What’s new for you in ’24-25: The East

Newsroom Resort Features What’s new for you in ’24-25: The East

Ski resorts out East are getting quite a lift with plenty of new updates, upgrades, and improvements. This makes for good news for skiers and snowboarders planning East Coast ski trips. As the ski season gets closer, read on for more of what’s new at East Coast ski resorts this winter.

New Hampshire Ski Resort Updates

Loon Mountain Resort will see some serious improvements to its snowmaking technology. Over 100 new semi-automated snowmaking hydrants have been added to Loon and North Peak trails. Other upgrades include the construction of Kancamagus 8, an eight-seat D-Line Doppelmayr chair with ergonomically shaped heated seats and tinted bubble. The eight-seat chair is a first-of-its-kind lift for New England.

Mountain Club at Loon Mountain
©Mountain Club at Loon

Pats Peak in Southern New Hampshire has several improvements for the upcoming season. The biggest of these is a new 6-bay, 19,000-square-foot mountain operations building that will bring enhanced capabilities to the operations team. Construction will be completed before opening day this winter. This will streamline operations to increase maintenance capabilities by 400%, allowing for a better guest experience. Additional improvements include 4 new semi-automatic fan guns and 12 new HKD impulse snow guns to optimize early-season snow production. The rental shop also acquired 400 new pairs of skis and 600 pairs of boots. These improvements come on the heels of the resort’s 60th anniversary.

Maine Ski Resort Updates

Sugarloaf added 9 new beginner and intermediate trails last season. Another new trail will be added as part of the West Mountain Expansion. The windy Twitcher trail takes skiers and riders to the newly installed Bucksaw Express. This Doppelmayr high-speed detachable quad was opened in February 2024 along with the installation of new snowmaking guns. A bridge connecting the Sawtooth Road and Beavertail Trails was also constructed.

Maine’s Sunday River has been hard at work updating its snowmaking system. It added 160 high-efficiency automated HKD snowguns across the mountain over the summer. These guns were designed to maximize cold weather opportunities while minimizing environmental impact.

Sunday River Resort, skier in a snow storm.
©Sunday River Resort

Vermont Ski Resort Updates

Some of the biggest news in New England comes from the Beast of the East. Killington Resort (and sister mountain Pico) is now under the ownership of The Killington Independence Group. These 16 investors, including POWDR, the mountain’s previous owner, are scheduled to invest an estimated $30 million into mountain upgrades over the next two years. Some of these upgrades include multiple lift updates planned for Spring 2025. The Superstar Express Quad will become a Doppelmayr high speed six pack and new cabins will be installed on the Skyeship Gondola.

Sugarbush pass holders have been awaiting the opening of the new Heaven’s Gate Chairlift. Ground broke over the summer after the Vermont ski area invested nearly $12 million into mountain upgrades for this season. The new quad chair is expected to open in December. The mountain also has a new base bar, Tucker Coffee and Cocktails, serving up coffee during the day and cocktails with light bites for aprés.

Sugarbush Lodge at Sugarbush Mountain Resort.
©Sugarbush Lodge

New York Ski Resort Updates

Hunter Mountain is getting a new lift. The current four-person, fixed-grip Broadway Lift will be updated to a high-speed six-seater. The new Broadway Express is set to increase the resort’s uphill capacity by more than 50%.

Over at Whiteface, new upgrades include a new patio for outdoor dining at the Bear Den Learning Center. The resort will also see advancements in snowmaking technologies. New tower guns and pipes are being installed on the Mackenzie and Wilderness trails. A Snowmax injection system is also in the works to increase snowmaking capabilities on warmer days. The Cloudspitter Gondola also received a new haul rope this summer and the mountain operations team acquired a PistonBully 600 Snow Cat to expand grooming services.

Photo header: ©Sugarloaf Resort

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