Sugarloaf (ski resort)
| Sugarloaf/USA | |
|---|---|
| File:Sugarloaf logo-1-.jpg | |
| Sugarloaf/USA Ski resort Sugarloaf/USA Ski resort | |
| Location | Carrabassett Valley, Maine, United States |
| Nearest major city | Lewiston, Maine |
| Top elevation | 4,237 ft (1,291.4 m) |
| Base elevation | 1,417 ft (431.9 m) |
| Trails | 133 |
| Longest run | 3.5 mi (5.6 km) |
| Lift system | 15 |
| Snowfall | 206 inches/year |
| Website | Sugarloaf/USA |
- For the mountain in Rio de Janeiro see Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil
Sugarloaf/USA is one of the largest ski resorts in the State of Maine located on Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. Among Maine ski areas, it has the highest elevation, most vertical rise and ranks as the state's second busiest.
The first trail was cut at Sugarloaf in 1951 by a group of locals known as "The Bigelow Boys". Led by Amos Winter, they transformed the mountain into what is today one of the largest ski areas in the Northeast. Many documents relating to the founding and early years now reside at the Ski Museum of Maine in Farmington, Maine.
At 4,237 feet (1291 m) Sugarloaf is second in elevation to Maine's highest peak, Mount Katahdin. The summit of Sugarloaf offers the only lift-serviced above-treeline skiing in the Northeast.
Mountain information
As of the beginning of 2007, there are 54 miles (87 km) of marked trails, and a total of 651 acres (2.6 km²) of developed trails. There are 1,400 acres (6 km2) of skiable area boundary to boundary. The fifteen chairlifts can serve 21,180 skiers per hour. There are currently 134 marked trails and glades, most of which are named after logging terms in a tribute to Maine's logging history. (See List of lumberjack jargon.)
There are several regions of the mountain. The base areas contains many easier beginner trails. To the east is the Whiffletree Quad, which features more beginner terrain and leads to the King Pine Bowl, which features many ungroomed steeps. Above the base area is mid-mountain, which contains the bulk of the mountain's "cruisers" and well-groomed moderate trails. To the far west is West Mountain, a fairly easy group of trails far off to the side. The top of the mountain includes a group of exceptionally difficult expert-only trails known as the snowfields, as well as several less difficult expert runs plus Timberline, a very scenic intermediate cruising trail.
Sugarloaf recorded a total of 352,000 skier visits in the 2005-2006 season, ranking it second among Maine resorts and 11th in New England, according to Ski Area Management magazine.
Average annual snowfall over the past 10 years is 206 inches (5 m). To supplement natural snowfall, Sugarloaf has snowmaking facilities covering 490 acres (2 km²) with artificial snow.
The Appalachian Trail crosses near Sugarloaf's peak and the elevation on this part of the trail offers expansive views of Maine's Western Mountains and New Hampshire's White Mountains.
In 2007, Downeast Books is publishing "The Sugarloaf Story" by John Christie, covering the mountain's founding and development.
On August 7, 2007, Sugarloaf/USA was sold by American Skiing Company to Boyne USA, Inc. Boyne immediately transfered the property to CNL Income Properties, an Orlando, Florida, company under a lease-back arrangement. Under terms of the deal, Boyne, a Michigan-based multi-resort company, will operate Sugarloaf as part of its extensive portfolio of ski areas.
Deaths
On April 7, 2007, a State of Maine legislator, Abigail Holman, age 45, from Fayette, Maine, struck a tree shortly after finishing a race on Competition Hill. She was pronounced dead at the Sugarloaf clinic shortly thereafter. [1]