Sugarloaf Ski Weekend

On Friday, February 6th, Martin (wildcat) and I met up at the Mountain View Motel in Stratton, Maine.  It was a nice chance to catch up over dinner and while hanging out.

In the morning (February 7th), we got up fairly early, had breakfast and headed down to Sugarloaf.  It was around 8AM, when we arrived.  The skies were mostly blue with some stray clouds hanging out.  The temperatures had been forecast earlier in the week to be in the mid-20's; however, the forecast had turned colder with highs expected to be barely out of the single digits.  We got our lift tickets (and I rented equipment) and we were ready to ski by 8:30AM, when the lifts started running.

While Martin is a much better skier, we skiied together mostly on the intermediate trails through the day.  The conditions were very good through most of the day...it did get a little icey on some trails towards the end, as expected.  Since it got colder and more overcast through the day, we took a few breaks in the warming hut on West Mountain and at the base lodge.

It was a great day skiing and Sugarloaf has become one of my favorites for its location and terrain.  Afterwards, Martin and I returned to the Motel, cleaned up and went out for a nice dinner at the White Wolf Inn in Stratton.

On Sunday, we got up early again and checked-out around 8AM.  We were looking for an "easy" snowshoe to do (as opposed to one of the "winter" 4000-footers), since it was lightly snowing and it would take us time to get home with the storm to the south.  We decided to do Cranberry Mountain, which loomed over the motel.  See separate Member Trip Report for that.

Join us for a social weekend of downhill skiing at Sugarloaf.  Sugarloaf is a world-class ski resort located in the Carrabassett Valley, nestled amoung the high peaks of western Maine. It is the largest ski resort east of the Rocky Mountains, in terms of number of skiable acreage (1,400 acres) and snowmaking percentage (95%).  Its continuous vertical drop of 2,820 feet (860 m) is the second longest in New England (after Killington's 3,050 feet).  The resort offers 60 miles of trails.  

Lodging:  We'll be staying at the Mountain View Motel in Stratton.  NOTE:  While you will be responsible for your own reservation, you may want to contact me or other participants about doubling up/sharing rooms.  Currently, I've reserved a suite (Room 5) for 4 guys...there is a opportunity for a couple or 2 friends to join us.  As of November 1st, all the other rooms are available.  Check out their site for rates.

Activities:  We'll ski Sugarloaf on Saturday.  Sunday is unplanned and some may wish to ski Sugarloaf again or ski over at Saddleback (30 miles away).  Snowshoeing may also be an option for some on Sunday.  As we have a suite with a living room, we may want to play cards/games or watch movies Friday and/or Saturday evening.

Food:  Bring along your own food for a couple of breakfasts and lunches.  Coordination of dinners will be made beforehand (going out to eat or having a communal dinner at the motel), if desired by the group.  Bring along your favorite snacks and beverages, as well.  There are small markets in Kingfield and Stratton, but you should bring what you need.

Equipment:  Skis, if you have your own...otherwise rentals are available at the mountain.  If you wish to snowshoe bring those along as well.  It can be very cold at Sugarloaf, particularly the upper mountain, so bring appropriate clothing for the activities.

Lift-tickets:  Available for purchase online ahead of time from Sugarloaf or at the mountain (they typically range from $68 to 84, depending on where you purchase them...Liftopia is a good resource for discounted lift tickets).