Lift Updates
While the pandemic has left many plans up in the air, we've been hard at work preparing for the upcoming winter. Despite getting a late start this summer, our Mountain Operations team has made great progress over the past two months.
In addition to many routine maintenance projects and inspections, our lift maintenance team recently replaced the return bullwheel on the SuperQuad. This spring our mechanics detected early signs of fatigue in the in the steel of the existing bullwheel - normal wear and tear for a high-tension lift like the SuperQuad. We contracted Doppelmayr to oversee the replacement this summer and which also provided a valuable educational opportunity for our staff.
We are working to install our new dual-frequency RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) ticketing system at key entry points, and plan to have it up and running by the start of the season. The new system will completely transform your Sugarloaf experience, streamlining the arrival process with direct-to-lift convenience, as well as limiting person-to-person contact.
In addition to the access terminals at the lift, we have also purchased 10 RFID Pick-up Boxes which will allow you to bypass the ticket window to pick up pre-purchased lift tickets and season passes. All ticket and pass media will also be reloadable to make the experience quicker and more efficient.
As you likely remember, we announced a new 10-year development plan back in February, called Sugarloaf 2030. The centerpiece of that plan is the West Mountain Expansion, which includes the development of nearly 450 acres of terrain on West Mountain with new alpine trails, snowmaking, a new high speed chairlift, tubing park, downhill mountain bike trails, and residential real estate. This project remains on schedule, and we are moving forward this summer with the engineering and permitting processes currently underway.
Our hotel spa and Caribou Pond dam projects, which had been scheduled to be completed this summer, have been delayed but remain in our plans for the near future.