SUGARBUSH SNOWBOARDING
Click For Full Size Trail Map
www.sugarbush.com
www.alpineoptions.com
www.puresnowboard.com
www.romesnowboards.com
www.burton.com
Click For Full Size Trail Map
www.sugarbush.com
www.alpineoptions.com
www.puresnowboard.com
www.romesnowboards.com
www.burton.com
Here is some more detailed information about snowboarding at Sugarbush Resort.
Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort has one main advantage over other Resorts in the Northeast. That advantage is simply having many different types of trails and terrain on which to snowboard. When you combine the trails at Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen, you end up with an experience that you can't compare to other mountains. Instead of having one big mountain area and a small side area, you actually have two full size mountains with equally diverse terrain. So, when the snow comes down, you can choose your favorite spot on one mountain, snowboard down it, and then head to your favorite spot on the other mountain to get the best of both. You could also snowboard at one mountain each day.
To begin with, Lincoln Peak is the focal point of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort. Lincoln Peak is where most of the new Base Lodge development is going on and has the most going on for Dining and Entertainment. There are numerous places to eat and drink including the base lodge cafeteria, Castlerock Pub, and Timbers Restaurant. One of the best places to stop for a snack or to eat lunch is Allen's Lodge at the top of the Super Bravo chair. There is a nice fireplace to warm your feet and you can snowboard in from the trails and snowboard out. There are two other excellent places to stop for lunch/dinner that are located in the Sugarbush Snowboarding Village to the right of the bunny trail (when looking at the mountain). One is Mutha Stuffa's, which serves Subs and meat stuffed breads, and the other is Chez Henri Bistro, which serves French quisine.
NORTH LYNX PEAK
A nice place to start your introduction to Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort is on the North Lynx Peak area. The GATE HOUSE EXPRESS QUAD services the lower half of the peak and the NORTH LYNX TRIPLE services the upper half. In between the top of GATE HOUSE and NORTH LYNX is a chair called THE SLIDE BROOK EXPRESS QUAD that connects Lincoln Peak with Mt. Ellen on weekends. North Lynx Peak is one of the more sunny parts of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort.
Most of the trails that start from the GATE HOUSE EXPRESS QUAD are good for beginner or intermediate snowboarders. Any difficult sections of the trails are usually short and the majority of each trail is good for learning, cruising, warming up, and cooling down. GATE HOUSE is a fast chair that allows you to make a bunch of short runs in a short amount of time.
From the top of GATE HOUSE you must skate across a flat area to reach the NORTH LYNX TRIPLE. This chair will take you to the top of North Lynx Peak where you have a choice of three trails of varying difficulty. Birch Run is the easiest and most consistent and then you have Morning Star under the lift and Sunrise on the other side of the lift. This is a fun peak to snowboard on because there are usually fewer people and Birch Run is long and wide. There is an incredible view off of the back side of the peak.
GADD PEAK
Gadd Peak contains a diverse trail system from intermediate to expert snowboarder. The easy and intermediate trails cut back and forth across the mountain while the black diamond and expert tree runs drop in and go straight down the steeper sections. Stein's Run, one of the best and most challenging trails on the mountain, is found in the middle of Gadd Peak and is filled with huge, intense moguls and fall lines. Another amazing trail is called Twist (or Lixie's Twist) and is a dynamic off pitch mogul run that holds snow and keeps you guessing and smiling the whole way down the trail. Finally, there is one of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort's staple runs called Spring Fling which stays open well into the spring. This trail is great for wide open turns, lots of speed, and is where Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort holds their weekly races and other gate slamming action.
LINCOLN PEAK
Now for the upper mountain long run extravaganza that makes Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort's Lincoln Peak the focal point of Snowboarding at Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort. To reach Lincoln Peak as fast as possible, which you will want to know how to do on days when the powder is deep, first take the Super Bravo Express Quad to the top of Gadd Peak and exit straight off of the chair (You will be looking at Allyn's Lodge). Head down the slope toward the Lodge and follow the downhill turn to the right. After that, keep up and to the left until you meet up with a trail called Downspout. Follow Downspout down until you see a chair on the left. This chair, called Heaven's Gate Triple, will place you at the crossroads of Lincoln Peak. At this point, you have a number of terrain options that make Lincoln Peak diverse and popular among both beginner and expert snowboarders. For beginner snowboarders and for warming up, head to the left and take Jester. This trail is a great long distance cruiser trail with banks off the side, big turns, and amazing views of the surrounding area. The more advanced snowboarder may head underneath the chairlift onto Ripcord or to the left onto Organ Grinder. Both of these trails are steep and are filled with an exciting combination of moguls and high speed sections that will challenge a snowboarder at any speed. The last and very technical option is to head off of the chairlift to the right and onto a trail that branches off to the left at the top of Ripcord. The trail, aptly named Paradise, is a mix of super steep moguls, sharp odd angle turns, roots, trees, rocks, and woods sections. This is one of those places that can tire you out and give you a glimpse of what people look for in challenging snowboard terrain. The main trail, Paradise, heads down the mountain and has clumps of trees and exciting, sharp turns. To the left of the main trail, there are glades and chutes that can be accessed by cutting into the trees and scrub to the left. The glade areas are very technical and sometimes very tight and dangerous and at the same time have openings which allow for beautiful turns and much happiness, in other words "Paradise". Enjoy!
CASTLEROCK PEAK
The Cherry on top of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort's Snowboarding Sundae is definately CASTLEROCK PEAK. There is no snow making on any of the CASTLEROCK trails and it is filled with small, steep, twisting trails. Similar to Mad River Glen, this part of the mountain is challenging and amazing on powder days and the days following those powder days.
There are two ways to reach the Castlerock Double. One way starts from the Super Bravo Express Quad and the other starts from the Gatehouse Express Quad. From Super Bravo Express Quad, ride to the top of Gadd Peak and exit the chair straight and to the right and follow signs to Downspout. Take Downspout to Lower Downspout which is a flatter runout trail and look for a trail on the left with a sign identifying the Castlerock Chair. Depending on the time of day and weather, this trail can be closed. You should be able to see the lift at this point and hopefully, not too much of a line. Next, get in line and wait for your turn. Be careful because the chairs on this lift are spaced very far apart so you wait for a while at the loading spot. As you ascend the mountain, you will be above a gnarly trail called Liftline that is great on some days and very rocky in certain spots the rest of the season.
Once you reach the top, there are three main trails to snowboard down the mountain. The first trail is called Castlerock Run. To take Castlerock Run, exit the chairlift to the left and towards the Ski Patrol/Warming Hut. Castlerock Run is usually filled with small to medium sized moguls and has a pleasant but challenging flow between it's straight sections and turns. About half way down the trail, you must turn right to continue on to Lower Castlerock Run. (If you continue straight, you will be on a trail called Cottilion.) Lower Castlerock Run is a winding more mellow mogul run that eventually meets up with the Lower Liftline trail. Also, if you would like to cut across the mountain to get to the Heaven's Gate Triple, there is a trail called Bailout on the right side of Lower Castlerock Run that will meet up with Lower Ripcord above the lift.
The second trail is called Liftline and is one of the most intense trails at Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort. To reach this trail, you can turn left and snowboard directly under the lift or take Castlerock Run and take the first trail to the left that will connect you to Liftline. At this point, there is a huge rock that you must snowboard around or over to continue on the trail. The rest of the trail is steep and rocky and exciting.
The third and final trail option is called Middle Earth. To reach Middle Earth, exit the chairlift to the right. The trail starts out with an easy traversing slope to the top of a field of what can sometimes be huge and unruly moguls. When you add these huge moguls to the odd turns that the trail takes, you end up with a very difficult trail that will challenge you and push your legs to their snowboarding limit.
Besides the trails, Castlerock has some tree runs that are great. You basically snowboard between the trails and try to find open patches to drop down. It is difficult but can be quite fun when the snow is deep. Any tree snowboarding is dangerous and should be done in coordinated groups.
Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort has one main advantage over other Resorts in the Northeast. That advantage is simply having many different types of trails and terrain on which to snowboard. When you combine the trails at Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen, you end up with an experience that you can't compare to other mountains. Instead of having one big mountain area and a small side area, you actually have two full size mountains with equally diverse terrain. So, when the snow comes down, you can choose your favorite spot on one mountain, snowboard down it, and then head to your favorite spot on the other mountain to get the best of both. You could also snowboard at one mountain each day.
To begin with, Lincoln Peak is the focal point of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort. Lincoln Peak is where most of the new Base Lodge development is going on and has the most going on for Dining and Entertainment. There are numerous places to eat and drink including the base lodge cafeteria, Castlerock Pub, and Timbers Restaurant. One of the best places to stop for a snack or to eat lunch is Allen's Lodge at the top of the Super Bravo chair. There is a nice fireplace to warm your feet and you can snowboard in from the trails and snowboard out. There are two other excellent places to stop for lunch/dinner that are located in the Sugarbush Snowboarding Village to the right of the bunny trail (when looking at the mountain). One is Mutha Stuffa's, which serves Subs and meat stuffed breads, and the other is Chez Henri Bistro, which serves French quisine.
NORTH LYNX PEAK
A nice place to start your introduction to Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort is on the North Lynx Peak area. The GATE HOUSE EXPRESS QUAD services the lower half of the peak and the NORTH LYNX TRIPLE services the upper half. In between the top of GATE HOUSE and NORTH LYNX is a chair called THE SLIDE BROOK EXPRESS QUAD that connects Lincoln Peak with Mt. Ellen on weekends. North Lynx Peak is one of the more sunny parts of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort.
Most of the trails that start from the GATE HOUSE EXPRESS QUAD are good for beginner or intermediate snowboarders. Any difficult sections of the trails are usually short and the majority of each trail is good for learning, cruising, warming up, and cooling down. GATE HOUSE is a fast chair that allows you to make a bunch of short runs in a short amount of time.
From the top of GATE HOUSE you must skate across a flat area to reach the NORTH LYNX TRIPLE. This chair will take you to the top of North Lynx Peak where you have a choice of three trails of varying difficulty. Birch Run is the easiest and most consistent and then you have Morning Star under the lift and Sunrise on the other side of the lift. This is a fun peak to snowboard on because there are usually fewer people and Birch Run is long and wide. There is an incredible view off of the back side of the peak.
GADD PEAK
Gadd Peak contains a diverse trail system from intermediate to expert snowboarder. The easy and intermediate trails cut back and forth across the mountain while the black diamond and expert tree runs drop in and go straight down the steeper sections. Stein's Run, one of the best and most challenging trails on the mountain, is found in the middle of Gadd Peak and is filled with huge, intense moguls and fall lines. Another amazing trail is called Twist (or Lixie's Twist) and is a dynamic off pitch mogul run that holds snow and keeps you guessing and smiling the whole way down the trail. Finally, there is one of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort's staple runs called Spring Fling which stays open well into the spring. This trail is great for wide open turns, lots of speed, and is where Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort holds their weekly races and other gate slamming action.
LINCOLN PEAK
Now for the upper mountain long run extravaganza that makes Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort's Lincoln Peak the focal point of Snowboarding at Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort. To reach Lincoln Peak as fast as possible, which you will want to know how to do on days when the powder is deep, first take the Super Bravo Express Quad to the top of Gadd Peak and exit straight off of the chair (You will be looking at Allyn's Lodge). Head down the slope toward the Lodge and follow the downhill turn to the right. After that, keep up and to the left until you meet up with a trail called Downspout. Follow Downspout down until you see a chair on the left. This chair, called Heaven's Gate Triple, will place you at the crossroads of Lincoln Peak. At this point, you have a number of terrain options that make Lincoln Peak diverse and popular among both beginner and expert snowboarders. For beginner snowboarders and for warming up, head to the left and take Jester. This trail is a great long distance cruiser trail with banks off the side, big turns, and amazing views of the surrounding area. The more advanced snowboarder may head underneath the chairlift onto Ripcord or to the left onto Organ Grinder. Both of these trails are steep and are filled with an exciting combination of moguls and high speed sections that will challenge a snowboarder at any speed. The last and very technical option is to head off of the chairlift to the right and onto a trail that branches off to the left at the top of Ripcord. The trail, aptly named Paradise, is a mix of super steep moguls, sharp odd angle turns, roots, trees, rocks, and woods sections. This is one of those places that can tire you out and give you a glimpse of what people look for in challenging snowboard terrain. The main trail, Paradise, heads down the mountain and has clumps of trees and exciting, sharp turns. To the left of the main trail, there are glades and chutes that can be accessed by cutting into the trees and scrub to the left. The glade areas are very technical and sometimes very tight and dangerous and at the same time have openings which allow for beautiful turns and much happiness, in other words "Paradise". Enjoy!
CASTLEROCK PEAK
The Cherry on top of Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort's Snowboarding Sundae is definately CASTLEROCK PEAK. There is no snow making on any of the CASTLEROCK trails and it is filled with small, steep, twisting trails. Similar to Mad River Glen, this part of the mountain is challenging and amazing on powder days and the days following those powder days.
There are two ways to reach the Castlerock Double. One way starts from the Super Bravo Express Quad and the other starts from the Gatehouse Express Quad. From Super Bravo Express Quad, ride to the top of Gadd Peak and exit the chair straight and to the right and follow signs to Downspout. Take Downspout to Lower Downspout which is a flatter runout trail and look for a trail on the left with a sign identifying the Castlerock Chair. Depending on the time of day and weather, this trail can be closed. You should be able to see the lift at this point and hopefully, not too much of a line. Next, get in line and wait for your turn. Be careful because the chairs on this lift are spaced very far apart so you wait for a while at the loading spot. As you ascend the mountain, you will be above a gnarly trail called Liftline that is great on some days and very rocky in certain spots the rest of the season.
Once you reach the top, there are three main trails to snowboard down the mountain. The first trail is called Castlerock Run. To take Castlerock Run, exit the chairlift to the left and towards the Ski Patrol/Warming Hut. Castlerock Run is usually filled with small to medium sized moguls and has a pleasant but challenging flow between it's straight sections and turns. About half way down the trail, you must turn right to continue on to Lower Castlerock Run. (If you continue straight, you will be on a trail called Cottilion.) Lower Castlerock Run is a winding more mellow mogul run that eventually meets up with the Lower Liftline trail. Also, if you would like to cut across the mountain to get to the Heaven's Gate Triple, there is a trail called Bailout on the right side of Lower Castlerock Run that will meet up with Lower Ripcord above the lift.
The second trail is called Liftline and is one of the most intense trails at Sugarbush Snowboarding Resort. To reach this trail, you can turn left and snowboard directly under the lift or take Castlerock Run and take the first trail to the left that will connect you to Liftline. At this point, there is a huge rock that you must snowboard around or over to continue on the trail. The rest of the trail is steep and rocky and exciting.
The third and final trail option is called Middle Earth. To reach Middle Earth, exit the chairlift to the right. The trail starts out with an easy traversing slope to the top of a field of what can sometimes be huge and unruly moguls. When you add these huge moguls to the odd turns that the trail takes, you end up with a very difficult trail that will challenge you and push your legs to their snowboarding limit.
Besides the trails, Castlerock has some tree runs that are great. You basically snowboard between the trails and try to find open patches to drop down. It is difficult but can be quite fun when the snow is deep. Any tree snowboarding is dangerous and should be done in coordinated groups.
