Sugarloaf Mountain
A short while later when I was greeted at the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel by Ethan Austin, the Sugarloaf Communications Manager, I mentioned how the mountain had made a very sudden appearance and Ethan remarked "That's 'Oh my gosh corner'" with the inference that the spot of first sighting caused a similar reaction in most firsttimers. To be sure, Sugarloaf, at 4,237' is the second tallest peak in Maine and offers, on the "sugar" coated summit area, the only lift served, above the treeline skiing in the east.
I stayed overnight at the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel, which is a short walk to the Super Quad chair, and is a spiffly polished gem of slopside luxury, complete with lodging, dining, fitness room, and conference center all under one roof. All 120 rooms and suites a have cable television, a VCR, and views of the surrounding mountains. As I've found before, the friendly Boyne Resorts staff are ready to help with about everything - I had a problem with my ski locker combination which a passing staffer quickly opened for me. I stumped them when I asked if they knew where I could buy socks with moose on them, but I wouldn't be surprised if I got an email someday saying that they found a store.
Sugarloaf Village Center
My room had a great view up Sugarloaf, as the hotel was laid out in the traditional plan of the old classic mountain hotels affording all the rooms with a view. It was a comfortable bed with a down throw and I almost skipped dinner, but I couldn't be at Sugarloaf and not partake of a world famous Bag Burger. The bag burger is the signature offering of what else - The Bag - a down home Maine friendly bar and restaurant on the Village Center level that has been a Sugarloaf stable since 1969. Bag burger, hot shower, and bed and I would be ready to do the do the 'Loaf and maybe see some of those snowfields up close.
Skiing Sugarloaf
Unfortunately, the following day Mother Nature did not cooperate in allowing access to the summit. In fact the day blew in with a south wind that pushed a rain front through during the morning but with promise of snow to follow. I met Ethan at 8:30 on the rainy morning and after assuring him that a little rain wasn't going to spoil my chance to ski this legendary mountain we headed up the Super Quad chair.
The snow quality was very good and in spite of the rain the groomers had been out during night rolling and combing. Boyne Resorts experience with snowmaking and trail preparation was shining through and I couldn't complain about any trail - beginner to black diamond - what was open was wet, but really good skiing.
Ethan skied us around the mountain hoping we'd get a break and one of the upper reaching chairs could open but that didn't happen. However, we skied a lot of the classic and the signature trails that the lower 2/3 of Sugarloaf is famous for. For instance, we did Narrow Gauge several times, a Sugarloaf signature trail that also holds the distinction of being the only trail in the eastern U.S. certified by the International Ski Federation (FIS) to host a sanctioned event.
Winter's Way
We got a good look down Winter's Way, Sugarloaf's very first trail, cut by hand in 1950. Pausing here in the rain, we spent several minutes marveling at how the '50's skiers handled this bumpy black diamond on straight wooden skis that probably had no metal edges. Of course, we had to do the lower part of Tote Road which in it's entirety stretches three-and-a-half miles from the top to bottom.
A really nice trail we skied several times, which was my favorite run of the day, was the Gondola Line, which was actually the route up the mountain of a gondola that ran for about 30 years. The gondola, which extended over 8,300' was removed in 1997 and the Gondi Line was left for us skiers. As you head down, if you look hard, you can still see some remaining support structures deep in the trees below.
As we finished up for the day, I was a little wet, but a little wiser about Sugarloaf. Ethan, whose business card proudly announces in a corner line - 'Sugarloafer Since 1987' - promised to put me on the Powder Alert email list. I promised to return and ski the Summit snowfields, as I was now a - 'Sugarloafer since 2008.'
