TomWhite
Below is from Liftblog.com. I added more from Sugarloaf's site (Phase I...). Both sites have maps.
Sugarloaf Outlines West Mountain Expansion & Future Lift Upgrades
February 18, 2020Peter Landsman
Boyne Resorts will embark on a major investment campaign at Sugarloaf in the coming years called Sugarloaf 2030, similar to plans revealed recently for Big Sky, Loon Mountain and Sunday River. The central Maine resort will begin work this summer on a 450 acre expansion of West Mountain with a variety of new trails. The area will eventually feature a big new lift. As part of the expansion, the current West Mountain double will be shortened to about half its current length. The expansion includes a modest new base area with expanded parking, tubing and a small lodge. “This development will expand Sugarloaf’s beginner and intermediate terrain, and will greatly alleviate traffic congestion at the SuperQuad by shifting significant numbers of riders to this new area,” says the Sugarloaf 2030 website. “Several options are being considered for size and type of lift for this location, with lift construction expected to begin in the summer of 2021.” The lift will be designed with foot passengers in mind as Bullwinkle’s will see expanded use for weddings and conferences. West Mountain will also be home to a future lift-served mountain bike park.
Lifts across the mountain will be replaced over the next decade. Timberline, a Borvig quad serving the summit will be replaced with another new lift supporting varied year round experiences. A third near term priority is the Double Runner double-double, which is approaching 50 years of age. A new quad would better serve ski school programs and increase out-of-base capacity. Carrabassett Valley Academy also plans to partner with Sugarloaf on a new alpine training surface lift servicing race trails above Double Runner.
Further out, Boyne plans to replace two more aging quads. A new King Pine would run in a modified alignment with better wind resistance and improved reliability. A future SuperQuad replacement is more about increasing capacity with state-of-the-art equipment.
Between this new plan, Sunday River’s vision announced two weeks ago and the rebirth of Saddleback, the 2020s are already proving to be an exciting time in Maine. The Pine Tree State is well positioned to be a great place to ski in a changing climate and companies are responding with big investment plans.
Phase I of the West Mountain Expansion
Summer of 2020 will see the completion of the design and permitting phase of the West Mountain Expansion, as well as initial phases of tree cutting for trail development and lift installation.
Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel Spa
The Sugarloaf Mountain hotel will see construction of a new 4600 square foot spa, which will provide hotel guests with a full suite of spa services. The new spa will elevate the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel experience, and make the property more appealing to wedding and conference guests.
RFID Ticketing
Summer 2020 will see the installation of a new dual-frequency RFID ticketing system at Sugarloaf – a transformational change that will improve traffic flow and guest experience. RFID gates utilize a radio frequency chip inside the pass and ticket media, allowing the gate to recognize whether a pass is valid or invalid for a given day. The RFID tickets are reloadable online, allowing guests to skip the ticket line altogether and head directly to the lift, reducing time spent in line and increasing time spent on snow.
Caribou Pond Dam
In the summer of 2020 Sugarloaf will construct a new dam on Caribou Pond, which is the headwater of the Carrabassett River – Sugarloaf’s water source for its snowmaking system. The dam will allow Sugarloaf to regulate the flow of the river and maintain a consistent amount of water. This will serve as the first major step in a multi-year project to completely overhaul Sugarloaf’s entire snowmaking infrastructure and more than double its pumping capacity, pushing the resort closer to its goal of covering all snowmaking trails before Christmas each year. In addition, Sugarloaf will invest in HKD KLIK hydrants – the first step toward snowmaking automation.
conrad
Really like the Bucksaw concept. Yes there are a few trails over there I hate to see get discovered by everyone, but overall it will draw the crowds away from other parts of the mountain which can only be a good thing. The only thing that worries me is all the "future development land" shown on the map. Hope that doesn't all turn into real estate.
NELSAP
Based on my experiences skiing there, that West Mountain chair is about the loneliest, long chair I have ever seen. It's just a transport lift mainly for the homes over there. Clearly when it was built they were considering more trails over there, hence it being only half of a double double. Good to see more trails in this plan.
