A new era in the Mad River Valley

By Paul Bean

On Saturday, December 21, Sugarbush Resort will debut its newest upgrade, the Heaven’s Gate Quad, providing skiers and snowboarders a more spacious ride to the summit of Vermont’s 6th tallest mountain, Lincoln Peak.

“It’s been a good run for the triple, with 40 years of service under its belt, and it’s time for a well-deserved retirement,” writes John Bleh on Sugarblog, A Deeper Dive Into The Heaven’s Gate Lift Replacement. Heaven’s Gate triple has served skiers and riders since 1984, following the removal of the infamous 2,388 foot vertical three-person gondola that spanned from top to bottom since the resort’s opening in 1958. 

This is the first significant upgrade to lift infrastructure at Sugarbush under their new owner, Altera Mountain Company, who in 2020 acquired Sugarbush for $30 million from Summit Ventures Inc.,headed by Win Smith (son of Merrill Lynch partner Winthrop H. Smith Sr). 

From 2001 to 2020, under Win’s ownership, Sugarbush poured over $70 million into mountain upgrades, including the installation of seven new lifts, significant snowmaking improvements, a major overhaul of the Lincoln Peak Base Area, and condo development projects.

“Assuming that all goes smoothly Saturday will mark the first time a new lift has risen to the top of Lincoln Peak in 40 years. We are excited to announce that weather permitting, we plan to open the new Heaven’s Gate quad this Saturday at 9am!” writes Sugarbush on their Instagram Page. 

A historic investment into storied Lincoln Peak and Sugarbush Resort 

After serving in the navy during WWII and graduating from Yale, Luther Damon Gadd married Sara Rohm in 1950. While traveling as freelance writers and photographers they discovered the Green Mountain State and fell in love with the land. In 1952 they bought the Ulla Lodge in Fayston (since renamed the Hyde Away). In 1957, Gadd and a team of investors began plans to develop a ski area at Lincoln Peak, eventually securing approval and permits for Sugarbush resort. In 1958 as the ski season neared, 88 Carlevaro & Savio Gondola cabins arrived from Italy, with Felice Savio himself on site supervising the installation. 

Following the purchase of Sugarbush by American Ski Company in 1984, the famous Gondola was removed and the Heaven’s Gate Triple was installed.

New England Ski History.com gives a thorough history of the ski area. 

Installing chairlifts and building has never been an easy tasks. A project of such magnitude requires a tremendous effort from a variety of stakeholders. The project cost Altera Mountain Company roughly 8.6 million dollars.

“We need to coordinate across multiple teams including Sugarbush, Maine Drilling & Blasting, G.W. Tatro, Doppelmayr, Royal Electric, Radio North, helicopter operators, concrete suppliers, environmental consultants, and regulatory agencies.” 

What makes this chairlift installment so special is the fact that it’s being done in high elevation and in an extremely environmentally sensitive area. For at least the past 8 months, Sugarbush has been planning for this big day. The Heaven’s Gate Triple chair closed March 31 so the resort could begin blasting stone and clearing the way for the new chair. Over the summer, The installation of the new chair required helicopters to remove and install towers. They also used helicopters to pour concrete for their new foundation.

This chair will not provide a shorter wait or a faster ride, this new chair will be safer and will not overload the trails.“Although we are going from a triple to a quad, the overall uphill capacity will remain similar due to fewer chairs on the line, preserving the downhill experience without overloading the trail infrastructure with too many people,” writes sugarbush on their blog. “The heavier chairs will also endure the wind better, and increased spacing between them will give guests additional time to clear the unload area onto the newly graded summit”

The new Heavens Gate Quad will open tomorrow, Saturday the 21st at 9 AM, just in time for the holiday season.