Sugarloaf or Sunday River?
March 4, 2008
For a mid-March 4-day ski trip to Maine, I ask, Sugarloaf or Sunday River? Why?
Definitely Sugarloaf. We stayed at Sunday River one year. Our ticket was good at Sugarloaf also. We drove to SL (about 2 hours) for one day. That was all it took. We never got to the summit because of wind hold on the summit lift, but I still fell in love with this mountain. It is just totally awesome. It is so big feeling, and there is just a good vibe there. The other couple we were with drove back the next day and they did get to the summit and skied the snowfields. They said it was awesome. I may be overusing that term but it's the only way I can describe it.
Sugarloaf is a big mountain with many trails avaliable off of each lift. Our one day there was not enough to do it justice. SR is more spread out, with 8 different peaks. The trails are somewhat similar off of each peak.
Sunday River is nice, don't get me wrong. I wish we had stayed at SL and then taken a day trip to SR. If you go to SL see if they still honor the other's tickets. It would be worth one day at SR if they still do. Both places have been sold since we went, so I don't know if that deal is still avaliable.
My vote is for Sugarloaf.
My vote is for Sugarloaf as well. I grew up in ME and granted, I learned to ski in VT but took my passion back to ME.
I've skied both pretty regularly since high school but now that my friends and I are getting out and exploring ski areas, we always head back to Sugarloaf. We get together every Christmas and ski Sugarloaf.
Sunday River is spread out among 8 peaks. What does that mean? You're traversing back and forth to get anywhere. Sugarloaf, on the other hand, is one (big [censored]) peak with parallel lifts getting you to where you want to go. And that view that you get as you come around "Ohh my God curve" is priceless.
Sugarloaf is a local's mountain too. My high school buddy that I ski with every Christmas went to college in Boston and she says that it took over six hours to get there from Boston. Granted, she was on a coach bus probably not going the speed limit but still, it's pretty far away. That means that the die hard skiiers ski the Loaf.
