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Saddleback voted "Best Family Resort" in Northeast by OnTheSnow
- Thread starter Nick
- Start date
xwhaler
Active member
Seems to make sense to me....awesome leraning area with a dedicated trail pod for beginners below the lodge. Top notch ski school, plenty of terrain for all members of the family to enjoy, lots of natural snow, great lodge/on mtn condos. Nice value propostition for ski/stay vacations.
The one thing I would say though is I dont think of Saddleback really as a 'resort' yet. The only on mtn restaurant is the bar in the lodge, there's virtually no activites on mtn besides skiing. When I think family resort I envision a place where the entire family can go for a week vacation, park the car when they arrive and not get it again until they leave. Smuggs, Jay, even Sugarloaf have more village type base areas that would have more variety (sports/fitness club) for families off the slopes.
I say that as one of Saddleback's biggest fans but I'm not sure they really can be categorized as 'family resort' yet.
The one thing I would say though is I dont think of Saddleback really as a 'resort' yet. The only on mtn restaurant is the bar in the lodge, there's virtually no activites on mtn besides skiing. When I think family resort I envision a place where the entire family can go for a week vacation, park the car when they arrive and not get it again until they leave. Smuggs, Jay, even Sugarloaf have more village type base areas that would have more variety (sports/fitness club) for families off the slopes.
I say that as one of Saddleback's biggest fans but I'm not sure they really can be categorized as 'family resort' yet.
dlague
Active member
I would have to agree! Maybe they mean family since you probably have to play board games together after skiing - no other place for the kids to escape to!
Huck_It_Baby
Active member
I've never really looked at Saddleback very closely until just tonight. I'm pressed with the stats!
Base is over 2,400 with 2,000 vertical...even if that is stretching their vert a bit. Pretty decent.
Not a crazy amount of snowfall but enough for some good powder days.
Base is over 2,400 with 2,000 vertical...even if that is stretching their vert a bit. Pretty decent.
Not a crazy amount of snowfall but enough for some good powder days.
steamboat1
New member
It's a pretty impressive mountain. If you get a chance you should check it out. Both the Loaf & Saddleback sit on the edge of U.S. civilization.
Huck_It_Baby
Active member
Yep. Might be a good season for me to explore Maine a bit further.
Cornhead
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Hoping to ski there the Friday before the AZ Summit. I've only been once, two years ago, the Friday before the AZ Summit, coincidently. Only the Rangeley chair was spinning. I hear the upper mountain is pretty sweet when there's snow. Hopefully I'll find out. I tried to ski there last year, the day after the Summit, never opened, wind.
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Edd
Well-known member
I posted about this last year but their base is the highest I can find in the northeast. Their snow quality is excellent when you're expecting much less. Saddleback is a treat for intermediates and experts because the terrain is so cleanly divided. It's a gem.
xwhaler
Active member
This....they do a great job grooming and snowmaking---while not as quick to expand terrain early season as SL what they have open is always in great shape. Once they get the Kennebago quad on line that gives advanced/experts their own terrain pod for the day. No real reason to go back down to the base until you are done for the day.
Some of the best tree skiing in New England can be found at Saddleback.
dlague
Active member
The only issue is the drive! It is way the hell out there like Sugarloaf! The roads can be pretty entertaining for sure! Rangely double sucks if it gets cold!
Well said....Until there is a hotel/mini village it's really not a "resort". A change in ownership should fix that. Expanding the lifts and terrain has to be there next big step aside from the hotel. Although Saddleback's terrain is naturally segmented into the 3 ability levels, it lacks the singature lift that provides bigger vertical runs. The 2k vertical is legit...espeically with a lift that capitalizes on that. They have an opportunity to increase vertical a bit more as they expand to the east as well.
Also, don't be fooled by the snow totals (compared to Northern Vermont). Saddleback gets noticably more snow than any other Maine mountain...Becasue of it's geogrpahic orientation it's less prone to thaw/freeze cycles too. It skis more like a Stowe or Jay especially in the trees because there's less skiers on it. Plus it sticks around as long as anywhere in the East
C-Rex
New member
How long of a drive is Saddleback from the Loaf? I might have to try for a day during my March trip...
Smellytele
Well-known member
less than an hour and well worth it
timm
New member
About an hour. Long hour though. Worth it if you've got time.
steamboat1
New member
Actually most of the time when I go to Maine I stay in Rangeley. It's only about 15 minutes to drive up to Saddleback from town & about 40 minutes over to Sugarloaf. I've stayed at Sugarloaf to but actually find there's more to do in Rangeley after skiing than at Sugarloaf.
edit: If there's a powder dump making the drive over to Sugarloaf difficult being stuck at Saddleback is not a bad place to be.
edit: If there's a powder dump making the drive over to Sugarloaf difficult being stuck at Saddleback is not a bad place to be.
Last edited:
Cornhead
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Yeah, I think it's only 30 miles or so between them, as was said, they're both in the friggin middle of nowhere! Me, and a few others are planning on skiing Saddleback on Friday, Summit Eve! You can get a $30 lift ticket by joining the Mountain Sports Club, you'll get Jay BOGO's too, and Magic early season BOGO's.
dlague
Active member
A long hour?
As opposed to a short hour :lol:
Feels like a long hour since you cannot go fast and the roads are bumpy as hell!
timm
New member
A long hour?
As opposed to a short hour :lol:
An hour going like 30 mph on local roads with a lot of pot holes feels a lot longer to me than an hour on an interstate going 65!
C-Rex
New member
Maine back roads are fun in a WRX. I'll do that hour rally style with a shit-eating grin as long as I don't get stuck behind a bunch of slowpokes. I'll be at the Loaf for 5 or 6 days so I think taking a day to hit up Saddleback is definitely in order.
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