“Snowboards?” “Check.” “Hats?” “Check.” “Mittens?” “Check.” “Passports?” “Check.” “.....wallets?” “....where did I put that again?” “.......” “FOUND IT!”
With our checklist finished we packed up our car and set off for Sugarloaf in Maine. I had recently been getting more into snowboarding - going so far as to buying my own snowboard so that I would stop spending so much on those pesky rental fees. Ryan is a frequent snowboarder and lover of winter sports in general. We figured why spend our vacation flying down somewhere warm when you could be embracing the great beauty of our cold climate. After researching hills/mountains that were close to us we ended up choosing Sugarloaf. It wasn’t too hard of a choice when our closest hills were just that - hills. Sugarloaf is an actual mountain (not as big as Whistler, but still a mountain). We had heard good reviews of Sugarloaf and decided that it would be a great place to head to.
DAY 1:
The drive to the Carrabassett Valley was not a bad one for the most part. It is around a 5 hours drive from Saint John, New Brunswick without stopping. Once you get off the main highway there is a complicated set of turns and back country roads that get you to Sugarloaf. There are no signs that will direct you towards the mountain, so make sure that you have a map! We were headed to the small cabin that we had rented through AirBnB. Sugarloaf can have amazing deals with prices as low as $100USD/day for hotel, breakfast, lift tickets, and a Perfect Turn clinic. We weren’t lucky enough to go during this season. The resort wanted to charge us $800USD for a two-night stay. We quickly turned to AirBnB to score a cabin for $100CAD/night and lift tickets through Liftopia for $100CAD/day. Stopping off at a grocery store for some food to cook at our home stay helped to make the trip that much less expensive, cozier and full of American junk food that you can’t get in Canada (re Tricks, Cocoa Pebbles, Maine red hot dogs).
The first night we cooked the famous, or infamous, red hot dogs. I had no idea that these things even existed. These hot dogs are banned in California because the dye that makes them red is a known carcinogen. I was just too curious - what makes them still a thing that people flock to. They must be amazing, right? Well, the verdict is in: they are….just ok. They are very red. I thought it was a joke when we bought them, but no - they come that red. When you boil them you lose some of that red colour in the water. Rest assured, however, that they are still plenty red. The casing is snappy has a certain crunch when you eat it. Note: make sure you bite right into it - cutting it with a knife is a big no-no. Still curious? Give them a try at your own risk.
We crawled up into the loft of our little cabin and headed to sleep to get ready to tackle our first day on the runs the next day.