My Experience at Sugarbush Resort : What to Avoid & Recommendations
Sugarbush Resort is located in Warren, Vermont and is a huge mountain to ski/snowboard at. While it is not quite as big as Killington, it still holds it’s own with the number and various amount of terrain that it offers. Sugarbush is composed of a couple different peaks, the biggest and most well-known are Mount Ellen and Lincoln Peak. Over the winter, I skied at Sugarbush and Mad River Glen and stayed in Warren, Vermont. I stayed at a quaint, cozy bed and breakfast about 2 minutes from Mad River Glen on Route 17.
I really enjoyed my time at these two mountains. However, if you want more of a local feel, then definitely go to Mad River Glen. Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak side) is very touristy and built up. There are a lot of beginner to intermediate skiers at Sugarbush, so if this isn’t your vibe, I suggest skiing/snowboarding at Mount Ellen (can purchase a lift ticket only for Mount Ellen) or Mad River Glen. From my experience, I wanted to share what was worth seeing and what you should avoid and my honest review of Sugarbush. I have been skiing since I was 6 years old, and I’m in my late 20’s now, so I am an advanced/expert skier. Thus, I will be talking a lot about the advanced trails offered at Sugarbush.
In this article you will read about my time and trails skied at Sugarbush Resort, Sugarbush Resort Vermont, Sugarbush Resort trails, Sugarbush Resort lift tickets, Sugarbush Resort reviews, Sugarbush Resort address, Sugarbush Resort vs. Killington, and more.
This article is all about Sugarbush Resort.
Sugarbush Resort:
Mountain Stats
Sugarbush Resort has a total of 111 trails, 2 mountains, 16 lifts, almost 30 glades, and Slide Brook Basin (backcountry skiers/snowboarders). Safe to say, this resort offers everything you are looking for, whether you are a beginner or expert, all various terrain is available at Sugarbush. Unfortunately, it is now owned by Alterra Mountain Company, aka Ikon Pass. However, you can still purchase a lift ticket solely for Mount Ellen, which will be about $40-60 cheaper depending on the time of year.
If you want more of a local feel, ski at Mount Ellen or “Glen Ellen.” Sugarbush use to only incorporate Lincoln Peak and “Glen Ellen” was a separate ski mountain. In the 1970s, the two resorts became one. However, it wasn’t until 1995, that they installed the Slide Brook Express, chair lift, that now connects the two resorts. If you are interested, you can learn more about the history of Sugarbush, here.
Town to Stay Near Sugarbush
Sugarbush, is located in Warren, Vermont. I stayed in Waitsfield, Vermont, at the Griff, which is about 10 minutes from the resort. The Griff was a lovely, quaint, bed and breakfast. However, the building was older, so you could hear a lot of movements, thus, if this bothers you, I would advise staying somewhere else. I will say, Warren, Vermont is truly in the middle of nowhere. And I’ve been to A LOT of small towns in Vermont, this is TRULY a small town. Warren does not have much of a downtown, however, Waitsfield, has a nice little downtown/shopping area. In downtown Waitsfield, you will find a grocery store, gas stations, and some nice restaurants.
There are plenty of AirBnB’s, hotels, and resorts to stay at in Warren and Waitsfield, Vermont. The hotels are pretty reasonable. You could always stay at Lincoln Peak, however, I’m sure it’s more expensive. Thus, if you want more affordable options, I would stay at either an AirBnB or hotel in Warren or Waitsfield, Vermont.
Trails I Skied at Sugarbush Resort : My Experience
When I skied at Sugarbush I started my day at Lincoln Peak parking area. However, that was short-lived when I realized I was going to be parking in lots 4 or 5 even on a weekday. I quickly turned my car in reverse and parked at Mount Ellen instead. The resort has “two” main sides to it, Lincoln Peak (which is the more touristy side) and Mount Ellen or “Glen Ellen” (the local side, less crowded).
Once I was at Mount Ellen, I took my stuff and walked into the lodge. I left my skis at the ski racks and asked one of the mountain welcomers where I could pick up my pass and they showed me to one of the kiosk. You will need to present a copy of your receipt with the barcode to scan at the kiosk (if bought tickets online). I was worried since I bought a full mountain pass (good for both Mount Ellen and Lincoln) that I wasn’t going to be able to pick it up at Mount Ellen. However, that was not the case. I was able to pickup my pass at Mount Ellen. As previously stated, you can solely purchase a lift ticket for Mount Ellen, however, Ellen offers only about a third of the trails that Lincoln does.
Once, I got my ticket, I went into the lodge and suited up for the day ahead of me. Then, I went outside, pickup my skis, and went to the Green Mountain Express Quad. When I got off the lift, it was too tempting to not go on the summit quad. So, I cross-countried to the summit Quad. Since I skied on a very spring day, I did not try any of the woods, as they were not open, the snow was fleeting. However, I did get an amazing blue-bird view on the top of Mount Ellen.
Once I took many pictures and videos on the summit, I skied down Panorama to the Slide Brook Express Quad. This quad takes you all the way to Lincoln Peak. This quad is wild. You can ride it both ways, so you can get to Lincoln and or Ellen. It is steep. When you go up it’s fine but the down parts you really feel the steepness. It is a pretty fast lift, I think it only took about 10 minutes to get to Lincoln. Also, the area in-between and under the chair lift, is called the Slide Brook Basin region. You can backcountry ski/snowboard here and they offer private backcountry lessons here.
Gate House Lift & Morning Star
Once I got to the other side, again, I cross-countried skied to the North Lynx Chair. When I got off the North Lynx chair I skied under the lift onto Morning Star. Accidentally, I skied Sleeper all the way to the bottom of the mountain to the Gate House Lift. I was trying to find the connection trail to Castlerock. However, I did not find it. So, I went on the Gate House lift and back up the North Lynx Chair. Then, I skied Birch Run and scoured the right side of the trail for the Castle Connection Trail.
This time, I did find it and took it. However, it was SUPER hard to find. Like I said, I scoured the right side for it and there was a little sign saying it will take you to the Castlerock area. Also, this was more of a cross-country trail rather than a catwalk. There was a lot of work and cross-country skiing to finally get to the Castlerock area. Also, lots of bare spots and rivers here because I skied on a very warm day.
The connection trail took me to the bottom of the Castlerock Double. From the top of Castlerock there are only expert (black diamonds) trails available. So, please know your level before skiing/snowboarding in this area. Also, the day I went was very spring skiing with lots of bare patches and moguls. Thus, they had signs saying only ride this lift if you can ski/snowboard at an expert level. All the trails here were bumped up as well.
When I got to the top I skied off to my left and went down Castlerock Run into Bailout. Castlerock Run was VERY bare. I was very happy to see Bailout and take that trail into Heaven’s Gate Lift. Heaven’s Gate lift will bring you to the summit of Lincoln Peak. Once I was at the summit of Lincoln, I took some pictures and skied Jester into Murphy’s Glades into Lower Birdland then finally to the Super Bravo 6 Express Quad.
This, is where things got tricky. I was so focused on getting over to Lincoln Peak that I never looked at a way to get back to Mount Ellen. I found that it was much easier to get to Lincoln Peak from Ellen than the reverse. There were no cut-offs to get back to Mount Ellen. Because of this, I took many unanticipated runs.
Super Bravo 6 & Returning to Ellen
I thought there was a way to cut to the Slide Brook lift from the Super Bravo 6 Express Quad. This was not the case. So, when I got to the Super Bravo lift I took Downsprout to Castlerock. Again, I thought there was a cut-off from Castlerock to Mount Ellen, again this was not the case. However, I did not know this when I got to the Castlerock lift and I asked the lift attendant if there was a way to cut towards Mount Ellen or back to the right side of the mountain.
The lift attendant told me the devastating news of no, no cut-off unless you go to the bottom of the mountain. Now, I was really confused by this because on the trail map it looks like you can’t get back to the Gate House lift from Super Bravo 6. Super Bravo 6 is where I would have funneled back to from Castlerock lift. Also, the Gate House is what I wanted so I could finally get back to the Slide Brook lift. So, at last, after the lift attendant told me this sad news, I was already boarding the Castlerock Double so I got on and accepted my fate.
Again, once at the top of Castlerock, I took Middle Earth to Troll Road. Troll Road takes you all the way to the bottom of Lincoln. On Troll Road there is a fair amount of cross-country skiing. Then, if you keep going to your left past the Super Bravo 6 Lift, you will find the Gate House. Finally, I boarded the Gate House, got to the top of that and finally saw the Slide Brook Lift again. The Gate House, Slide Brook, and North Lynx lifts all let off in the same area.
I was so HAPPY to see the Slide Brook chairlift at this point. It was almost 3pm at this point and I had huge blisters on the inside of my feet from a backcountry class I took the week before. I was very ready to get back to Mount Ellen.
Finally, when I got back to Mount Ellen, I took Crackerjack into Green Mountain Quad into the Summit Quad for one final run. I skied Rim Run to Elbow Run. And that was everything I skied while at Sugarbush Resort. Overall, I enjoyed skiing at Sugarbush Vermont. However, there were two major downsides. One being SO much cross-country skiing. This could have been due to the spring skiing conditions or it may just be designed that way. Also, there’s no easy way to get back to Mount Ellen.
Sugarbush Review & Sugarbush vs. Killington
Overall, I enjoyed my time at Sugarbush Resort. I am bummed that the glades weren’t opened, however, I thought they did a good job at keeping the snow on the mountain despite the high temperatures. In addition, I thought they did a good job at trying to keep as much open as they could. I will say, things could be better marked and the lifts could have less cross-country drop-off areas. Lastly, there should be a way from the upper mountain at Lincoln Peak, to get back to Mount Ellen. Overall, I would definitely ski again at Sugarbush.
Alternatively, Sugarbush’s rival of the south, Killington, is an awesome resort. Killington is bigger than Sugarbush, having 155 trails. I skied at Killington for the first time this winter in February, and it did not disappoint. Conditions could not have been better, the glades were AMAZING. I was truly and pleasantly surprised by Killington and loved it, despite the horrendously expensive lift tickets. Now, I also skied Killington on a perfect day, so I don’t know if I can compare the two fairly, because, Sugarbush didn’t have any of their glades open when I went. Thus, I would say, whatever resort is closer to you, is worth going to. I believe they offer about the same terrain, thus, wherever is easier for you to get to, I would go to. You will have a great time, regardless of the mountain.
In conclusion, that wraps up my experience at Sugarbush Resort and what I recommend and would avoid. I hope this article was helpful and you gained some good tips about this mountain. Thank you so much for reading and take care!
