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Story by Tim Jones
ugarloaf U.S.A. is about as close to skier's heaven as you can get east of the Rockies. At least that's what my boys say. As you approach the mountain on Maine Route 27, the whole area is right there for you to see. Our adrenaline levels hit new highs when we saw the terrain we'd be skiing!
Three very excited Jones boys moved into a very comfortable condo with a chairlift just outside the door. Because the sun was setting, and we couldn't ski, we headed to the nearby health club, where the indoor pool, hot tubs, sauna, and steam room helped us relax and get ready for the next day.
Unlike some giant areas, Sugarloaf has only one mountain -- but what a mountain! It boasts 2,800 feet of vertical -- the highest in the East, with the only above-treeline lift-serviced skiing east of the Rockies.
Sugarloaf is really three mountains in one. The lower slopes are all wide, easy beginner terrain. The middle part of the mountain has a lot of great intermediate cruising terrain, and the top is tough enough to satisfy even the most demanding skier. A profusion of lifts lets you ski just the kind of terrain you want to ski.
Unfortunately for us, the snowless winter (even up there) kept the top snowfields closed (they've since added more snowmaking), but the wonderfully creaky old gondola (soon to be replaced) let us access White Nitro, a groomed double-diamond super-expert trail that's as steep as anyone could wish for. Only two other trails, Narrow Gauge (single diamond) and Tote Road (intermediate, blue square) were open from the top.
We spent most of our time yo-yoing off the Super Quad chair, skiing Narrow Gauge, Competition Hill, Hayburner, and Double Bitter -- all black-diamond runs. We also spent some time in the King Pine Bowl skiing Haulback, Choker, Widowmaker, and Flume, but these expert runs were beginning to show the effects of thin snow and strong sun.
Even with thin snow on some trails, Sugarloaf was a skier's dream. The hospitality was excellent, and the skiing was the best we'd had all year. The mountain itself was varied and challenging enough to make the long drive more than worthwhile.
For more information, see Sugarloaf's Web site at www.sugarloaf.com or call 207-237-2000
Copyright ©1997, Stephen O. Muskie and Tim Jones. All Rights Reserved.