Sugarloaf (formerly Sugarloaf/USA) is a ski area and resort located on Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, western Maine. It is the second largest ski resort east of the Mississippi in terms of skiable area ( after Killington's ) and snowmaking percentage (95%); its continuous vertical drop of is the second longest in New England (after Killington's ). Sugarloaf recorded a total of 352,000 skier visits in the 2005–2006 season, ranking it second among Maine resorts and 11th in New England.
At 4,237 feet (1291 m) Sugarloaf Mountain is third in elevation to Maine's highest peak, Mount Katahdin. It is second to Hamlin Peak, an adjacent spur of Mt Katahdin. It has the highest peak elevation of any ski resort in New England (just 8 feet above Killington's 4,229 foot summit) and offers the only lift-serviced above-treeline skiing in the Northeast. The Appalachian Trail crosses within of Sugarloaf's peak and the summit offers 360-degree views of Maine's western mountains and New Hampshire's White Mountains.National Park Service, comp. "Appalachian Trail." Map.
In 1960, Sugarloaf had five ski runs, three t-bar lifts, lift fees were US$4 per day (or $24.50/week), and the ski season was from approximately December 1 to April 30.
As of January 2025, there were over of marked trails and a total of of developed trails. There were of skiable area boundary to boundary. The fifteen chairlifts have the capacity to carry 25,388 skiers per hour. There are also 174 marked trails and glades, most of which are named after logging terms in a tribute to Maine's logging history. Trails include forty rated as green circle (23%), fifty-four blue square (31%), forty-four black diamond (25%), and thirty-six rated double black diamond (21%). There are also thirty named glades, six terrain parks, and a boarder-cross course. Lifts include three high-speed quads, three fixed-grip quads, one triple, five doubles, two T-bars, and one carpet surface lift. The Sugarloaf season runs from mid-November through early May.
History
The beginnings: 1950–1960
The first trail was cut at Sugarloaf in 1950 by the Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Club and a group of locals known as "The Bigelow Boys". Led by Amos Winter, along with Stub Taylor, they transformed the mountain into what is today one of the largest ski areas in the Northeast. The founding of the mountain was called for by the US ski association. They hired Pheous Sprague to find a mountain in Maine. Initially, they planned to have the mountain on the Bigelow mountain range, but when Flagstaff Lake was made the plans had to be scrapped. Phin Sprague then found Amos and Stub who knew of a mountain called Sugarloaf. Many documents relating to the founding and early years now reside at the Ski Museum of Maine in Kingfield, Maine.
In the summer of 1950 Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Club was formed and club member Amos Winter and many volunteers helped cut the first trail up Sugarloaf Mountain, appropriately named Winter's Way. It wound down the Mountain with a 1,800 vertical foot drop and was cut in many places across the hill. Amos noted later that this trail was flawed in its design. In 1952, the first of many ski races was held on Winter's Way.
In 1953 a rope tow was installed up the lower part of Winter's Way, which was a gentle slope and could be used by beginners and intermediates, while it helped take a few steps out of the hike for experts.
In the summer of 1955 the ski club issued stock and formed the Sugarloaf Mountain Corporation and the first T-Bar was installed. It ascended some 900 vertical feet from the base (a warming hut) and was capable of carrying some 600 skiers per hour. The Narrow Gauge trail was cut to skiers' left and Sluice to skiers' right.
A year later in the summer of 1956 another Constam T-Bar was purchased and installed. This T-Bar ran from the top of the first T-bar up into the snowfields another away (This T-bar is in the same place as the current #3 T-bar is today, and the first T-bar was in the place of current "Long Side" or Double Runner West).
In the summer of 1959 the base area was relocated some down the hill. A two-story lodge was built and another T-bar added to service the beginner area.
Sugarloaf/USA: 1960–1971
During the summer of 1961 the #4 and #5 T-bars were installed on the east side of the mountain. They opened up the area that is now called Whiffletree and King Pine Bowl. As of late 1961 electricity only went as far south as Sugarloaf (from the south through Rangeley via Rangeley Power Company Lines west to Eustis, and then south into Carrabassett Valley). The efforts of Leo Tague, a motel owner, brought power to the valley in the beginning of that winter.
During the summer of 1964 it was decided to install a lift made by Polig-Heckel-Bleichert. In the summer of 1965, Sugarloaf installed "The Mighty Gondola", a four-passenger PHB, aerial lift, rising convert 2350 vertical feet to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.
In the summer of 1969 the first chairlift was installed to the west of Tote Road. The chairlift, Bucksaw (which was taken down in 2015 and replaced with a high-speed quad chair in 2024), carried 945 passengers per hour up 1,200 vertical feet and over a mile. It opened up new intermediate terrain referred to now as West Mountain.
The second chairlift was installed in 1970 when Sugarloaf Mountain Corporation (SMC) bought the Sugarloaf Inn. This lift, Sawduster, was installed to carry passengers from the Inn to the Base Lodge.
The Tall Timber Classic is an alpine race course held on Sugarloaf's Narrow Gauge Trail. It has hosted the World Cup (1971) and three U.S. Nationals (1996) (2006) (2008) events, along with many other Downhills and Super-G's. Statistics for the Tall timber classic include a men's downhill vertical drop of and length of ; a women's downhill vertical drop of and length of ; a men's giant slalom vertical drop of and length of ; and a women's giant slalom vertical drop of and length of .
Growth and expansion: the 1970s
During the early 1970s there was a lack of snowfall throughout the Northeast. This event and the 1967 Oil Embargo a few years earlier would set Sugarloaf on a path towards bankruptcy a decade later. This lack of snowfall did have some positive effects however - snowmaking was installed. In 1973 Sugarloaf was unable to make any snow for December. Saddleback, located in nearby Rangeley, Maine did, however, have snowmaking (it was limited to the Wheeler Slope).
On October 26, 1971, the residents of then Jerusalem Township voted 21–13 to incorporate and create the town of Carrabassett Valley, Maine. The first town meeting was held the next year on April 26, 1972. Crocker and Wyman Townships declined to join Jerusalem township at first, but Crocker township joined the next year. The town would play a huge role in the development of Sugarloaf/USA and the nearby Sugarloaf Outdoors Center.
Valley Crossing was built near the airport, where the fire station, town hall, and many other local government and private buildings are located. The Valley Crossing Complex included ski shops, restaurants, condos, and commercial shops. Due to its location, however, the entire complex was moved up to the base of Sugarloaf.
In the summer of 1972 WTOS-FM "The Mountain of Pure Rock" radio station out of Skowhegan, Maine began transmitting from a radio tower perched on the top of Sugarloaf Mountain.
In the summer of 1973 two more lifts were installed, Double Runner East and West. They replaced the #2 T-Bar and were extended down further to be closer to the base lodge. They were both Borvig Double Chairs. They both had an uphill capacity of about 1,200 passenger per hour, and the two lifts are and . These lifts are both still in use today.
Because of the lack of snow for the 1973–74 season, SMC decided to install snowmaking. The first trail to have snowmaking installed was Narrow Gauge, where it was installed top to bottom.
That same summer the Spillway Chairs were installed. Spillway East, rated one of New England's best double chairs, stretched about long with a vertical rise of , and could carry about 1,200 passengers per hour. Those lifts were replaced in 2011 by the Skyline quad, after a derailment accident on Spillway East. The #3 T-Bar is still in operation today and operates on busy days and when the wind is too strong to allow for the Spillway Chairs to run.
With all the new real estate development and an increase in skier days, the power supply was becoming a problem. This changed however in 1975 when Rangeley Power Company was purchased by Central Maine Power (CMP). CMP built a new transmission line from the Wyman Hydro Dam in Moscow, Maine. Additionally, Carrabassett Valley annexed Sugarloaf Township (formerly Crocker Township).
Mountainside Corporation and the Appalachian Trail
Several important developments occurred in the late 1970s. On June 25, 1976, Mountainside Corporation was created to take charge of developing and marketing real estate development on Sugarloaf. Mountainside sold the Sugarloaf Inn to Peter Weber. Mountainside is responsible for the condos built along Buckboard off Whiffletree, and many other projects important to Sugarloaf's growth.
During this summer, the Appalachian Trail was moved from the summit of Sugarloaf, to over the summit of Crocker Mountain. In 1978 a fleet of Pisten Bullies was purchased for grooming; this became necessary because of the lack of natural snow. Larry Warren, appointed president in spring of 1979, negotiated the purchase of of land on the adjoining Burnt Mountain for future lift and trail development. At the end of the 1970s, Sugarloaf/USA had an uphill capacity of more than 9,000 skiers per hour.
The 1980s and 90s With the help of Peter Weber, a golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, was constructed at the resort. At the same time, the Carrabassett Valley Academy was also founded. The cost of building new real estate and overruns, along with the lack of natural snow and snowmaking, put SMC in debt.
In the year 2000, Sugarloaf/USA officially celebrated its 50th anniversary. The celebrations included a new color scheme which included orange, introduced for the year. In just fifty years Sugarloaf had moved from a mountain with just one trail, to one with over one-hundred-and-thirty trails, fourteen lifts, and had hosted World Cups, U.S. Nationals, and many other ski and snowboard events (Pictured is the Sugarloaf Logo with the orange scheme).Portland Press Herald Online .
New ownership: 2007–present
In August 2007 Sugarloaf was sold by American Skiing Company to CNL Lifestyle Properties, to be managed by Boyne Resorts. CNL/Boyne also purchased Sunday River, another Maine ski area owned by ASC.
Under new management, the resort promptly began performing overdue maintenance and upkeep that had begun to be neglected during lean ASC years. This included dismantling the old Gondola mid-station building, re-painting and maintaining lifts, towers, and buildings that were showing signs of neglect, and making significant upgrades to the resort's snowmaking system.Sugarloaf (Press Release) 17 August 2007, Retrieved 12 December 2008 Boyne Resorts also removed the "USA" from "Sugarloaf/USA." Boyne also installed the Moosecalator, a Magic Carpet, on The Birches Slope.
During the Summer of 2008, Sugarloaf saw more than $5 million in offseason upgrades, including all new pumps for the snowmaking system, 25 new Boyne Low-E fan guns, and 50 low energy HKD tower guns. The resort also installed all new trail signage, replaced old, run-down lift shacks with new lift building, and completely redesigned its Terrain Parks, including a new snowboardcross course designed by Olympian Seth Wescott. The resort also saw a significant expansion to its on-mountain restaurant, Bullwinkle's.