It’s not every day that a new lift opens in New England, so a new lift is always news. And one that replaces  a lift as storied—OK,  notorious—as Sugarloaf ‘s ancient Spillway double-double chair is even more a news item. Spillway, which was installed in 1975, had a reputation for unreliability partly due to its age, partly to its wind exposure. The derailment on December 28, 2010 simply accelerated its demise. With the replacement Sugarloaf Skyline Chair opening on December 17, 2011, slightly less than a year later, we obviously needed to be there to check it out!

Mother Nature certainly hasn’t been kind to the ‘Loaf (or any other ski area in North America for that matter), in the early season this year. Between very little snow and warm temperatures to quickly melt any that did fall, natural white stuff has been hard to find. And, warm overnight temperatures have kept the snowmakers idle in their shacks, talking about the “good old days”. But, the recent run of cooler nights was enough to allow Sugarloaf to open some real terrain and give us top-to-bottom skiing.

Hopes of  warm sun softening the typical early-season boilerplate were dashed quickly, as a random cloud hung over the mountain and temperatures dropped during the day and the snow stayed “firm.” Oh, well…isn’t that what sharpened steel edges were designed for?  Actually, the snow conditions on Tote Road were relatively mellow, with enough soft stuff  on top to at least allow us to warm our legs up before moving over to steeper Kings Landing and Hayburner. A handful of runs on those reminded us that our early season legs weren’t what we’d hoped they’d be; Hayburner, in particular, became “Thighburner” about halfway down! Luckily, the noon opening of the new Skyline chair meant we’d need to shift over there and take some time off to watch the festivities. That kept us from having to admit that our legs were toast. Priceless!

Arriving at the base of the new  Sugarloaf Skyline Chair, we were treated to the sight of hundreds of lunatics who had been waiting in line for hours in the cold to be first up the lift. In particular, the front 100 were a hardy bunch; some had spent 6 hours and more in order to get a free t-shirt. Nobody ever suggested that Sugarloafers were sane! In due time, the lift started, and up they went…FAST. Thanks to a conveyor system that has passengers partly up to speed before the chair hits the back of their knees, the Skyline is the fastest fixed-grip lift out there, clocking up to 500 feet/minute (bizarrely enough, that’s the same speed that the old Spillway double was rated for…uh huh, sure). Within 15 minutes, the entire waiting crowd was on the lift and headed for the top, and the line dropped to…well, nothing. At that point, we headed up the new  Sugarloaf Skyline Chair, and for the rest of the day never waited in line, period. Sweet.

So, what’s the new Sugarloaf Skyline Chair like?  Well, first, it’s like riding in a sport luxury sedan (think BMW 5-series, only colder). With everything new, it’s a magic carpet ride; you glide up it, no rattling or clanking, just a low hum. Second, it’s noticeably lower than the old lift. On this moderately windy day, that was a welcome change. Third, you’re at the top…well, FAST. About the time we’d have been feeling the cold really hit on the old Spillway chair, we were unloading at the top of the Skyline. That’s a double-edged sword, particularly at this time of year. Less time on the lift means less time for tired, burning legs to recover…. On the positive side, more runs in less time created a great excuse for getting out of there a little early to take advantage of the last daylight and get partway home before sunset on one of the shortest days of the year.

Over the past handful of years, Sugarloaf has made a lot of improvements; among other things, their snowmaking has gone from “pretty flaky” to “lots of flakes!” This latest upgrade, which will give the expert crowd easier, faster access to their favorite pain runs (no, Virginia, Santa Claus didn’t design an easy way down from there), means the mountain now boasts lift capacity that puts them in the thick of the “best of the best”, allowing skiers more time on the slopes/less in lines or on the lifts. The new lift will also likely reduce pressure on some of the more moderate terrain which will allow intermediate skiers to enjoy their experience more. Overall, it’s clearly a significant improvement over the old lift, and we’re looking forward to enjoying it more as the winter progresses!