The "Sugarbush Thread"

[cdskier]

If you only go there once or twice a year and you are lucky or if you're the kind of skier that does one run, takes a selfie and heads for the bar, maybe. Or if you ski with rose-colored ski goggles ...

If you are at least a mid-level skier who goes there regularly, your skiing will be affected most of the time. Any time NRX is out or struggling, which happens all the time, your skiing is seriously impacted. Summit doesn't have the speed and capacity to make up for it. Any time GMX is out or struggling, the whole mountain suffers, because Inverness doesn't have the capacity and speed to deal with a weekend crowd. Plus, if NRX also struggles, you can't access anything else, because you can't make it to Summit. Then, when Inverness also goes out, everything stops. Having only Inverness closed is manageable, but still pisses me, because I love those trails and glades over there.

Anyway, no point throwing insults at each other and calling the other clueless. You're happy, you stay. I'm leaving at the end of the season taking my family, and judging from the mood on the lift, a lot of people are thinking the same. It's also going to get worse before it hopefully improves. They're not going to invest in NRX since it's going to be replaced, so it will get progressively worse for the next 2-3 (?) seasons. For the other lifts, they don't even have a plan. It's a shame, it's a special mountain but the experience is ruined by incompetence/lack of funding and most annoyingly, lack of transparency.

I've skied many days and average about 25K vertical per day at ME. Certainly not 1 run and head to the bar (actually don't think I've ever had a single drink at any bars at ME). I doubt I'm just "lucky". I'd say about 30-40% of my mid-season days are at ME. And I regularly put in 40+ days a year at Sugarbush in general. You do the math...

And I once again completely disagree about this being an incompetence or lack of funding issue. Some other posts have already addressed this point, so I won't re-state the same things that have already been said.

I think all this negative publicity is great. Maybe the numbers will go down. This is great considering the lifts have not been a problem for me all year. I must have good Karma. LOL

Me and you both LOL!

 

[Smellytele]

no question, it's classic January. I guess I'm lucky, haven;t been struck by a lift issue in my 7 days so far. Guess I'm doomed now. And this is our first real year all in on the Bush, so I don't have the history many do. But after 2 days last year and 7 this, I have had enough of Heavens gate I can tell you that. Hells gate is more like it.

I have never had many issues with heaven's gate but haven't been this year but was a passholder for a few years including last year. Had more issues with the Mt Ellen lifts.

 

[cdskier]

What kind of issues are people having with Heaven's Gate? I haven't had a single one yet this year and other than wind holds don't even recall seeing it listed on the report with any other delays.

 

[urungus]

I completely understand your frustration. But before I wrote off a mountain that I liked that was also the closest to me, I'd take my concerns up the ladder. Talking to a person at the information desk won't do anything. That person has little to no decision making ability. Send an email to John Hammond illustrating your concerns which sound reasonable to me. If I were him, I'd respond by saying something along the lines of "We are aware of and working on the issue and it's of paramount importance to us. In the meantime, I'd like to offer you, a long time passholder, three days of tickets for you to ski at LP that you can use at your discretion....I'd ask that you use them on days where you don't feel the lift situation at Mount Ellen is commensurate with your expectations, but it's up to you...would that be okay with you?"

And if he doesn't say something like that, I'd ask for just that and let them say no. Bottom line is that to me, writing Sugarbush off without telling them won't affect their bottom line, but it will affect your life. And the worst thing that could happen is they say no (which leaves you right where you are now) and the best thing is that they can offer you something to make the situation better for you (and them as they retain a passholder).

Heres good customer service:

 

[crippity]

Sounds..just ducky...
Glad I have 3 different passes...

King Slug you are doing it right. You are stowe based right? As someone who has made the BW its home in waterbury since its inception (2005) for that location. There is nothing better than stowe bolton or bush. and i can make jay and smuggs in hour or under. Too bad vail got stowe, i averaged 20 plus days a year there, miss that place. indy ikon for me. anyone hit bolton on a march frirday night under the lights when its light till 7, BV for the WIN

 

[crippity]

I've skied many days and average about 25K vertical per day at ME. Certainly not 1 run and head to the bar (actually don't think I've ever had a single drink at any bars at ME). I doubt I'm just "lucky". I'd say about 30-40% of my mid-season days are at ME. And I regularly put in 40+ days a year at Sugarbush in general. You do the math...

And I once again completely disagree about this being an incompetence or lack of funding issue. Some other posts have already addressed this point, so I won't re-state the same things that have already been said.



Me and you both LOL!

WOOOOAHHH your street cred just went down big time. You haven't hung out at Walts having beer? Skiing down under lamps after lifts closed and your a regular? sorry. walts is one of the coolest bars. i was there last week and there was an older gentleman talking to me and bartender and he used to sleep up there in the 80's. Im farthest thing from loca. but all locals i talked too are beyond upsept with lack of money being spent at ellen. that simple.

 

[cdskier]

WOOOOAHHH your street cred just went down big time. You haven't hung out at Walts having beer? Skiing down under lamps after lifts closed and your a regular? sorry. walts is one of the coolest bars. i was there last week and there was an older gentleman talking to me and bartender and he used to sleep up there in the 80's. Im farthest thing from loca. but all locals i talked too are beyond upsept with lack of money being spent at ellen. that simple.

Hah. I typically prefer drinking wine in the comfort of my own condo... I've never been a big "hang out at the bar" person anywhere.

 

[crippity]

Hah. I typically prefer drinking wine in the comfort of my own condo... I've never been a big "hang out at the bar" person anywhere.

respect. and if i had condo there i would same. sorry if i came across agressive but Walts is amazing place to hang

 

[cdskier]

respect. and if i had condo there i would same. sorry if i came across agressive but Walts is amazing place to hang

No worries lol...I took it mainly as a joke about the street cred part. Although I will say that Walt's after dark is one thing that I've at least thought about from time to time.

 

[crippity]

what other places in VT or NE allows the bar to stay open for all uphill traffic and the donwhilll traffic until after and travel down with lights. mt ellen and sugarbush are awesome. lets not forget this.

 

[crippity]

what other places in VT or NE allows the bar to stay open for all uphill traffic and the donwhilll traffic until after and travel down with lights. mt ellen and sugarbush are awesome. lets not forget this.

its like im in kitzubhel, finishing my night at hut. let them get down on own way. the way it should be

 

[kingslug]

King Slug you are doing it right. You are stowe based right? As someone who has made the BW its home in waterbury since its inception (2005) for that location. There is nothing better than stowe bolton or bush. and i can make jay and smuggs in hour or under. Too bad vail got stowe, i averaged 20 plus days a year there, miss that place. indy ikon for me. anyone hit bolton on a march frirday night under the lights when its light till 7, BV for the WIN

I pretty much follow the snow. Bolton has gotten more than anyplace but jay. Stowe is in very good shape now..no ice to speak of.
Hopefully SB recovers from the rain that just seems to screw everything up right after almost every snow storm.
When I got back from PC after 2 weeks..I hit killington...holy shit..I forgot how to ski sheet ice...having edges might have helped.
We still have a few months to go...it will get better...

 

[crippity]

My wife (now) was in Kitz (and this could be anyplace in EU/CH)

I pretty much follow the snow. Bolton has gotten more than anyplace but jay. Stowe is in very good shape now..no ice to speak of.
Hopefully SB recovers from the rain that just seems to screw everything up right after almost every snow storm.
When I got back from PC after 2 weeks..I hit killington...holy shit..I forgot how to ski sheet ice...having edges might have helped.
We still have a few months to go...it will get better...

you are lucky man. keep enjoying!!! I was at Pico Sunday. Was good. Can you please goto Montana and then leave cuz that where im looking to book? Tks for your updates kingslub

 

[Cheetah440]

I have never had many issues with heaven's gate but haven't been this year but was a passholder for a few years including last year. Had more issues with the Mt Ellen lifts.

I just HATE the lift. It’s the most uncomfortable chair, it’s Always blowing 25 when it’s not blowing 35, I’m not tall, I’m 6ft and while yeah I have a bit of upper back arthritis, it’s just a bitch of a lift all around. Bar hits me in the head up and down. I mean how does someone 6’4” manage on that thing. I just hate it, it’s horrible. But Inhavent had to be hoisted off it yet so really I shouldn’t complain that much. Sorry for ranting.

 

[kingslug]

When the snow is good..it gets you to paradise.....

 

[Cheetah440]

When the snow is good..it gets you to paradise.....

Agree, I happily suffer through it, I was just piling on.
Love Paradise btw, prob my favorite run so far this year was Paradise in early December. There’s so much more to explore though, hopefully we have a March and April like last year.

 

[hovercraft]

I think all this negative publicity is great. Maybe the numbers will go down. This is great considering the lifts have not been a problem for me all year. I must have good Karma. LOL

paid parking will do the trick

 

[mikec142]

What kind of issues are people having with Heaven's Gate? I haven't had a single one yet this year and other than wind holds don't even recall seeing it listed on the report with any other delays.

I rarely have an issue with HG. It's a cold and windy lift. But that comes with the territory of being a slower, fixed grip at the top of a mountain.

 

[cdskier]

I just HATE the lift. It’s the most uncomfortable chair, it’s Always blowing 25 when it’s not blowing 35, I’m not tall, I’m 6ft and while yeah I have a bit of upper back arthritis, it’s just a bitch of a lift all around. Bar hits me in the head up and down. I mean how does someone 6’4” manage on that thing. I just hate it, it’s horrible. But Inhavent had to be hoisted off it yet so really I shouldn’t complain that much. Sorry for ranting.

I rarely have an issue with HG. It's a cold and windy lift. But that comes with the territory of being a slower, fixed grip at the top of a mountain.

It is interesting that people think that lift is so cold and windy. I can think of many cases where Bravo has wind whipping on it like crazy and HG is calm as can be (and that has already happened this year to me). All depends on the direction of the wind. I sometimes think when SB is windy, people don't even attempt HG. I'm the opposite. I often manage to escape the wind on Bravo by heading to HG. (Note I'm not saying it is always like that...but I've certainly experienced a good deal of times over the years when SB was cold and windy and HG was not).

 

[WinS]

It amazes me that they've never been able to get NRX to run reliably. I understand that detachable lifts are extremely complex machines, but they also aren't a cutting-edge technology. I can accept that statement was less true when NRX was originally installed (in current form not as the original GMX), but I think they should've been able to figure it out by now. Unless, there's something so fundamentally and unfixably wrong with that lift. And if that's true then the lift mechs either do or do not know what said root problem is. When they eventually dismantle that lift it'd be fun to be there at the moment when someone says, hey look THIS was the problem the whole time and holds up something like a tiny wrong-value capacitor buried deep in there which thank goodness never failed or the whole thing would've exploded

I have been reluctant to comment on all this lift discussion. But here is a perspective on NRX. When it was installed by Claneil back in the 80’s it was advertised as the fastest lift in the USA and I think was the first top drive in the USA. The chain in the terminal as also unique and it hindsight not great. When Les Otten bought Sugarbush he moved it from where GMX is to its current location and put in the infamous “Slug”. We replaced the Slug with the current GMX. It is now at Jay Peak. When Les moved NRX he had Dopplemyr move a Poma lift. As a result neither wanted accountability for it in its new location. We did spend a lot of $ over the years. Specifically a new motor , new communication lines and new Drive. Also all the tower has been rewired a few times including I believe this summer. It happens to be a tough lift to maintain and none of the issue are due to anyone not focusing or spending dollars on it. One might argue that it should be replaced ahead of HG but that is a judgment call and since 75-80% of visitors ski at LP or ME, I certainly can‘t argue with that decision. Many of the comments that have been made in my opinion are misinformed and hopefully Sugarbush will respond with the facts. When I owned the resort one statistic I looked at carefully each year was the percent of time lifts ran without a mechanical to electrical problem and we were in most years around 99.5%. That is a very good result within the industry. But given the number of hours that the 16 lift run that could mean that there were 50-60 hours when lifts were down. The vast majority were minutes not hours. But occasionally a serious issue like a motor fail could cause a lift to be down for a day or more. That said if one is unlucky to be on a lift when it goes down for 10-15 minutes it can be a terrible experience and that frames ones opinion. I have skied 49 days this season and have over 450,000 vertical and have not experienced more than a minute of two of stoppage and some of those were due to misloads or unloads. (hopefully I have not jinxed myself )