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Ski USA - Maine

Sugarloaf Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Sugarloaf Ski Resort

Sugarloaf Ratings

Overall: 4.0. Based on 28 votes and 8 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.2

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Sugarloaf is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.8

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Sugarloaf has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 4.4

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.3

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.2

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Sugarloaf.

Public Transport: 2.2

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Sugarloaf, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.4

(1) No places to stay in/near Sugarloaf, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.5

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.6

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Sugarloaf.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.7

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.6

(1) There are no child care facilities at Sugarloaf, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.5

(1) Sugarloaf relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.1

(1) There are no snow groomers at Sugarloaf, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Sugarloaf are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.2

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Sugarloaf is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.3

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Sugarloaf, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.7

(1) Sugarloaf usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.6

(1) The staff at Sugarloaf are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Sugarloaf are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.9

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.3

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.4

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.2

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.5

(1) No intermediate terrain at Sugarloaf, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.7

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 4.3

(1) Not even a kicker at Sugarloaf, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 4.5

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Sugarloaf, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 1.5

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Sugarloaf has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.1

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.2

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.9

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 4.0

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.3

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 4.2

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.6

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.0

(1) Overall, Sugarloaf is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.9

(1) Overall, Sugarloaf is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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March 01, 2018
Bob from Ski United States United States
Great mountain. Most obnoxious city folk stop at Sunday River to drink, party and show off their new clothes. Best part of distance from metro areas is no (?ed). I say again no lift lines. Just ski 'til you drop. My son learned to ski/snow board here 26 years ago and is now gainfully employed at Jackson Hole ski area. He still loves Sugarloaf and calls it “The Jackson Hole of the East”. Some bad publicity with a couple of lift mishaps but all have been replaced and now have a quick ride to the top. IF you love skiing this is the place in the east.
February 16, 2017
Loafer from Ski United States United States
Sugarloaf is the place to be if you are a dedicated hardcore east coast skier. Terrain like none other, and an amazing atmosphere to match. Sugarloaf the best backcountry skiing on the east coast and the grooming is certainly up to par. As for food, the bar located at the bottom of the mountain has a great atmosphere and great for apres-ski. All the people at Sugarloaf are dedicated, and make the trek to go up there every weekend. Sugarloaf is by far the best place to go on the East Coast.
October 18, 2015
cccski from Ski United States United States
Sugarloaf is a wonderful mountain in NW Maine. Terrain is the best in the east. Snow quality is generally excellent. Spring skiing is some of the best anywhere. On-mountain lodging is plentiful and most condos are ski in-ski out. The lift problems of past years are being resolved with a new Skyline lift to access the steeps. The King Pine lift is being rebuilt this summer with an entire new base station similar to Skyline. All other lifts have had state of the art upgrades for all emergency braking systems. Try it out. You won't be disappointed.
April 11, 2015
JJ Skiei from Ski United States United States
Great mountain; plenty of snow, variety of train. Trees are epic. Worst maintained lifts in the industry. One fell now one slid back 400 ft. Two are closed for the season. Needs to maintain the place before it goes bust.
January 09, 2012
Andy R from Ski United States United States
Having skied most of the east coast resorts I can safely say Sugarloaf is my fav in east! Has great steeps, new lift (Skyline), backside mtn & connecting glades (when conditions permit ), ever improving snowmaking w new owners , ex grooming & they have been keeping the mtn open till early May .... The drawbacks are windy conditions, north facing mtn. (often in shade), long drive, sometimes wind holds on major lifts, (new owners seem intent on improving this) ..... Great mtn, good vert. drop, worth the longer drive .....
January 05, 2012
J Sanford from Ski United States United States
Sugarloaf has outstanding ski and riding terrain. Steeps, huge glades, cruisers and terrain parks are here. The new Skyline Quad provides efficient and reliable access to some of Sugarloaf's best terrain. The mountain is a bit out of the way, but this ensures the slopes are generally un-crowded. Bring your cold weather gear in the winter months. Sugarloaf really shines in the spring providing some of the most reliable conditions in March and April.
January 04, 2012
Debbie Lutjen from Ski United States United States
Best mountain on the east coast. Outstanding terrain. Great people.
December 21, 2005
Rocco Fanucci from Ski United States United States
Although quite cold from December to February, this is a wonderful ski holiday destination. Enough to ski for a week, and many U.S. ski team trained here. Bode Miller, too. Good food daily at the Bag & Kettle, finer dining elsewhere as well -- including typically fresh Maine lobster. Wi-Fi Internet access throughout. Excellent pool and spa facilities. Day care/kindergarten facilities and staff are brilliant. Ski school is superb at all levels -- especially for children. Each and every staff member and manager enjoys what they do and it shows. Less than four hours from Boston and about eight from New York City. Montreal is closer, I think.

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