Maine’s Largest Ski Resort Details Extensive Offseason Projects
Carrabasset Valley, Maine — It’s been a surprisingly quiet offseason for Boyne Resorts. While they’ve made many marquee additions to their ski resorts over the past decade, there aren’t many major additions in the works for this offseason. However, that doesn’t mean that nothing is happening at these ski resorts.
Take Sugarloaf, for example. The Maine ski resort has been busy with additions in recent years, including the West Mountain expansion and the introduction of lift-served mountain biking. Work continues on enhancing those recent additions and making other notable improvements.
Last Saturday, Sugarloaf VP of Mountain Operations Brent Larson detailed what they’ve been working on at the ski resort for the upcoming 2026-27 season and beyond. Some of the highlights include a new beginner area, the addition of snow tubing, and the eventual Timberline replacement.
2026 Projects
The following projects were discussed in the video:
- New Beginner Area: Two new covered conveyors (60 feet and 120 feet) are being added to The Landing. The learning area will be above the Sawduster unload, and end where the Perfect Turn hut currently is.
- Snow Tubing: Sugarloaf has offered snow tubing in the past, but hasn’t had it available in recent years. With the beginner area being moved from The Birches, the existing conveyor will now be used to serve a new snow tubing park.
- West Mountain: Work continues on the West Mountain expansion, which debuted in February 2024. The Cutter trail is seeing regrading work, which will allow them to open the currently all-natural trail more quickly. The older Perfect Turn building will be moved next to the base of Bucksaw Express. Over there, it will become a warming hut.
- Timberline: The old Six Shooter (detachable high-speed six-pack) chairlift from Big Sky Resort has been moved to Maine. The plan is for it to eventually replace the current Timberline chairlift. Because the lift would be located in a sensitive area, an extensive review process by the state of Maine is required. Sugarloaf is preparing to submit the application, with a review process of 6-12 months expected. If approved, it would likely be a 27-28 or 28-29 addition. One additional trail is planned to be sculpted, with the potential for more.
- Other Projects: Glade work is planned for the Backside, Brackett Basin, and (potentially) Burnt Mountain. An igloo, similar to the one at Sunday River, will be added next to Bullwinkles. They are also looking towards adding more on-mountain restrooms, with multiple locations being considered. Lift maintenance crews have been inspecting and making fixes to Superquad, Whiffletree, and the Bucksaw Express, with the goal of getting all the lifts ready and approved for next winter.
Sugarloaf’s opening date for the 2026-27 season is TBD, but they tend to open sometime in November.
Image/Video Credits: Sugarloaf
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