In Maine, new West Mountain expansion has ‘totally changed’ Sugarloaf

With a summit elevation of 4,237 feet, Sugarloaf has the highest peak elevation of any ski resort in New England. 

The Bucksaw IPAs were flying off the shelves at Bullwinkle’s this winter, and why not. There was a lot to celebrate at Sugarloaf’s on-mountain restaurant perched above the resort’s west side.

The beer (6.2% ABV) was specially crafted by Orono Brewing Company to toast the opening of Sugarloaf’s West Mountain Expansion, a 450-acre development in totality, which includes the addition of 12 new alpine trails that span 120 acres and the centerpiece high-speed quad to serve it all, the Bucksaw Express.

Opening the largest terrain expansion in the Northeast since the late 1970s is even more remarkable considering it was completed in just one year, and during a construction season that happened to be the wettest summer recorded in Maine since 1917. The weather challenges persisted well into ski season, in fact. Sugarloaf was forced to close on Dec. 19 after a storm that left hundreds of thousands of people without power along the East Coast and caused damage to the mountain and to roads leading to and around the resort.

Six feet of rain fell over the course of project construction, said Stephen Kircher, president and CEO of Boyne Resorts, which owns Sugarloaf, Sunday River (also in Maine) and Loon Mountain in New Hampshire. “I couldn’t be more proud of how the team executed,” he said.

The resort

Sugarloaf is one of the largest ski resorts in the Northeast with a 2,820-foot vertical drop, 1,360 developed, skiable acres and 176 trails, glades and terrain parks. With a summit elevation of 4,237 feet, it has the highest peak elevation of any ski resort in New England and features the only lift-serviced, above-treeline skiing in the East.

Since joining the Boyne family of resorts in 2007, the management team has been clearly focused on the resort’s future. In the decade between 2010 and 2020, over 600 acres of new gladed terrain was developed in Brackett Basin and Burnt Mountain, a cat skiing operation was launched, the Skyline Quad was installed, upgrades were completed at Sugarloaf Golf Club and other resort hotels and restaurants, and massive snowmaking upgrades were completed.

The Sugarloaf Ski Club cut the first alpine trails on the mountain in 1951. The first of its kind in Maine, the club continues to be an important part of the resort, helping to bring in premier events such as U.S. Alpine Nationals, U.S. Freestyle Nationals, the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix, the National Junior Olympics, the North American Championship Series, and the S.I.S.E. Cup Eastern Masters Championships to Sugarloaf. The club also provides funds through its youth grant program, including administration of a town-sponsored scholarship program, to instruct young recreational and competitive skiers and snowboarders.

Sugarloaf’s Outdoor Center, located minutes from the base area, is Maine’s largest nordic center with 50 km of groomed trails to explore. It is also home to an NHL-sized ice rink, offers fat biking, snowshoeing, a full-service retail, rental and repair shop, as well as a café.

The expansion

The West Mountain Expansion represents a key component of “Sugarloaf 2030,” the resort’s visionary road map for this decade. The project increased Sugarloaf’s total skiable acreage by nearly 10 percent, but more importantly caters to beginner and intermediate skiers and riders.

“I always say Sugarloaf is the real deal of skiing, but now it’s got the real deal of intermediate terrain,” Kircher said. “We can take advantage of this amazing, intermediate and beginner terrain to really spread the crowds out and create a more diverse experience for more families, whether it’s young people or people my age and older that want to spread their wings a little bit and have some great cruisers.”

The new Bucksaw Express, which goes deeper and lower on the mountain, allows Sugarloaf to have a large pod of beginner and intermediate terrain that, because it is protected from the resort’s notorious winds, will be more consistently available on more days.

Karl Strand, Sugarloaf’s president and general manager, said West Mountain creates a new family-friendly zone, something that Sugarloaf has needed for quite some time. “The accessibility of the lift and terrain provides a progression platform unlike anything we’ve ever had here,” he said. “Our instructors and families will have a separate zone, creating confidence and a ‘safe’ zone, if you will, for beginner- and intermediate-level skiers.”

Feedback since the opening has been nothing but positive, said Charli Sayward, Sugarloaf’s marketing and communications manager.

“The trails bring a whole new experience and guests absolutely love the wide-open, fun pitch of the West Mountain trails,” Sayward said. “It has totally changed the skiing and riding experience here at Sugarloaf. From direct-to-lift access available from three parking lots to adding what could be equated to an entire new ski area, the impact cannot be understated. Plus, the views are stunning over there!”

The Bucksaw Express, a Doppelmayr high-speed detachable, takes its name from the old Bucksaw Double chair, which served Sugarloaf’s northwest edge from 1969 through 2015. The new quad will move 2,400 skiers per hour in just seven minutes, giving riders convenient access to Bullwinkle’s Restaurant. The quad spans over 6,500 feet in total with a vertical rise of almost 1,500 feet.

“Yes, the placement of Bucksaw Express not only helps mitigate wind holds but it also provides mid-mountain access to Bullwinkle’s, a favorite amongst guests,” Sayward said. “West Mountain opens up a plethora of opportunity, including future real estate opportunities, banquet facilities and mountain bike development.”

Designed to include over 200 new homes on completion — including 52 single-family house lots — the development will continue to take shape over the course of several phases over a period of years. Each phase will offer a range of homes, from condominiums and duplexes to single-family residences.

“Phase 1 of West Mountain included 20 single-family lots, 18 of which are under contract with lots selling basically sight unseen,” Sayward said. “Phase 2 is soon to be announced with future developments consisting of additional single-family lots, condos and townhomes.”

Kircher said the new pod opens up new opportunities both in winter and summer, including hosting weddings at Bullwinkle’s, providing trail access for both pedestrians and bikes, and integrating with future lifts to the peak.

“It really opens up the opportunity to make a much better business model here in winter and summer, and a much more attractive place to come,” Kircher said. “So, it really sets the stage for some next steps that are really key to moving this resort forward and one of those mile markers on that journey of 2030.”

The future

While the resort celebrates the opening of West Mountain, work will continue in 2024 after ski season — which typically runs into May at Sugarloaf — on several additional projects, including:

• A new lift-serviced downhill mountain bike park on Whiffletree is anticipated to open this summer.

• Plans are underway to expand and improve the Children’s Center.

• The Double Runner chair will be replaced and upgraded with a modern, high-capacity chairlift.

Looking into 2025 and beyond, the projects continue with:

• SuperQuad, Sugarloaf’s busiest lift, will be replaced with a higher-capacity lift.

• Timberline, the resort’s signature summit lift, will be replaced and upgraded to provide faster, more reliable access to the top.

• The summit building, one of the mountain’s most visible features, will be transformed to provide a unique, year-round summit experience.

• A full-service spa will be added to the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel, offering massage treatments and an array of holistic aesthetic services catering to year-round guests.

• A number of upgrades and possible expansions are being developed for the Sugarloaf Village and Hotel.

• Working in partnership with the Town of Carrabassett Valley, Sugarloaf will install a snowmaking system at the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center to create a world-class nordic racing facility.

• Also in partnership with Carrabassett Valley, the resort will look to construct a 9-hole Short Course at the Sugarloaf Golf Club.