Sugarbush, Vermont

The beautiful Mad River Valley winds through the heart of Vermont’s scenic Green Mountains. The valley is home to the quaint towns of Warren and Waitsfield, and nearby lies Sugarbush. The resort is about a 3½ hours drive from Boston. Sugarbush was first opened in 1958 by Damon and Sara Gadd with their partner Jack Murphy. Lift tickets went on sale at just $5.50. The resort was soon popular with the jet set, including the Kennedy clan, and for a time Sugarbush was nick-named ‘Mascara Mountain’. In 1977 the Gadds sold Sugarbush to Roy Cohen, who enlarged the resort substantially by buying the neighboring Mt Ellen Ski Area.. Since then the resort has changed hands again. The current owners, Summit Ventures have spent heavily on developing the skiing and accommodation, including a major building program at Lincoln Peak Village, with the provision of more on-slope accommodation and associated facilities.

At Sugarbush the skiing is effectively divided into two areas: Lincoln Peak (3975ft) also known as ‘South Sugarbush’ and Mt Ellen Peak (4083ft), or ‘North Sugarbush’. The two are connected by the rollercoaster-like Slide Brook quad chair, which operates weekends and holidays. Alternatively you can travel between Lincoln Peak Village and Mt Ellen Lodge by car or free shuttle.

First timers will appreciate the well-run ski school, which operates a complete schedule of lessons from both the Lincoln and Ellen bases. As you improve you should aim to attempt some of the easy runs. At Lincoln the best greens are off the top of the Gatehouse chair. From the top follow the easy-angled Pushover which leads onto Easy Rider or Sugarbear. At Mt Ellen, good choices are Walt’s Trail and Northridge both of which start from Inverness peak.

If you’re an Average skier, a good place to start are the runs off Allyn’s Lodge, reached by the Super Bravo express quad on Lincoln Peak. Vallyhouse Traverse along the ridge line leads to a whole host of blues, the best of which is possibly Spring Fling. Across the valley there’s another good selection of lines on North Lynx peak. Mt Ellen also has its fair share of classic intermediate territory - Rim Run, Elbow and Cruiser are all brilliant trails reached by the Summit quad chair.

Advanced Skiers have plenty to tempt them. Great lines are Paradise and Ripcord off Lincoln Peak summit, and Steins off Allyn’s Lodge, all steep moguls. These areas can get busy, so alternatively head for Castlerock, which offers several challenging narrow blacks. At Mt Ellen the double blacks at the top – Black Diamond and FIS - have a reputation for being amongst the most difficult in the East, being steep uncompromising bumps.

Thanks to the extensive construction work of 2005, there’s now a substantial amount of slopeside (but fairly expensive) accommodation at the Lincoln Peak base area. The unique ‘silo’ design of the ‘Barn’ condos, and hexagonal shape of Timbers restaurant form a focal point for an attractive development. There’s also a heated pool perfect for relaxing after a hard day on the slopes. Further lodging is available in the nearby towns of Warren and Waitsfield.