A new surface lift is in the works at Sugarbush’s Mount Ellen. Work got underway last week to construct a Magic Carpet-type lift (or covered carpet conveyor lift) that is 250 feet long and 6.75 feet wide. It will replace Tommy’s Toy tow, a beginner lift that is to the south and east of the base lodge, and top few tiers of parking. Tommy’s Toy tow has a vertical rise of 23 feet and is 201 feet long.
Sugarbush received permits for the project over the winter and spring. The construction cost of the project is $515,000 exclusive of site and demolition work.
Per the project narrative which the Fayston Development Review Board heard, “the project will provide an industry standard lift and a gently-graded slope suitable for learning which is currently lacking at the Mount Ellen base area. The replacement lift will be adjacent to the existing lift serving a similar amount of terrain. 1.07 acres of terrain will be regraded on the Easy Does It trail for the beginner learning area,” Joel Rhodes, environmental compliance coordinator for the resort wrote.
As part of the project, existing snowmaking piping will also be relocated to accommodate the new lift alignment. The project was reviewed under Fayston’s conditional use review standards and met the general standards for conditional use.
In issuing its permit, the conditional use approval found that the proposed development would not result in an undue adverse effect on the 1) capacity of existing or planned community facilities and services, 2) character of the area affected, 3) traffic on roads and highways in the vicinity, 4) bylaws in effect, and 5) utilization of renewable energy sources.
