Sunday River and Sugarloaf Announce Maine Pass

[JimG.]

From NJ/NYC, it's 7 1/2 to 9 hours each way, depending on where exactly you're coming from....

Killington is 4 hours...

Very accurate...it's about an hour less for me to the same locations from near Poughkeepsie.

 

[snowmonster]

Gee and I thought that 4 hours was already the upper limit. &.5 to 9 hours? Boy, I've got newfound respect for the NYers and NJers who make it out to SR -- or the Loaf for that matter!

 

[nycskier]

For me:

Hunter is 2 1/2 hours
Okemo, Stratton Mount Snow is 4 hours
Killington 4 1/2 hours
Sugarbush is 5 hours
Sunday River is 7 1/2 hours
Sugarloaf is a plane ride to Portland followed by a long drive!

I can justify the extra travel time to go to Killington vs Hunter but Maine is just too far for me. I do have a good friend who lives up by Sugarloaf so paying a visit there is not out of the question if I can get a cheap flight to Portland. A few years back roundtrip was only $125 so I did it. Last year flights where really expensive. Waiting for Jet Blue to go to Portland to make that trip reasonable!

 

[Vortex]

For me:

Hunter is 2 1/2 hours
Okemo, Stratton Mount Snow is 4 hours
Killington 4 1/2 hours
Sugarbush is 5 hours
Sunday River is 7 1/2 hours
Sugarloaf is a plane ride to Portland followed by a long drive!

I can justify the extra travel time to go to Killington vs Hunter but Maine is just too far for me. I do have a good friend who lives up by Sugarloaf so paying a visit there is not out of the question if I can get a cheap flight to Portland. A few years back roundtrip was only $125 so I did it. Last year flights where really expensive. Waiting for Jet Blue to go to Portland to make that trip reasonable!

if you relly want to go fly... go into manchester nh. another 1.5 on the drive , but alot of coin saved.

 

[JimG.]

Gee and I thought that 4 hours was already the upper limit. &.5 to 9 hours? Boy, I've got newfound respect for the NYers and NJers who make it out to SR -- or the Loaf for that matter!

Unnhhhhhhhhhhhh! HUH! Wha........? Oh, excuse me.

I was regaining consciousness.

Did someone from AZ, a die hard New Englander, use the word respect in the same sentence as NY and NJ?

We can all get along!

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Oh Bob, that would be no fun...we'd have nothing to discuss.

I have no doubt they'll lose some of the MA/VT/NH business.

I'm a long term/show me the money kind of guy. Honestly, all I care about is the snow; and when I drive 5-7 hours to visit VT/NH/ME, I damned well expect it to be special. I'm not unrealistic, and it doesn't necessarily mean powder, but that's what I want. Special. And I'm flexible about what that means. And I figure I can get it in alot of places.

Snow questions cannot be addressed today. So, unfortunately for many I guess, I can talk about it until it is show me time.

NJ/NY/CT isn't really the demographic the maine resorts have been going after anyway...due in large part to the drive and the availability of great skiing in VT that's half the distance from home. MA/NH/RI and of course Portland area is the population base SR and SL look to pull from...lots of folks from greater boston area, Portsmouth too...but according to ski maine stats something like 60% of the skier visits in the state are from Mainers...figure over that for SL and under that for SR. Either resort is worth the drive from NJ/NY/CT if you're coming for 4 days or so...but not realistic for the weekend warrior set. Their distance from major metro is also part of the allure...

 

[klrskiah]

For me:

Hunter is 2 1/2 hours
Okemo, Stratton Mount Snow is 4 hours
Killington 4 1/2 hours
Sugarbush is 5 hours
Sunday River is 7 1/2 hours
Sugarloaf is a plane ride to Portland followed by a long drive!

I can justify the extra travel time to go to Killington vs Hunter but Maine is just too far for me. I do have a good friend who lives up by Sugarloaf so paying a visit there is not out of the question if I can get a cheap flight to Portland. A few years back roundtrip was only $125 so I did it. Last year flights where really expensive. Waiting for Jet Blue to go to Portland to make that trip reasonable!

Jet Blue does fly into portland from JFK. not sure about the prices though

 

[wa-loaf]

Sunday River is 7 1/2 hours
Sugarloaf is a plane ride to Portland followed by a long drive!

You'll drive 7.5 hours to Sunday River, but not 8 to Sugarloaf? I know it takes close to 1.5 hours to drive from one to the other, but coming from the south it's only a 1/2 hour difference.

 

[snowmonster]

You'll drive 7.5 hours to Sunday River, but not 8 to Sugarloaf? I know it takes close to 1.5 hours to drive from one to the other, but coming from the south it's only a 1/2 hour difference.

I always figure the Loaf to be 1 hour further up than SR. But, that could be just my driving and my incredibly bad luck since I usually follow a truck up to Farmington everytime I go. I love skiing the Loaf and would go there more if only li'l snowmonster was more patient during the rides up.

Jim G: If BobR and I can get along, then we can all get along. =) (Gee, I sound like Rocky Balboa.) Anyway, hope to ski with you someday -- either in Vermont or Maine.

 

[thetrailboss]

I like my 45 minute drive to Pico personally....

 

[nycskier]

You'll drive 7.5 hours to Sunday River, but not 8 to Sugarloaf? I know it takes close to 1.5 hours to drive from one to the other, but coming from the south it's only a 1/2 hour difference.

Don't worry. No way I am driving 7.5 hours to Sunday River! Killington is the far end of what I would be willing to drive for a weekend. And Killington does have Amtrak service from Rutland.

 

[Terry]

I like my 40 min ride to SR! It's about 2 and a half hours to the loaf from here. There is no direct route from here.

 

[nycskier]

Jet Blue does fly into portland from JFK. not sure about the prices though

Their Portland NYC service is fairly new. They didn't have it last winter.

 

[wa-loaf]

I miss my old 1 hour drive to Sugarloaf. We have a plan to move up to NH, Littleton area to be specific. Right next to Cannon and and easy drive to VT or ME. Just gotta make the employment thing work.

 

[ga2ski]

Wow - I was sure someone here would have said something about the Silver blackout dates. (sorry SR, it is a sore spot with everyone I have talked with)
What do you all think about not being able to ski 5 saturdays in a row. For me I guess it means a trip to Abrams, Saddleback, and maybe Cannon or Wildcat or some backcountry if there is enough snow. Wonder if those resorts will cash in with deals on those saturdays?

On the other hand I could get the gold pass and take a vacation at Big Sky or Brighton and ski "free" . (gold pass skier/riders get 10 free days at other Boyne resorts.)

What to do . . . what to do????

 

[Terry]

I normally don't ski SR on those saturdays anyways. It is way to busy for me. Thats where the second pass comes in handy. It gives other options on busy days.

 

[Vortex]

stop being like Tree_skier and buck up and shut up.:grin:

 

[JimG.]

Jim G: If BobR and I can get along, then we can all get along. =) (Gee, I sound like Rocky Balboa.) Anyway, hope to ski with you someday -- either in Vermont or Maine.

Just kidding chief...I'm sure we'll run into one another some day next season.

 

[tree_skier]

stop being like Tree_skier and buck up and shut up.:grin:

Bob R you are just jealous

 

[Vortex]

Jealous of you and a VT mountain ,come on Dave.uke:

I love Vt and your deal. Just not upset by mine either. I get to go to the bar when I want you have to almost work. Any new boards in the dumpster?