Sugarloaf, Carrabassett ME

Sugarloaf is the grand daddy of all ski resorts in Maine and maybe New England because it has the biggest "big" mountain feel of them all.

My first and only encounter with the mountain was under duress. A big snowstorm was heading our way and I drive America's former number one rental car, a fiery red Pontiac Grand Am GT with southern New England low profile sport tires. Have never gotten stuck in the snow, but really big snowstorms are fairly uncommon down yonder.

When we awoke it had already began to snow and the daunting "S" curves below Sugarloaf on route 16 awaited us. We made a promise to ourselves that we would be the first ones on the lift and but be back in the car by 10:30am to make our escape before the big storm.

In that short time period, we actually got a good perspective of the ski resort, but I definitely want to go back and explore some more. With the snow starting to pile up, we cautiously made our way down the "S" curves and out on to flat land as we beelined it to Sunday River, temporarily leaving the snowflakes behind. We settled in at the inn at the base of Sunday River when the snow started to come down in a big hurry. It snowed through the night dumping a total of 16 inches.

Update: I snowboarded Sugarloaf this year (2009) under perfect conditions and I highly recommend Narrow Gauge. Quintessential. And to top the day off, dinner at Hug's Italian Cuisine restaurant (207.237.2392) is a must.