The Podium Project

On Tuesday, December 27th, Carrabassett Valley Academy (CVA) officially opened the CVA Colby T-bar, realizing a 40-year dream of a new and improved training venue at Sugarloaf. The new high-speed surface lift, situated between a widened Competition Hill and the Narrow Gauge trail, coupled with state-of-the-art snowmaking, provides an ideal training ground for competitive skiers and snowboarders. 

 

The capital project, called The Podium Project, is the result of a partnership between CVA, Sugarloaf, Sugarloaf Ski Club, Colby College, and the University of Maine Farmington (UMF). The venue helps position Sugarloaf as a world-class, early-season destination for training.

 

“Thanks to many generous donors and volunteers, the CVA Colby T-bar is ready to fly! We are so proud of the teamwork, collaboration, and financial and in-kind support that brought the vision of this training venue to life,” said CVA Head of School Kate Webber Punderson '89. “Sugarloafers and student-athletes from CVA, Colby, and UMF will benefit from this new venue for decades to come.”

CVA student-athletes are already reaping the benefits of the new training venue. Sugarloaf has always provided challenging terrain, consistent snow, and great full-length training. With the new surface lift, new snowmaking, and more training lanes, athletes now have more time on-snow with higher repetition and quality. 

 

At 1200’ length and 380’ vertical gain, the surface lift is capable of getting athletes back to the top of the course in approximately 180 seconds compared to the 800-900 seconds when using public chairlifts (SuperQuad and Double Runner West) saving between 10-11 minutes per lap.

 

“During our initial training over the holidays, the widening of Competition Hill and improved snowmaking allowed us to set up to three parallel giant slalom courses or six slaloms with the B Mogul course in place,” stated CVA Alpine Director and Director of Special Projects, Kirk Dwyer. “As our athletes gain training-specific conditioning, it will be exciting to see how much their volume of quality training increases. We anticipate we will be able to ski more gates within a fixed period of time than any other program. This will allow the kids more time to free ski and work on drills outside of the courses.”

According to Dwyer, one of the most significant features of the venue is the “hotbed” environment. During training there has been a good number of people gathering to watch, and the expectation is that this new venue will help attract more spectators to competitions throughout the season. The opportunity for Weekend Program athletes and young skiers and riders to watch top CVA and collegiate athletes train and compete will provide a skiing “Field of Dreams,” inspiring future competitors.

 

“The realization of the Podium Project initiative has fulfilled our high expectations,” concluded Dwyer.

The first formal mention of the desire to have a dedicated training lift at Sugarloaf was in 1970, according to Sugarloaf Ski Club Executive Director Bruce Miles. Coach Tom Reynolds, Sugarloaf racing program supervisor and head coach at the time, expressed the need for a dedicated training lift.

 

“The estimated cost of it would have been around $5,000,” said Miles, “which was a formidable sum for a then one year old foundation to raise.”

 

In the spring of 1970, the Sugarloaf Regional Ski Educational Foundation (SRSEF) hired Ned McSherry as program director. In his report to the Foundation a year later he reiterated the need for a training lift. One thought was relocating the number 1 T-bar (now the Skidway lift) and putting it on the side of Narrow Gauge’s Kangaroo Hill area. This was just one of many ideas floated over the next four decades.

 

In their 1974 spring report to Foundation Directors, SREF head coaches Jeff Lathrop and Peter Smith continued advocating for a training lift and dedicated slalom hill for training. In his 1975 report to directors, John Diller, then head Freestyle coach, stressed that a dedicated training lift would help both racing and freestyle groups. 

 

Larry Mahaney, the Foundation President at the time, also pointed out the need for a dedicated training lift in his annual report. His report stated “In that we feel it is critical for the continued development of our present racers and for the future of ski racing in the state of Maine, we are proposing a T-bar be erected and to the west of the lift, the trail would be widened to accommodate a training area for freestyle moguls as well as racing.”

 

The summer of 1979 brought the cutting of the first phase of Competition Hill from Tote Road Crosscut to the bottom of Kangaroo Hill (the current Peavy X-cut).

 

“While walking through the woods flagging it out, Peter Smith, John Diller, and I talked about how great it was to finally get a dedicated training hill and the hope that in the near future a training lift would accompany it,” said Miles.

 

Fast forward 40 plus years and following much discussion of the subject, ground was broken in the Summer of 2022 for the long awaited CVA Colby surface lift. 

 

“This training venue will accomplish the mission of being able to service the Racing, Freestyle and now Snowboard programs,” said Miles.

 

A grand opening is being planned for later this season that will include a dedication of the venue and a formal recognition of the donors, vendors, supporters, contractors, Sugarloafers, and teammates that made this project possible. Stay tuned for details.