Lincoln Peak vs. Mount Ellen

[deadheadskier]

It's really a draw for me. As much as I love Castlerock and other parts of South, I love the laid back feel of North, the lift set up and runs such as Hammerhead, Black Diamond, Exterminator and the various trees off of it. I've probably skied the bush 20 or so times and I would say 10 were exclusively at North, 8 at South and 2 in between the two.

Two nods I will definitely give to North is the snow conditions and bumps for sure. If it's a day where conditions are less than ideal, I generally choose North.

 

[thetrailboss]

More love for Mount Ellen....or the old Glen Ellen...

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Haha... I took that second picture on December 28, 2005. Made the back of the Valley Reporter for the Sugarbush Photo Contest.

Check out www.sugarbushhistory.com for some truly classic Glen Ellen photos and maps. I haven't updated the site in a while, but there's still quite a lot of quality info to be soaked up.

 

[madskier6]

Lincoln Peak is my favorite and the place to go when conditions are good. But Mt. Ellen kicks ass as well. There are so many great runs at North. Exterminator, Tumbler, Hammerhead, Lower FIS, Bravo. Black Diamond is, for me, the toughest run at North and rivals the toughest at South: Rumble et. al. It's also one of my favorites. :smile:

South presents the best package for me overall, however. Castlerock & Heaven's Gate are the best. LP also provides more options when I'm skiing with my family so we tend to head there first.

On the bump formation issues, I don't do zipperline so I don't need bumps like that & I prefer the uneven, natural-forming bumps because that's what I'm skiing 90% of the time. The more challenging trails weed out some of the "gapers" so that the bumps on Paradise, Liftline, & Rumble are better than the bumps on Ripcord for example.

 

[Lostone]

It'll be mid week, so I'll have to figure out where to park.

Ok... What you do is park at South, ski there, sampling the trails in the morning. (No way you'll hit them all!) Then you have a lunch in the Gatehouse. (Very good food! ;-)) After lunch, take a few warm-up runs, then head into the Slidebrook area. When you come out, go north a touch and catch the bus to North. Ski there for the rest of the afternoon, taking the shuttle back to South, at the end of the day..

You'll need a prior day at South, to get the feel of the place, and find someone to show you Slidebrook, but if you do this, you'll have a 3rd day. And a fourth. And...

Oh yeah... My vote is definitely South! Much better diversity of trails. Not a zipper line skier. (Boy is that putting that mildly! )More of a buffet skier. I like a little of everything.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Oh yeah... My vote is definitely South! Much better diversity of trails. Not a zipper line skier. (Boy is that putting that mildly! )More of a buffet skier. I like a little of everything

Hmmm... I disagree, Lostone. I think the variety is equal. But the quantity is greater at LP. ME provides everything from nice flat beginner corduroy to wide open cruisers to rocky steeps to solid bump lines to wild trees. Under the umbrella of "variety," what do you have at LP that you don't have at ME? Again, we're talking variety, not quantity.

 

[theshaggydawg]

I've only skied at Sugarbush once but I liked Mount Ellen better becuse it had a better trail layout and more variety it seemed.

 

[CapeSkier]

One look at the view from the Rim, and the decision is made.