Warren, Vermont — Lift woes at Sugarbush are nothing new. Last season saw some bumps with the new Heaven’s Gate chairlift, and it was without the Slide Brook Express. This ski season has been less eventful, at least up until recently.
Yesterday, Sugarbush Resort announced that they’re having some lift issues over on the Mt. Ellen side of the resort. In case you didn’t know, Sugarbush has two mountains: Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen. Lincoln’s the more developed one, with Mt. Ellen having a more old-school feel.
Two major chairlifts are currently out of service at Mt. Ellen. North Ridge Express is down due to an electrical problem. Yesterday, it was discovered that the Green Mountain Express’ drive blew out and requires repairs. This will result in a closure of both chairlifts for an undetermined period. Because there is no way to access it via lift, the Summit Quad at Mt. Ellen is also closed for the foreseeable future. This limits the number of open trails and lifts at Mt. Ellen. However, hiking this terrain remains possible.
While not for mechanical reasons, Slide Brook is also closed due to a depleted snowpack. The world’s longest high-speed quad chairlift needs a snowpack to operate in the event of an evacuation. After not operating last winter, Sugarbush has been consistently operating Slide Brook since January.
Lift replacements are needed at Sugarbush. The ski resort has various high-speed chairlifts that are aging and will need to be replaced sooner than fixed-grip lifts. High-speed chairlifts typically have a lifespan of around 25-30 years, but can last longer if maintained properly. The newest high-speed chairlift at Sugarbush was installed in 2002 (Green Mountain).
North Ridge is a planned replacement for Sugarbush, although it’s uncertain as to when. Originally planned for the 2024-25 season, the North Ridge project has been delayed for a couple of seasons now. According to Sugarbush, that’s due to the need to obtain the necessary permits and approvals from the state of Vermont.
Image/Video Credits: Sugarbush Resort
