Sugarbush Resort

Our Take

Sugarbush Resort in the Mad River Valley has a reputation in the East that exceeds its acreage. The 578 acres across two connected mountains -- Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen -- include some of the most legitimate expert terrain in the Northeast, with sustained steep runs like Organgrinder, Castlerock, and the Mount Ellen summit chutes that draw serious skiers from across the region. Sugarbush has always been Vermont's 'skier's ski area' -- less flash than Stowe, less pedestrian traffic than Killington, more committed to actual skiing challenge. Alterra Mountain Company acquired Sugarbush in 2020 and added it to the Ikon pass. The investment cycle has been kind to the resort: new lifts, upgraded snowmaking, and base area improvements that maintain the Mad River Valley character without erasing it. The Mad River Valley itself -- shared with the locally-beloved Mad River Glen cooperative, which operates the only single-chair lift in North America and bans snowboards -- is one of Vermont's best ski destinations: real New England character, excellent restaurants in the valley towns, and the kind of skiing culture that predates the corporate era and refuses to fully join it.

Nerd Stats

Fun Facts

• Mount Ellen's summit is at 4,135 feet -- the second-highest skiable summit in Vermont. The views cover the Green Mountains in every direction.
• Castlerock on Lincoln Peak is Sugarbush's showcase expert zone: 95 acres of north-facing terrain with sustained steeps and natural snow preservation.
• Mad River Glen, one mile away, is a co-op owned by shareholders and bans snowboards. It's the last real holdout of 1960s ski culture in Vermont.
• The Mad River Valley has more Ikon resort days per square mile than almost any ski valley in the East.