Let’s face it: skiing is an expensive hobby and Sugarbush Mountain is not the the cheapest ski resort option in Vermont. Sugarbush is considered by many to be a premier Vermont ski resort, and you will have to pay a little premium for a lift ticket. Last time when I checked – and that was a couple weeks ago – a full-day midweek lift ticket was $77. It is a quiet steep price for a midweek ski trip; however, you don’t have to pay it if you have a Sports Authority store nearby your home. (Also, check other sporting goods chains…)
Go to your nearest store
Locate a stand with promotional print outs/advertising brochures
Find a New England map
Unfold it, find midweek coupons for Sugarbush Mountain and many other New England resorts
Cut them out and enjoy steep savings!
And yeah, there is no point in buying those coupons online. They are available for FREE!
It takes about 14 computer mouse wheel scrolls to read through the ski season pass deals at Sugarbush ski resort and six to scroll through the 2010 lift ticket rates. But let’s make it simple – just buy a SugarDirect card to save money on lift tickets.
Sugarbush ski resort is not the cheapest ski destination. In matter of fact, expect to shell out $82 for a day of skiing during the holiday periods and $77 Sunday through Friday (regular non-holiday periods.) Of course, you can always buy multi-day lift tickets to save some money. It is a good option; however, keep in mind that typically, a multi-day option ties you up to a ski resort. And savings –quite frankly – are not that impressive. For example, if you buy a two day lift ticket – you will save paltry $2.00. You can go for three of four consecutive days of skiing – and it will save around $5.00 per day.
sample lift ticket savings at Sugarbush ski resort
Sugarbush ski resort made a big step forward when it rolled out a flex program which allows a purchaser to postpone one day of skiing/riding for one consecutive day. However, this is Vermont where Mother Nature is often unpredictable. And therefore, booking a multi-day lift ticket option is a big gamble. What is a solution? Consider the Sugardirect card.
You will pay a $99.00 fee and receive 25% off the regular season, 20% holidays and Saturdays, a free day of skiing and other applicable discounts. Compared to the multi-day prices –see the table above – savings might not be mind shattering; however, you can enjoy them whenever you come to ski to Sugarbush, and the card also gives you a number of other discounts. Just make sure to use a free day that comes with your card – being selfish in this situations helps to breakeven faster. (Please note: we assumed that you would use your free day when calculating savings with the sugardirect option. While we always strive to be accurate, it will never hurt to check with sugarbush.com to verify the numbers and see if there are any changes. If you note a mistake, please let us know (at sergeynm@yahoo.com) and we will take all necessary measures to correct it.) And most importantly, enjoy the 2009/2010 ski season!
“Come on, it’s only an hour and a half drive!” I tried to persuade my friends to drive with me to Sugarbush ski resort. They hesitated, and I understood why—who wants to squander time when three ski areas lie within a 25-minute drive from our place in southern VT?
“They have fresh natural snow—just an hour and a half from our Vermont ski cabin.” I kept pushing images of fluffy powder. An indisputable argument could have been made that we should stay put on local frozen granular; however, the promised powder was tempting enough to sway objections. Although my friends got cantankerous halfway to Sugarbush resort, all their arguments and pleas were too late at that point. When we finally arrived—after two hours and twenty minutes—I felt the need to hide somewhere; that feeling of guilt lasted until we made the first run—fluffy powder covered the trails, and a snow-starved skier will pay any price for fresh snow.
Sugarbush resort in Warren, VT
Sugarbush is a huge mountain with 111 trails, 16 lifts, breathtaking views, and lots of pure Vermont skiing and snowboarding fun. It is a popular Vermont ski resort and attracts many skiers and snowboarders, but multiple ski lifts—including a scenic lift between Lincoln and Ellen Mountains—help ease any waiting.
Beginners should head toward the Gate House Express Quad lift; it serves a couple of easy green and blue trails and seems the ideal launch pad for mastering ski turns. A black diamond trail is also marked—quite easy judging by the way a friend with intermediate skills handled it—as well as a glade to test your skills. In addition, a couple of the beginner trails are located on Mount Ellen.
If you’re comfortable on your skis or snowboard, you have many more options to explore. For starters, take the Heavens Gate triple lift to the top of Lincoln Peak. The views are breathtaking, and Jester is one of the best cruisers not only at Sugarbush ski area but also in the entire East. If you are up to serious physical exercise, I wholeheartedly recommend taking the Paradise or Ripcord double black diamond trails. The gigantic moguls, when coupled with icy crust, will push your stamina to the limit. Another good choice is Egan’s Woods, a very dense glade where you will have plenty of time but narrow spaces in which to work on ski turns. A note of caution: if you ski in wooded areas, do so with a couple of friends. It is very easy to make a wrong turn, hit a tree branch, and sink in deep snow.
If risk taking and adrenaline are must-have ingredients in your “best day” formula, head toward Castlerock Peak. If you approach it from Lincoln Peak, a very short but steep and moguled trail leads to the Castle rock double lift chair serving the area. If you can’t make it down that trail you really should not be on that double chair—stick to intermediate trails. Once you get to the top, breathe in, breathe out, and hit the narrow twisting trails. A couple of runs—with never-ending moguls—on that peak will be a good physical test for your legs.
If your style calls for Vermont backcountry skiing, a guided tour of Sugarbush Slide Brook Basin is a unique feature worth exploring. Not only you will test runs of more than two thousand vertical feet—all in the woods—you will also have the chance to learn about winter survival skills. And, finally, they have the only cabin cat in New England.
Snowcat at Sugarbush ski resort in Vermont
Our first day at Sugarbush Mountain resort came to an end very quickly. Five hours of nonstop ole good Vermont skiing and snowboarding had flown by, and we had to head home. I looked at my friends’ faces while trying to gauge their feelings and the potential consequences of my brash decision.
For a second I allowed myself to relax a bit—after all, most images painted by me in the morning have lived up to expectations by the end of the day. The problem was coming up with new ones, because we had another drive of more than two hours on dark and narrow Route 100.
“Come on, it’s just an hour and a half drive.” I started another round of make-me-feel-good speeches. “We have a hot tub, and an excellent local deli sells good food and micro-brews. They’ll be closing right before we get home—at 10 p.m.” I was talking to my friends while clutching the wheel and trying not to fall asleep. Hearing no response, I cautiously looked over my shoulder—they were all sleeping, perhaps dreaming about fantastic snow conditions and a BBQ.
“Damn it! Who really wants to squander time when three resorts are available within a 25-minute drive?” I thought, fighting off sleep and the annoying sound of snoring from the backseat. Oh well, there is a price for everything—including fresh snow.
VERTEXPRESS ON FLICKR
