In 08/09 we turned the Sugarloaf park scene on its head, with three brand new parks, a completely redesigned Superpipe, and vastly improved Stomping Grounds. We'll keep building on that theme for 09/10, with some great improvements in our snowmaking, some new features, and some new enthusiastic staff ready to shake things up.

Over the summer we added two brand new snowmaking lines - one to the Superpip and another on Sidewinder, and we lined Sidewinder from top to bottom with Boyne Low-E Fan Guns. The new lines mean that we're drawing water from a different location this year when we make snow on these two bad-larries, which means we can dedicate more guns for a longer period of time. Look for both of these to be open faster and in better condition than ever before.

All of our jib features got a face lift over the summer with fresh paint and new plywood, and we're adding to our arsenal as well, including three new boxes, a couple of flat rails, and a handful of single barrell rails.

Staff-wise, we bid a fond farewell to our Park Manager Jonny Warren, who is on to new adventures, and will be looking to veterans Jake Charles and Tim Norton to run the show this year. Both are overflowing with enthusiasm, creativity, and skill and we're as pumped as ever for what's in store this season.

In other news, we scored some killer footage in this year's Meathead Films production Wild Stallions, and are excited to work together with them again this year. Check out the trailer, and think COLD.

At long last spring has arrived, and that means nice warm days, loads of sunshine, mashed potato snow, squisky soft landings, and slushy halfpipe walls. There's no better time to ride the park than the spring, and with all of our parks in prime form right now, we have arrived at peak park season. Get on up here and join the throw down, and check back soon for some spring park footage.

 - STP

A bout of surly New England weather today threw a rather large hiccup into the Rev Tour lineup, with the cancellation of the SBX in Sidewinder, but Monday's halfpipe and Tuesday's slopestyle went off seamlessly, and as Meatloaf would say, two outa three ain't bad. Athletes were stoked with the venues, particularly Wescott's masterpiece on Sidewinder, and I think it's fair to say that by most accounts, this was a great event

We witnessed plenty of positively unnatural talent over the last three days (see photos below), which we're sure to see more of in years to come on the World Cup circuit. Many thanks to USSA for making the trip out here, and we hope to see y'all again soon.

Til next time..

 - STP

Rev Tour athletes have been arriving over the past couple of day and we're ready to get this party started here tomorrow morning. The park crew has been putting the finishing touches on all of the venues and athletes have been checking them out. Lots of activity in the halfpipe yesterday as people took advantage of the warm temps and sunny skies, and Seth took the first test run through the redesigned Sidewinder SBX course yesterday morning (check out the video here).

We'll kick things off with the halfpipe tomorrow, followed by slopestyle on Tuesday and SBX on Wednesday. Click here for a full schedule.

Here are a couple of shots from yesterday's halfpipe session. Check back tomorrow for halfpipe updates!

Stay tuned for more tomorrow!  

The Rev Tour is on its way, and Park Crew has been working their tails off to get the venues ready for next week. Seth and Norton has spent the past couple of days in a cat in Sidewinder, putting some absolutely insane features in there, and the superpipe got a fresh Zaugging during the day yesterday. Haywire is much the same, but still looking fine. Here are a few photos we wanted to share...

Here's Norton in the pipe. It's rather big.

Here's Benjamin Bisson taking some practice hits after yesterday's fresh cut. Don't ever try this.

Seth and Jonny in Sidewinder, talking shop with Norton (in the cat).

Norton getting intimate with a cheesy poof.

Jake testing the last hit in Haywire.

The first ever Downtown Showdown went down in spectacular fasion on Saturday night, with over 1,000 spectators in attendance to watch 32 of the area's finest skiers and riders compete for more than $5,000 in cash and prizes. For skiers, Richie Paradise took first place, Clayton Villa took second, and CVA's own Matt Duhamel finished in third. Tristan Corriveau took first place in the snowboard division, with Shawn Murhpy and Ian Keay rounding out the top three. Big ups to everybody who worked so hard to pull this event off, and we'll see you next year....

Sugarloaf snowboarders rounded out the weekend with the Main Event here at the Loaf, throwing some absurd tricks off of an absolutely massive booter on the Big Air Hill. Many thanks to the Main Event crew for making the trip up and putting on a killer event.

Check out some pics from both events below

Mother Nature has dealt us a less than ideal hand here today, but we're gonna take the opportunity to do a little house cleaning and rebuilding on all of our parks. Soooo what that means is that tomorrow (Friday) Skybound will be the only park open while we rebuild the others. Everything else will reopen for the weekend, including the SuperPipe, which will get a fresh cut tomorrow afternoon. Bummer for tomorrow, but everything will be back and even better for the weekend. Expect a whole new look in the bottom half of the Stomping Grounds - new rails, new setup - should be sweeeet.

- STP

With just four days to go the countdown is on for the Downtown Showdown, and much anticipated staircase is nearly complete. 32 feet long, three rails, lots of style. To say this will be big is an understatement.

Local athletes Tyler Shores, Ryan McDermott, Benjamin Bisson, Matt Duhamel, James Campbell, and Jeremie Veilleux will represent the Loaf as part of a select 32 athletes who received coveted invites, so break out your blue triangles and show your Sugarloaf pride.

Norton is putting the finishing touches on Haywire today and tomorrow, and we're expecting to have it open by Thursday or Friday at the latest. The setup will go rail pad, jump, jump, rail pad, and then will lead into the lower half of the Stomping Grounds, which will also receive a bit of a makeover in the coming days. Should be a nice setup, and we hope you'll check it out.

Until then though, check out what the Park Crew put together in their spare time (with a little help from video editor extraordinaire Lizzy)

The local talent turned out in a big way on Saturday night and threw down for a shot to reach the mother of all rail jams, the Downtown Showdown. Everyone's A-game was certainly on display, and the skier division was so close it all came down to a one-hit showdown between the top five skiers. After the dust settled and all was sorted, it will be Benjamin Bisson of CVA (snowboard) and Tyler Shores (ski) representing on Feb 14 in Monument Square, Portland, for the first ever Downtown Showdown. Many thanks to all who turned out and braved the cold on Saturday night. Check out some pics below, and we'll have footage up for you shortly.

ethan

Some big news to report on this weekend's Wish You Were Here Jam. In addition to the usual awesomeness, the top rider and top skier on Saturday night will qualify to compete in the first ever Downtown Showdown coming up in February. For the unenlightened, the Downtown Showdown will be the highest profile rail event that Maine has ever seen - right in the heart of downtown Portland, crowds expected in the thousands, ample TV coverage, 30 foot custom staircase. Check out details at www.thedowntownshowdown.com, and then swing by the Sugarloaf Board Room to register for this weekend's jam. For a taste of what to expect, check out some video from the seaon's first rail jam below, courtesy of Flat Foot Films. See ya Saturday...

ethan

It's official! The new Sidewinder Snowboardcros/Skiercross Course is open after Seth cut the ribbon to it this morning. A few lucky riders from Carrabassett Valley Academy got to join Seth on the first official run through the course, and many more followed. Definitely scope out the course next time you get a chance.

As for Seth, he hits the road on Monday for more World Cup action, and you can follow along with his progress right here on the STP page.

Mother Nature threw us another curve ball here this week, and our features need a bit of resurfacing. We'll be making snow throughout the day in the Stomping Grounds today, and Jonny and Norton are planning to rebuild features tonight. Hoping to have the full park back up and running by tomorrow. Check back here this afternoon for an update.

ethan

Fresh off of his World Cup win last week, Seth is back at Sugarloaf designing the layout for our brand new snowboardcross course on Sidewinder. We'll officially unveil the course with Seth and the Park Crew on Saturday, January 3 at 10am, complete with a big shiny ribbon and a few words from Seth about the new course and his design. Hope to see everyone there!

ethan

Sugarloaf's own Seth Wescott blew the rest of the field away in today's snowboardcross World Cup in Arosa, Switzerland. After injuries kept him out of his top form during the past two seasons, it looks like Seth is back leading the charge in men's snowboardcross again. Check out the full story right here, and full race results right here. It's shaping up to be an exciting season for Seth, and you can follow his progress right here on the STP website. And don't forget that you can see Seth go for another World Cup win in person right here in Maine, Feb 26-Mar 1 at Sunday River. More news on that event will be available here as we get closer. 

Congrats Seth!

Jonny and Norton spent some quality time together in the Stomping Grounds yesterday and the result is a new and improved park, ready for business this morning. Same basic layout - two jumps, a hip, nine jib features - but everything has been smoothed out and resurfaced. You'll also find some new features, including the dance floor from last week's Jingle Jam and the ever popular trap box. And after yesterday's six-incher landings should be super soft in there today. Check it out and let us know what you think.

ethan

ps - We've started blowing snow in Sidewinder and Skybound, and the Superpipe and Haywire aren't too far out either. Check back soon for updates...

Hello all,

Mother Nature was kind of uncooperative last night and thanks to a late freeze, we’ve had to shut down the Stomping Grounds for the day today.  There’s still ample snow in there though, so tomorrow Tim and I will be rebuilding the pads for the rails and resurfacing takeoffs and landings. We’ll also bring out some different rails and the dance floor from the rail jam. We’ll be in there with a cat during the day tomorrow to rebuild features, so please respect the ropes and don’t try to get any sneak previews. We’ll have the full park open again for you on Thursday, in plenty of time for the weekend.

Thanks for your patience

Jon

The 2nd Annual Jingle Jam is history, and even though fingers and toes are still defrosting, the night was pure ridiculous fun. Many thanks to Orage, WUMF, Park Crew, and everybody else who made it possible, and and even bigger thanks to everyone who turned out to watch and compete. And a huge shout out to Santa for taking a break from Christmas duties to open the jam with a stylie 50/50 on the dance floor. Who knew the big guy could shred?

Check out some sick pics from Saturday night below. They're by Taylor Walker, and you can see a whole bunch more at offtrailphoto.com.

You've probably seen them shredding here for years, but the boys from Flat Foot Films are back and they're pumped about all of the new Terrain Park Developments going on here at Sugarloaf. They'll be filming in the parks all winter, and we'll be posting some of their edits in here from time to time. If you see them around say hey.

Check out this short clip they did here at Sugarloaf last year, and stay tuned for more.

This is big. Huge even. Jot it down, save it in your palm pilot, do whatever it is you do. On February 14, Sugarloaf and Sunday River are bringing the mountains to Monument Square in Portland for the first ever Downtown Showdown. A total of 32 handpicked skiers and rider (16 of each) will battle it out for fame and glory on a shiny new, custom built 32 foot staircase. Lots of prizes, lots of fun. Don't miss it. DJ, music and after party are all courtesy of Red Bull.

A bit of important info to mark on all of your calendars - the 2nd Annual Jingle Jam has been moved to next Saturday, December 13, which coincides with our annual Demo Days.

Same killer event, same great prizes, same swag and giveaways, same amazing venue, just a new date. Jot that down, and we'll see you there.

ethan

The first weekend for the new-and-improved Stomping Grounds is in the books, and I'd say by most accounts it was a big success. Many laps were made, many tricks were thrown, many smiles were noted. The feature of the weekend was most definitely the hip, which saw more than its fair share of big air. (See what I did there, with the rhyming...) Check out the pics below for a little snippet of this weekend's action, and check out the photo gallery for even more. Of course if you want a real taste, you'll just have to get up here and hit it yourself...

And just a friendly reminder, especially on busy park days like today, always remember to Smart Style it...

Questions? Comments? Criticisms? Post it here in our Community Forum.

ethan

Thanks to a positively unnatural amount of energy and numerous cans of Red Bull, Jonny and Norton got the Stomping Grounds open for business today, with a full ten features. That includes two jumps that come in at smooth 20 feet knuckle to knuckle, a nice looking hip, plus seven jib features. Check out the Status Page for a full list.

The mini-park on Tote Road is still open too, with a pair of rail and a bonk barrel, if you feel like a quick little session on the way down Tote.

If you were lucky enough to take a spin through the Stomping Grounds today let us know what you think in our Community Forum. We have a designated terrain park category that Jonny, Norton and I all monitor and participate in, so let us know what you think.

ethan

Just got a quick update from J-Dub and Norton who are up in the Stomping Grounds at this very minute building features. For tomorrow looks like we'll have two 15-20 foot jumps, a hip, and 8 or 9 rails/boxes. Lizzy took a trip through to check out the progress this morning and caught up with Norton and Jon. Check out the video...

ethan

We started blowing snow up in the Stomping Grounds last weekend, and after yesterday's tremendous dump we're ready to start building. Norton is planning to start pushing snow tomorrow, and if all goes according to plan we should have a few jumps and nice rail set up in there for Saturday. Check back in on Friday for an update from J-Dub on the setup.

And don't forget about the 2nd Annual Jingle Jam under the lights on Dec. 5. Should be a pretty nice setup in front of the brand new Beach, complete with bonfire. We may even have a new feature to unveil. Registration is $20 in the Sugarloaf Board Room.

ethan

Winter is here, Sugarloaf is open, and that means it time to slide some steel. We have an early season park setup on Tote Road, with a flat rail, down rail, and a nice little bonk barrel. Features are likely to change while we keep expanding terrain, so be sure to check in here regularly.

We’ve invested a lot into our parks this year, and we’ve got some pretty cool stuff in store for you - totally renovated SuperPipe, two new parks, a new boardercross course, plus our new park manager Jonny Warren (J-Dub). He’ll be teaming up with Norton to make our parks better then ever. So stay tuned! It’s going to be an exciting year.

Ethan