Sugarbush Resort — Attraction in Warren

Dangerous and poorly run station. I skied there on a Saturday during the winter break 2020, taking 3 kids on easy slopes, and came back with a broken left upper arm - cannot get any worse experience! Castlerock is obviously risky, but do you know about the “Times Square” area in Mt Ellen, which seems to generate a fair amount of accidents every year? That’s the flat area between Green Mountain and Slide Brook lifts where a number of trails intersect but some skiers barely slow down on their way to the bottom. I was hit in the back by a local skier while shadowing my two nine-year olds ahead of me. Was picked up by the ski patrol and ended up at Lincoln Peak’s orthopedic clinic for Xrays and diagnosis (humerus fracture). Yes, Sugarbush has its own clinic with competent UVM doctors, but very busy with all the injuries at the station! Mine resulted in 1 month arm immobilization, 3 month daily physical therapy and still some now and soreness 1 year later.

The 18 year old local guy (experience skier) who hit me recognized at the time he lost control, but changed his story later. He is covered by his parents’ homeowner’s insurance (Vermont Mutual Insurance, another bad actor) but they denied my claim based on diverging stories and no witness. Sugarbush documented the accident and provided contact information but failed to take a statement from the skier at the time. Perfect hit and run, almost the same as being taken down standing at a ski lift, and no one wants to take responsibility. I am 60 yrs old, intermediate skier, and just taking young kids around on easy slopes mostly green.

I had time to appreciate earlier how poorly the lifts are run. Gate House express quad is main lift for intermediates but triage personnel was more concerned about joking around and reading their cell phones than filling the chairs. A good 1/3 of the seats ended up empty (skipped chairs or only 1 skier) so the lines kept building up. In plain sight, all morning and afternoon, in front of main lodge, and not a supervisor showed up to tell them to do a better job. And then Slide Brook Express that connect Lincoln and Mt Ellen areas. It closes at 3:15, but if you come one minute late (like our group) they won’t let you in. After much discussion, the guy looked at his watch and it showed 3:18! All stations give you leaway when closing remote lifts before the formal 4 PM offficial close, but not Sugarbush. That’s how we ended up stranded at Mt Ellen with return only possible by bus.

Sugarbush is not for family or beginner/intermediates, I would avoid at all rate. The culture seems quite wrong and I am appaled at a unique combination of Vermont bad actors including some individuals and the insurance company. Not the kind of people you want to deal with at all, I am certainly not coming back and will discourage anyone in my family or...

WORST SKI RESORT IN THE UNITED STATES!!!!

DO NOT GO HERE!!!! BROKEN AND OUTDATED LIFTS, NOT GROOMED AT ALL, 100% MOGULS, not kid-friendly, they do NOT answer their phones. Do NOT believe any review more than ONE green circle.

This place is a total disaster on all levels. I've been skiing for 45 years, been to 40 resorts at least- California, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Germany, Austria. First time skiing in Vermont. Had a great day at Killington 45 miles away. Then went to Sugarbush. First of all, this tiny town has very limited lodging. We called their main lodging phone number at 6 p.m. and no one answered for the rest of the night (recorded messages- CLOSED). Really? -you close all your phone lines for lodging and your resort at 6 p.m. or earlier, and have no one to answer the phone? No lodging in Montpelier either. We ended up having to stay the night in Burlington, Vt. which was 1 hour and 15 minutes away. We drove here the next morning. 2nd- we got a bad parking spot, and there is no tram/shuttle bus to bring you up to the ski resort entrance like some other resorts do. 3rd- Rude employees! 4th- been skiing 45 years, and been to 40+ ski resorts, and this is the first resort I ever been to that THEY DO NOT GROOM ANY RUN AT ALL!!!!!! As a result, 100% of the runs have huge moguls, ice, sloppy snow, and at the bottom of the runs... huge ruts, and ripples. We saw many, many kids crying because of the moguls, and adults were NOT HAVING FUN AT ALL slowly weaving in-and-out of the non-stop moguls. We saw a big grooming fleet off to the side just sitting there, and obviously they do NOT have employees to drive them or groom nightly like every resort does, or they are just cheap and lazy. 5th- there is a very long connecting lift called "Slide Brook Express Quad" that connects the left side of the resort (Lincoln Peak Village) with the right side of the resort (Mt. Ellen Base). It was Saturday when we were there, and it was extremely crowded, and we heard that this lift supposedly never runs because it's broken. Seriously? An IKON pass resort with broken chairlifts. The lifts at this resort were mostly old, and slow. Just a couple of "Express lifts" and the employees do NOT know how to run lift lines! 6th- been skiing 45 years, so I know the difference between a "blue square intermediate" run and a "black diamond expert" run. Several of the blue square runs were mis-labeled (on purpose probably to attract families with kids, or learners). I know the difference, and these should be black diamond expert runs (again- huge moguls).

This place is NOT an IKON pass worthy resort at all.

Why on earth would you come to this horrible ski resort, when Killington is only 45 miles away and has nothing but groomed runs, a huge terrain park, express lifts, and helpful and nice employees. DO NOT GO...

After a VERY long car ride back home I had time to think about this review... To start I am an avid extreme hiker who's summited the N.H. 4,000 footers and completed the AMC and threshold NH summits. After that I perused Vermont and I've successfully hiked all but Mt. Ellen & Abraham. As a Senior at Plymouth State University majoring in Business administration and minoring in Professional communications I was shocked and appalled at how they treated me. Discussing this trip with fellow AMC members and past hikers who've hiked these summits claim its possible to climb up from the ski lodge at Sugarbush. I was directed to the north side were a man acted as those he didn't know why I was there. I would have hiked the Lincoln gap or the Appalachian gap but due to the winter conditions they were closed. Coming from Plymouth NH, there is no other way to summit these two unless. You drive 1+ hr each way around the peaks. I politely asked two gentlemen at both lodges and apparently after 3+ hours of driving EACH WAY I was forced to turn back. I was told by the director of the AMC himself I COULD hike the lower F.I.S trail to the summit IF I gave the staff notice and stayed close to the edge of the trail. When I talked to the person in charge they said the trail was closed to the public and id have to pay a $68 fee to CLIMB the peak! He said due to the liability of the mountain.... understandable to a point. But making me pay $68 fee to climb the peak regardless of me getting sock, lost, etc. That's my own fault and that wouldn't benefit the mountain any (besides putting the money in their pockets). Regardless of this I was mistreated two times by staff and once by a resort clear... After wasting $200+ on gas, food, and other expenses I am offended by sugarbush policies and I advise people reading to know I don't get upset easy, and this is not a joke! Ive summited 198 peak throughout New England 22 of those being ski mountains, I've never been rejected in my 5 years of climbing. So in conclusion I advise the reader to not go to sugarbush but to a much nice mountain were people...