Why Go?
An underestimated gem in rural Maine with a 4,237-foot summit offering the only above tree line skiing reachable by lift in the east. Sugarloaf gives you breath-taking beauty with 360-degree views across Vermont, New Hampshire and into Canada, as well as a panorama of Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak. With recent expansion, it lays claim to being the biggest resort east of the Rockies, having snatched the title from Vermont’s Killington. There’s an impressive family set-up and the unhurried country setting makes it perfect for a family retreat in a mainstream resort away from the crowds.
The Skiing
Whiffletree is the place for families to ski together, a collection of beginner and charming intermediate runs served by their very own Whiffletree SuperQuad. It’s the place to grow confidence after first putting on skis at the gentle Birches and Landing area before moving on to Double Runner, a collection of greens. The names Lower Winter’s Way, Boardwalk and Lower Narrow Gauge say it all.
This is a full on resort with long cruisers on West Mountain, fall-line steeps on Central and steep backcountry-style terrain with glades, chutes and cliffs in the recently opened Brackett Basin and Burnt Mountain area. The well-designed mountain also gives the opportunity for skiers of all abilities to get to the peak to see its splendid views, with a choice of what route to take down the simple Timberline cruise, slightly steeper Tote Road or the serious Snowfields. Terrain parks go from the beginner Skybound on Whiffletree to the advanced Haywire, with an intermediate option too. There’s a snowboard course and a 400-foot super pipe.
The Resort
Sugarloaf is a quiet, spread out place excellent for families. A patchwork of condos (hundreds of them, from one to five bedroom, all within walking distance of the well-groomed slopes) sit with inns and homes for rental. Everything fans out from Sugarloaf Village to create the town of Carrabassett Valley, served by free Sugarloaf Explorer buses. There is a collection of bars, restaurants and shops, enough to keep a family happy without ever approaching the wild après-ski of some resorts.
Nearest to the lifts is the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel with its New England farmhouse décor. Sugarbush Inn, one of the first buildings here, is smaller, quainter and on the easy Birches trail. There’s an away-from-it-all feel, deep in Maine’s forested countryside with Sugarloaf Mountain creating a powerful backdrop. Activities include tubing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and even tours to view the moose that inhabit the areas. Sugarloaf Outdoor Center features cross-country skiing on 60 miles of trails and there’s an Olympic-sized skating rink.
Children’s Facilities
Who couldn’t love the Mommy & Me private lessons for ages two and up, mountain bonding with an instructor? There are regular lessons too, with lots of places for youngsters to ski away from the mainstream slopes. There are evening events for five to 10 year olds including games and movies, plus dinners and storytelling with huggable mascots Amos the Moose, Pierre the Lumberjack and Blueberry Bear. The Anti-Gravity Complex is home to an indoor skateboard park and climbing wall and the Sugarbowl has a bowling alley.
Getting Around
Sugarbush is countryside retreat and pretty much everyone arrives by car. It’s a four-hour drive from Boston, a little less from Portland, Maine. Despite the shuttles connecting the many condo blocks with the lifts and restaurants, you’ll want to drive to the outside world – the pretty New England countryside and towns such as Farmington.
Nick Dalton, a U.K.-based travel writer for newspapers, such as The Times, has visited nearly 90 U.S. ski resorts (and another 20 or so in Canada). When not skiing he’s also an expert on cruises, and his children, Georgia and Henry.