SAM Magazine-Carrabassett Valley, Me., Sept. 23, 2008-Maine resort Sugarloaf has invested more than $5 million to enhance its snowmaking capacity, redesign terrain parks, and upgrade on-mountain facilities. The investment brings the area's total capital investment to $9 million since Sugarloaf joined the Boyne Resorts family in 2007.

In snowmaking, Sugarloaf added 25 energy-efficient Boyne fan guns, 50 low energy HKD guns and high flow pipe to the summit. It replaced all existing pumps and added a sixth. The improvements are estimated to increase the resort's overall snowmaking capacity by 20 percent. The new gear pushes Sugarloaf "closer to our goal of doubling our snowmaking capacity while simultaneously decreasing our energy consumption by 50 percent," said John Diller, Sugarloaf's general manager.

Terrain park enhancements include a new advanced terrain park, new beginner park, newly designed Superpipe, and a permanent snowboardcross/skiercross course designed in part by Olympic snowboardcross champion Seth Wescott. The course will feature live timing, allowing guests to test their skills and weigh their times against each other (and Wescott). Considerable earthwork was done to Sugarloaf's Superpipe, which will reduce the amount of snow needed to open the pipe by 50 percent or more.

Additional investments include all-new trail signage throughout the resort, improvements to tree skiing areas, and additional seating and an outdoor deck for Bullwinkles, Sugarloaf's on mountain restaurant. Eight of Sugarloaf's lifts will have new energy-efficient lift buildings, which will use less than one-third the energy as the buildings they replace. \

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