SAM Magazine-Sugarloaf, Me., Sept. 28, 2006-As part of a $1 million summer makeover, Sugarloaf is enhancing its terrain parks, recreational racing facilities, and base village.

A new terrain park, 400 feet wide and nearly a half a mile long, will accommodate a series of jumps, features and rails. "This new park will let us build bigger, better, safer, and more fun features from start to finish," said Tim Norton, Sugarloaf's park manager. It will be staffed by park rangers seven days a week and will complement "The Stomping Grounds," a mini-park for first time newschoolers that includes a mini pipe and a series of low-to-the-ground features, rails, and jumps.

For racers, the new Jean Luce Competition Facility was built in partnership with the Sugarloaf Ski Club and the Town of Carrabassett Valley. The facility will house timing operations and serve as the on-mountain headquarters for racers, coaches and parents.

At the base, the resort has launched a two-year program to make Sugarloaf Village more pedestrian-friendly, both functionally and visually. This year's efforts include new landscaping, signage and building exteriors. A new skating rink, extensive renovations and an expansion to the existing Outdoor Center lodge are in the planning phase. The final plan is expected to go before Carrabassett Valley voters at the March 2007 town meeting.

The resort is also aggressively pursing environmentally friendly initiatives, particularly the use of biodiesel. The resort expects that this winter both groomers and shuttle buses will run on biodiesel. The fuel is being produced onsite from vegetable oil collected from on-mountain restaurants. One bus, unofficially nicknamed the French Fry Express, will run exclusively on biodiesel to boost public awareness of the recycling concept.

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