CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Sugarloaf kicked off its 65th season on Saturday, Nov. 21, by opening its 1,750 vertical feet of skiing on Kings Landing and Candyside, serviced by the SuperQuad chairlift.
Despite above-normal temperatures for most of November, Sugarloaf’s snowmakers were able to run as many as 120 snowguns earlier in the week, making enough snow to cover more than two miles of terrain. By opening this weekend, Sugarloaf will become just the fourth resort in the Northeast to open for the 2015-16 season.
Opening day, with lift tickets at just $39 for all ages, is recommended for advanced skiers and riders only as snowmaking continues on Tote Road.
“At this time of the year, we are always at the mercy of Mother Nature,” said Rich Wilkinson, Sugarloaf’s vice president of mountain operations. “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 weather windows to get this place ready to go.”
The resort plans operate on a condensed schedule of 8:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Wednesday, and begin regular season daily operations on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26.
This year’s opening is made possible thanks in large part to Sugarloaf’s investment of more than $2 million in new snowmaking technology over the past four years, which has added more than 600 new low-energy snowguns. The new equipment has allowed the resort to make more snow than ever before, while simultaneously reducing the associated energy use by 20 percent. These new snowguns now make up 90 percent of the snowmaking fleet.
For more information on snowmaking and conditions, visit www.sugarloaf.com.
