Sugarbush

Sugarbush is located in the Mad River Valley in Vermont and is considered one of the larger facilities in New England. Here you get 111 slopes, about 196 hectares of groomed skiing area and a total of 52.8 miles of trails, with a vertical drop of 2591.9 feet – the second largest in Vermont after Killington.

What makes Sugarbush extra fun is that it feels like two ski resorts in one. You have the main mountain Lincoln Peak and the slightly more detached Mt. Ellen, separated by the Slide Brook Basin. Once everything is open, you can take the Slide Brook Express between the mountains – a lift that Sugarbush itself lifts as the world's longest detachable four-chair lift.

The terrain is mixed but clearly leans towards the fact that there is a lot for those who want more than just blue cruising. Sugarbush is known for forest skiing, moguls and off-piste feel, and the Castlerock area stands out with narrower, steeper "New England classics" where it is often clear that it is for experienced skiers.

In terms of snow, the annual average is around 263.8 inches per season, and about 70% of the system has artificial snow – while deliberately leaving some parts more natural.