Basecamp podcast: Sugarloaf and the sense of community at the Maine resort

Sugarloaf is big-mountain skiing indeed — a 2,820-foot vertical, 162 trails and glades. (Sugarloaf)

Whether you’re a “Sugarloafer” or not, Maine’s largest ski resort packs a punch for all who visit Carrabassett Valley.

Becoming a part of the family though is when you get to latch onto the nickname. 

“Sugarloaf is a sense of community,” New England Ski Journal Basecamp podcast host Mike Specian said. “I sort of parlay it like Magic Mountain is part of the community Or, Berkshire East…It’s got a large corporation behind it but still has a down-home feeling. Kingfield is a beautiful area, a great town to visit, all the way over to Rangeley, Maine to Saddleback. They’re all up there together and just a wonderful area to recreate and become part of a unique community.” 

Sugarloaf marketing and communications director Ethan Austin and vice president of skier services Tom Butler joined Specian and Eric Wilbur on the latest Basecamp podcast to discuss the Maine resort’s massive impact on the New England ski scene. 

Listen:

Highlights from this edition of the Basecamp podcast:

 On Boyne Resorts’ ownership: 

Austin: We’ve been part of the Boyne family of resorts since 2007. They’ve been great for Sugarloaf. They really care about the experience and the operation. They care about the the local history and the local flavor that makes each of their resorts unique. They’re not in the, the business of making ‘McMountains’ as it were. They really let each resort exist on its own and have its own character.  That’s really important for Sugarloaf because people are very protective of it up here. It’s a big part of their lives, a big part of their identity. And Boyne has been really great for that.

On the impact of “Oh My Gosh Corner:” 

Butler: When you come around, ‘Oh My Gosh, Corner,’ the first thing that that strikes you is that it is really big. Then, once you get beyond it, it kind of teases you because you get beyond ‘Oh My Gosh Corner,’ and then you really can’t see it again until you’re coming up the access road.  For me, the, ‘oh my gosh’ spot is about midway up the access road. 

The podcast can be streamed at skijournal.com/podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Spotify and Amazon.