Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen would see new lifts if permits are secured.
Sunday, June 25, 2023, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
Two new chairlifts could be installed at Sugarbush in 2024 if permits are secured, the Valley Reporter reports.
Margo Wade, Sugarbush's Director of Planning, disclosed the plans at the Mad River Valley Planning District’s Steering Committee June meeting. According to the Valley Reporter, Wade told the group that Alterra is funding the replacement of the Heaven's Gate and North Ridge chairlifts next year. Vermont Act 250 filings have not yet been made.
The upper mountain lift on Lincoln Peak, Heaven's Gate is a 1984 Poma Triple. The lift climbs 1,444 vertical feet to the second-highest top terminal at the resort. A fixed grip chairlift is expected to be installed in its place. A new Reverse Traverse is being constructed this year to provide direct access to Heaven's Gate from the lower mountain Valley House Quad.
A redundant, but crucial main mountain lift on Mt. Ellen, the North Ridge Quad parallels the upper portion of the Green Mountain Express and the lower portion of the Summit Quad. Originally installed in 1990 as the Green Mountain Express, the Poma detachable quad chairlift was relocated to its current lift line in 1995. The lift climbs 1,690 vertical feet, terminating near elevation 3,750 feet. Another detachable chairlift is expected to be installed in its place.
The new chairlifts would be the first installed at Sugarbush since Alterra acquired the resort in 2020. Three lower mountain Doppelmayr fixed grip quads were installed during the final years of Summit Ventures' ownership.
