Sugarbush Expert Skiing
With steeps runs on seemingly every face and plenty of natural snowfall, Sugarbush’s expert skiingis amongst the best in the East. Sugarbush is renowned for its steeps and trees. Both Lincoln Peak and Mountain Ellen offer oodles of expert terrain that’s sure to test even the most advanced expert.
Lincoln Peak Expert Skiing
On Lincoln Peak, Castlerock Peak offers the best expert terrain (more on Castlerock below). Aside from Castlerock, Ripcord and Stein’s Run are the two most challenging slopes. Stein’s Run is named for Stein Eriksen, the founder of the Sugarbush ski school and Olympic Gold Medalist. It is a run befitting its namesake. Organgrinder is a long black diamond that allows a skier to ski almost 2400′ of continuous steep right down what was formerly a gondola liftline.
While the rest of Lincoln Peak certainly has great steeps, the first stop for any expert (particularly on a powder day is the legendary Castlerock). If you’re an intermediate looking to push your boundaries, Castlerock is not for you. Castlerock is 100% natural terrain – you find it as Mother Nature and your fellow skiers and riders left it. Sugarbush doesn’t make snow here or groom any of the runs and the snow doesn’t get skied off due to the slow double chair which serves the terrain. It’s hard core natural skiing at it’s best and offers an experience very similar to the Mad River Valley’s other ski resort – Mad River Glen (motto: “Ski it if you can”). The snow can be thin, it can be icy, but it can also be simply divine. It all depends on the snow.
Liftline and Rumble are unrelenting double blacks whose steep pitches will send you hurtling directly down the fall line. But our favorite run is Middle Earth, a long, narrow and winding bump run with a double fall line that will leave your legs begging for a groomer. Also be sure to check out Castlerock Run. It skis similarly to Middle Earth, but is a little wider and a little steeper. Alright, we may have just recommended every single main trail on Castlerock Peak, but the terrain is just that good…
Mount Ellen Expert Skiing
Mount Ellen’s expert terrain is often overlooked due to the popularity of Castlerock, but Mount Ellen still serves up an excellent assortment of steeps, mainly off the Summit Quad. Upper FIS, located alongside the Summit Quad, is the steepest bump run at either mountain. The bumps get big and the pitch is unrelenting – it’s a true test for even the best bump skiers. Lower FIS is rarely skied because the entrance is difficult to find. Look for it to the skier’s right of the Glen House Lodge. It’s worth the effort, but snowboarders beware. There’s a fairly long, flat runout at the end of the run which is often traversed by waterbars.
Exterminator is a popular choice among locals, as is the rarely-open Black Diamond. There is nothing particularly challenging off of the Inverness Quad nor the Green Mountain Express, Hammerhead and Tumbler are usually ungroomed and worth a run when the snow conditions are favorable.