Located on almost 400 acres high above the West River, Maple Valley has been a valuable resource to visiting skiers and local residents of Southern VT.  Currently closed, it served winter sports programs of 20 area schools, having taught thousands of students to ski.  It was geared for families and offered a safe, informal, relaxed environment.  It also provided organized races, like the Nastar and Corona Series, as well as professional lessons from the ski school.​ 

HISTORY:    Started in 1963, Maple Valley has been long recognized as a family style ski area.  Most of the local population under 30 years old learned to ski here.  Because of the local base of schools using the facility as part of their winter sports programs, weekdays were just as busy as weekends.  Over the years, it has grown from a rope tow to having two Hall double chair lifts plus a T-bar.​

LAND:  Sugar Mt consists of 16 trails, about 300 acres of forest, a gravel pit, numerous cross-country ski trails and internal roads. The front of the lodge is highly visible from the highway making it advertise itself.  Route 30 is one of the busiest state highways and it is the main route between I-91 and the West River Valley and Stratton Resort, another 45 minutes north.  The high visibility and the highway coupled with the ability to handle large crowds and its previous history, make this ripe for expansion into a multi-season destination.  It also has another 620 feet of frontage on both sides of Sugarhouse Lane, a side road that gives access to the North Slope, an area for potential development with views over the West River Valley.  There is a gravel pit which can be used for all internal roads, backfill and parking and a 40 acre orchard to the south of the base lodge which is relatively level and appears to have good soils, access and potential views across the river.  The beginner trail on the north side of the property along Sugar Road is also ripe for development.  Zoning is 2 and 10 acre with mixed use and planned unit developments permitted. It has three parking lots and a huge tunnel that goes under Rt. 30 and has almost 4,000 feet of frontage on both sides of Rt. 30 as well as long frontage on the West River below the lower parking lot.

BUILDINGS:     The Base Lodge consists of 16,000 square feet in 3 stories.  The first floor has a ticket and information booth, offices, employee lounge, rental and sale outlets and fitting rooms.  The second floor consists primarily of an open dining area with fireplace for 200 people along with a game area, cafeteria, an office and 2 bathrooms.  There are 10 bathrooms throughout the building.  The third floor consists of a bar and sky-lit lounge with dance floor along with an elaborate exposed rafter and truss beam network.  The ambiance is rustic and casual.  There is a large deck in front which can handle the incoming skiers purchasing tickets and a large 2^nd floor deck in the rear which lets people watch the skiing or provides space for bands to perform while concert goers watch from the amphitheater-like hillside.  There is a 3-bay garage for equipment storage and maintenance and 2 buildings that house the generators and a pump house with a separate valve junction building.  Two Ski Patrol buildings are located on the slopes.​

EQUIPMENT:   The slopes have night lights throughout and there is underground piping for the snow guns, supplied by water from the river.  The commercial kitchen has an Ansul system, commercial range, walk-ins, freezers, etc. fully equipped and ready to open, as is the bar.​

UTILITIES:  There are 3-drilled wells, 2 in use feeding a 10,000-gallon storage tank.  Two septic systems serve the lodge.  There is a sprinkler system with large water storage that gravity feeds to the lodge.  Electricity for the lifts and lodge is provided by 1-300 KVW and 1-200 KVW generator.  There are 2 – 400 gpm pumps at the river for providing water through the extensive piping system to the snow guns It has night lighting, unlike no other ski resort in the area.

SKIING:  Sugar Mountain’s face consists of 16 trails, half-pipe, 2 chairlifts, a T-bar and tube lift.  Trails range from beginner to expert.  The longest trail is 1 – ½ miles with over a 1,000 feet vertical drop.  Trails can be lit up for night skiing, unique to the area. There are 2 Hall chair lifts, the south lift is 4000’ and the north lift is 3,000’.  Although there is no representation to their condition, the foundation of these lifts exists. The T-bar and tube lifts are at a lower section of the mountain near the lodge. The slope behind the lodge, serviced by the T-bar, has been analyzed as perfect for 1 or 2 half pipes.  A new owner could forgo the expense of operating the lifts and just use the low maintenance tube tow and T-bar for tubing and build a simple half pipe for boarders.

POTENTIAL:   The snow making capability of the mountain since 1987 has enabled skiing regardless of weather.  The focus of the owners has been to continue to grow the skiing side of the business while concentrating on the development of other year-round uses.  A summer flea market was successful.  There is also a Maple Sugary on the property that produces up to 200 gallons a year. Expansion of the banquet facility business has been effective in the past.  A campground in the orchard area with swimming nearby at the covered bridge would create both summer and winter business for the lodge and stores.  A snowboarders-only mountain with rock climbing in summer has been suggested.  The property lends itself to more concerts.  With 400 acres, the undeveloped areas could be used for mountain biking, cross country skiing, hiking, picnicking or a number of other recreational uses.  The base lodge lends itself to live entertainment, dancing, weddings and functions in the off-season and should be used for year-‘round for functions, as in the past; too often the mountain would shut down after the winter season.  There have been weddings, camping, mountain biking, volley ball, festivals, helicopter rides, flea markets and live entertainment in the lodge, capable of serving 200 people at the bar and dining room. The views from atop the mountain are spectacular and 8 months of the year would be accessible by vehicle with some work to the beginner trail.  A campground would also utilize the property in the summer months. It is ideal to be a multi-seasonal facility with skiing, banquets, business meetings and concerts.

MORE MAPLE VALLEY DETAILS:

Electricity for the Lifts, Trail Lights, and Lodge is provided by  two Onsite Generators, One 300 KVW, and another 200 KVW unit.

There are 2 – 400 gallon per minute pumps at the river for providing water through an extensive piping system to the snow guns. The mountain has night lighting which no other ski resort in the area has. The slope behind the lodge, serviced by the T-Bar Lift, has been analyzed as perfect for one or two half pipes.

There is a large recieving area behind the lodge where all the lifts start and all the trails end. This makes the mountain very user friendly for familys trying to keep track of each other.

The front of the lodge is highly visable from Vermont Route 30 making it advertise itself. Route 30 is one of the states busiest highways and is the main Route between Interstate 91 and the West River Valley and Stratton another 45 minutes drive to the north.

A large 2nd Floor Deck in the back of the Cafeteria lets people watch the skiing and is a great space for bands to perform while concert goers watch from the amphitheatre-like hillside during the warmer months.

The mountain lends itself to being the perfect location for a true all season resort with its beautiful face, and magnificient trails for summer and fall hikers to enjoy. A perfect location for the summer music festivals that summers in Vermont are famous for.

The land is fabulous and the views stunning. There are places up top where you can look to the Northwest and see Stratton, and turn around 180 degrees and see Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire.

Along with the river frontage there a numerous mountain streams, near vertical ledge cliffs, a 20-40 acre orchard with well drained soils that are perfect for the developement of Cross Country Ski Trails, Tennis Courts, and Housing. The Mountain has 16 trails, 374 acres of forest, a gravel pit, numerous open level areas and internal roads.

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