JC
New member
Just got back from skiing Sugarbush this weekend with my wife and kids. We really liked the resort and terrain, but were quite frustrated by the frequent wind holds on the lifts.
On Saturday all of Mt. Ellen was closed and on the other side the only lifts operating for most of the day were Gate House and Bravo. Castle Rock opened part way through the day. On Sunday, the weather was nicer...sunny with moderate winds and the occasional strong gust. We decided to give Mt. Ellen a try, given the improved weather. All of the lifts were running except the North Ridge chair in the morning, but after lunch they shut down all of the lifts on Mt. Ellen again and we had to go back over to the other side to eke out a few more runs before driving back to NJ. Shutting down all of the lifts, even the lower ones at Mt. Ellen seemed a little excessive to me.
Sugarbush insisted that they are merely abiding by Vermont state laws and must close the lifts once winds exceed a certain amount. I've been skiing for 35 years and on many days that were windier than Sunday at Sugarbush and never experienced the degree of wind holds that we did last weekend (recent experiences on the Green Mountain Freezer, Summit quad at Whiteface and the Mineral Basin Express at Snowbird come to mind).
I'd like to find out the real scoop. Is Sugarbush that more exposed than the other areas, more risk-averse or have the rules become more restrictive in recent years for all resorts? Did any other Vermont resorts place the majority of their lifts on wind hold on both Saturday and Sunday?
On Saturday all of Mt. Ellen was closed and on the other side the only lifts operating for most of the day were Gate House and Bravo. Castle Rock opened part way through the day. On Sunday, the weather was nicer...sunny with moderate winds and the occasional strong gust. We decided to give Mt. Ellen a try, given the improved weather. All of the lifts were running except the North Ridge chair in the morning, but after lunch they shut down all of the lifts on Mt. Ellen again and we had to go back over to the other side to eke out a few more runs before driving back to NJ. Shutting down all of the lifts, even the lower ones at Mt. Ellen seemed a little excessive to me.
Sugarbush insisted that they are merely abiding by Vermont state laws and must close the lifts once winds exceed a certain amount. I've been skiing for 35 years and on many days that were windier than Sunday at Sugarbush and never experienced the degree of wind holds that we did last weekend (recent experiences on the Green Mountain Freezer, Summit quad at Whiteface and the Mineral Basin Express at Snowbird come to mind).
I'd like to find out the real scoop. Is Sugarbush that more exposed than the other areas, more risk-averse or have the rules become more restrictive in recent years for all resorts? Did any other Vermont resorts place the majority of their lifts on wind hold on both Saturday and Sunday?