long-term) for further terrain expansion elsewhere on the mountain? Say, the east side of the Sun Bowl beyond or around Williamson?

Finally, any chance of a simple people mover between the two lodges down at the base?

 

[ChileMass]

Sue -

First off, I think the new owners have done an outstanding job updating Sunapee in the last few years, and it's now the most underrated mountain in New England (let's keep it our secret, OK?).

That said, even the big new lodge can't come close to handling the lunch crowd on almost any weekend, especially during the holidays. Any plans to expand further? Or should I just avoid the new lodge and go down to the old lodge exclusively?

Snowmaking has also been improved, but it seems like a lot of trails still need to get hooked up. What's the plan to expand snowmaking, especially on the lower half of the mountain?

 

[Zand]

Hey, I have a few questions.

First, are there any plans to put in a faster sunbowl lift? The Sunbowl serves some of the best terrain and sometimes it's a pain taking the near 10 minutes ride back out.

Also, I noticed a small wooden wall at the top of Blast Off last year. It left a narrow opening to get onto the trail, making the first quarter of the headwall very icy. What is the reason for this wall? (It may be gone by now, this was in December.)

Lastly, how is the new Double Dare Ya trail in comparison to the first Dare Ya? I don't believe double was open last year and I was just wondering if it is alike.

 

[Greg]

Ten questions sent. Thanks for the great suggestions!

 

[Greg]

Sue's responses are in:

http://skiing.alpinezone.com/articles/challenge/response.htm?resort=sunapee