15 replies to this topic

[nathanvg]

http://wwmt.com/engine.pl?station=wwmt&id=...kout_state.html

May 1, 2006 - 8:14AM
CEDAR (AP) - A Cedar, Michigan ski hill is now focusing on snowboarding and other extreme sports as a part of its estimated $50 million renovation plan.

Sugar Loaf Resort has gone into foreclosure at least three times since it opened in 1962. But its latest owner hopes this renovation plan will result in a successful future for the resort.

Owner Kate Wickstrom says the goal is to make Sugar Loaf a destination for snowboarders.

The planning commission for Leelanau County's Cleveland Township is to review the plan Wednesday.

[skiersage]

Just for the record, sugarloaf has been a resort similar to Cuchara Valley in the fact that it has opened and closed multiple times through the years and that it has gone through a few owners with little success as far as opening. They have planned to open it for the past few years it has been closed but the operators have yet tobe able to get the lifts up to code. 3 years ago they were going to open up and began to sell season passes and were never able to as three of the lifts would not pass inspection. There are also some urban legends of some lift related deaths there due to stupidity.

[skier691]

I hope Kate decides to also allow skiers. All Ive seen in the papers are 'snowboard area'. Also the lift have not been kept up per ANSI or even had liscenses applied for per MI code. They have one lift, a 'newer' Von Roll that I would think would be easier to bring up to current code. The other I've heard the term "good luck". I could be wrong but I bet thats why they, IF they open, will only be able to open 2 lifts. As far as the urban legend of death, one of the last seasons they operated, a lift op riding down the lift decided to use the cable as a gymnastic bar just as they entered the bottom terminal together. Needless to say the cable won. I do hope they reopen, as ive never skied there and would like too. If iam allowed.

[SkiBachelor]

I would think it would be an area like Echo Mountain since this would even allow more revenue to come in. However, this might be North America's only area to now allow skiers and Sugar Loaf could use this as a big marketing strategy

[skiersage]

skier691, on May 3 2006, 07:42 PM, said:

. As far as the urban legend of death, one of the last seasons they operated, a lift op riding down the lift decided to use the cable as a gymnastic bar just as they entered the bottom terminal together. Needless to say the cable won.

I have also heard from a skier that went to Sugar Loaf the next day that the reminants of the accident were seen on the snow. It was described as "they didn't even try to clean it up so it looked". Not good for customers to to see that kind of thing. Hopefully the new managment will be better than the last. It is no suprise they went out of buisness.

[jclark]

Sugar Loaf is pretty close to Traverse City which, at least in the summer months, seems to be a happening place. They're also surrounded by water...which leads me to believe that it actually may hurt them more than help them. Areas like Cannonsburg receive the lake effect (but aren't next to the lake) but areas like, bad example, Maple Valley, VT, suffer because the moisture from the water source sucks up the snow.

[skibum33]

Traverse City is a big tourist town in the summer months. In the winter however, I don't know, but I have heard it gets pretty cold at times.

[skier691]

The Traverse City area (NW lower) can get cold if you call -10f cold. This is rare, Lake Michigan keeps it fairly nice, 20 -30's, and give us dumps of lake effect too. Because the Loaf is close to the lake, snowmaking temps can be harder to come by.

[skiersage]

Sugar loaf is not in the worst location. It is actually pretty far from the lake. Especially compared to the homestead which is right on the water.

[skiersage]

More on Sugar Loaf:
Traverse City article on proposed opening:
http://www.record-ea...30sugarloaf.htm
Follow up article:
http://www.record-ea...may/05sugar.htm
Forum thread on this topic:
http://forums.epicsk...ead.php?t=41015

[jclark]

skiersage, on May 7 2006, 10:28 PM, said:

Sugar loaf is not in the worst location. It is actually pretty far from the lake. Especially compared to the homestead which is right on the water.

I haven't been to the Traverse City area since I lived in St. Ignace (a few years back), but if I recall, Sugar loaf is surrounded by water on three sides, a most by a few miles.

[timothyp14]

skiersage, on May 11 2006, 01:44 PM, said:

More on Sugar Loaf:
Traverse City article on proposed opening:
http://www.record-ea...30sugarloaf.htm
Follow up article:
http://www.record-ea...may/05sugar.htm
Forum thread on this topic:
http://forums.epicsk...ead.php?t=41015

Sugar Loaf, Michigan has (in my opinion) the best ski terrain in lower Michigan. S.L. has a sustained steep picth of 400 vertical feet. If you read topo maps, that is really good for Michigan. That being said, it also has the worst location for downstate skiers, which make up the meat of Northern lower Michigan ski resort's revenue. The current pipe dream to re-open as a snowboard/ski extreme terrian park resort is interesting. I am trying to sound as positive as as I can here so bear with me. The new plan is layed out in somewhat vauge detail and you can read about it elsewhere. The problems with this plan getting anywhere close to a lift spinning for public uploading are multiple. The first is snowmaking. The infastructure was subpar in the late 90's when they were last operating and those systems do not tend to improve with age especially with zero maintenance. Secondly, the lifts, although they are painted fairly well, have not been turned in at least six years. And as of July 29, 2006 not a wrench has been turned on a single one. However a local eletician has been hired to get the VonRoll spinning (the newest lift installed sometime in the 80's). If they are able to make snow and get the VonRoll spinning, they will need decent grooming equipment and talent to create and maintain a terrain park worthy of attracting skires and riders away from easier to get to locations in Northern Lower Michigan. The last problem I will mention is the sewer issue. S.L. does not own its own sewer system. S.L. has to pay $8,000 per month to dump its sewer in someone elses lagoon. I wish them luck, but I think investing in PanAm stock would be less risky.

Tim P.

[skier691]

Well because of the crazy hot weather, we took a road trip in a resort truck(not a ski guys truck)with A/C and visited The Homestead and Sugarloaf today. Indeed they were working on the Von Roll and it appeared that recently they had installed a couple of new 'watersticks' on their main face, and painted the front side lifts. Maybe third times a charm. Still didnt appear that any work was done on the ski center though. Alot bigger than I thought, but only about 2 mile from L.Michigan. Among other probems with infrastructure, I know snowmaking must be hard there. Any time you get the cold north wind, you'd be pulling the relatively warm air off the lake. Best of luck, i'd love to ski there.

[skiersage]

skier691, on Aug 1 2006, 09:56 PM, said:

Well because of the crazy hot weather, we took a road trip in a resort truck(not a ski guys truck)with A/C and visited The Homestead and Sugarloaf today. Indeed they were working on the Von Roll and it appeared that recently they had installed a couple of new 'watersticks' on their main face, and painted the front side lifts. Maybe third times a charm. Still didnt appear that any work was done on the ski center though. Alot bigger than I thought, but only about 2 mile from L.Michigan. Among other probems with infrastructure, I know snowmaking must be hard there. Any time you get the cold north wind, you'd be pulling the relatively warm air off the lake. Best of luck, i'd love to ski there.

That is cool that you got to visit the loaf. Just some thoughts that come across my mind:

If they painted the lifts were they a different color? (other than red)

How many new 'watersticks' did they have? I remember when I visited the loaf ~5 years ago they had one lonely waterstick in the middle of the run skiers left of the triple.

Sugar Loaf when I visited it back in it's operating days had a bunch of moveable snow guns on the hill. So maybe there will be a few left that will be in use this winter.

As far as bad snowmaking goes there, I have been told that they left a gun on unattended one night and in the morning they found an ice castle caused by a leak in the hose. Only at the loaf.

Whe you visited the homestead did you see any of their lifts? Last I remember they have some strange Leitner Borvig combos there.

[skier2]

This is a little off topic but I think that it's funny that in Michigan the lake causes issues with snowmaing. In MN, up near Lutsen, which is less than 2 miles from the lake, the water causes the air to be cooler, but then again the lake is much cooler in general (only about 50-60 degrees in the summer)

[skier691]

I saw 2 or 3 water sticks there, and yeah, they appeared to have been there for a little while(no tracks left from a install). Maybe they were new from the last attempt to reopen. The lifts were a nice new 'cherry'(of course) red. Unexpected leaks happen everywhere, only to be caught by the 'smart' ones. The lifts at Homestead were a borvig/Leitner mix, Lots of Leitner names on sheaves, assys, some of the Borvig self adj, assys, all 3 were short lifts(1984). Looked very nice but the only thing that looked scary were the fiberglass backrests. There were no supports at all, the one we saw was cracked and very flimbsy. I would not put my back pressure on them. I doubt there is a better view of lake michigan or any lake than the one at the top at The Homestead. The issue with the lake is that the closer you are here in MI, the warmer you are and the lack of Lake Effect snow you receive.