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Sugarloaf Ready to Open Tuesday for Winter Season

November 21, 2011 - Carrabassett Valley — Sugarloaf kicks off its 61st season at noon Tuesday, the ski resort said in a statement Monday.

The resort will open with three trails covering 1,750 vertical feet, all serviced by the SuperQuad chairlift.

"Despite above-normal daytime temperatures over the past week, Sugarloaf was able to run as many as 110 snowguns during overnight hours and make enough snow to cover nearly three miles of terrain on the Tote Road trail," the statement said. Skiing and riding on opening day will be available on Pinch, Upper Tote Road, and Lower Tote Road, and is recommended for advanced skiers and riders only.

The opening makes Sugarloaf the fifth resort in the Northeast to open. Sunday River, in Newry, is the only other Maine ski resort open for the season. That resort is also operated by the same parent company as Sugarloaf, Boyne Resorts.

“Temperatures haven’t been quite as low as we would have liked over the past two weeks, but our snowmakers are a hard working bunch and they’ve been able to take advantage of the cold overnight periods to get this place ready to go,” said Rich Wilkinson, Sugarloaf’s vice president of mountain operations. “It’s always exciting to kick off the season, and we’re looking forward to seeing Sugarloafers back on the mountain.”

Over the summer and fall Sugarloaf invested roughly $4.3 million toward resort upgrades, including a new quad chairlift and more than 100 acres of new terrain in the Brackett Basin area, the statement said. The new lift, called the Skyline Quad, takes the place of the Spillway East and West chairlifts, and is expected to open in early December.

Sun Journal, November 2011


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