Mogul Skiing News: 9.30.08 Sugarbush to Focus on Moguls at Mt. Ellen
Sugarbush, VT Intensifies Focus on
Offering a Multitude of Mogul and Natural
Terrain Options at Mt. Ellen; Plans to Help
All Skiers
Learn and Enjoy Mogul Skiing
and the Natural Aspects of Skiing On a
Level Unprecedented in New England
WARREN, VT - Thirty years
ago, freestyle skiing meant moguls, ballet, trees, and big mountain skiing. The term has become skewed of late, referring mostly
to terrain parks. This season, Sugarbush Resort in Warren, VT informs mogulskiing.net that they are reviving the old definition of
freestyle skiing at its Mt. Ellen area. The 2600' vertical mountain (at 4083' elevation, third highest in VT) will offer mogul terrain
for all abilities, and will encourage skiers to learn and appreciate all of the natural aspects of skiing.
Sugarbush plans to
be at the forefront of the revitalization of freestyle skiing at Mt. Ellen. Embracing a primary goal of creating an appreciation for
and understanding of mogul skiing, tree skiing, powder skiing, and mountain adventure, Sugarbush hopes not only to capture the existing
market for such an offering, but also to inspire all skiers to learn and enjoy these integral parts of the skiing world.
Spearheading
this project is Mt. Ellen VP &
General Manager, Dan Torsell (at right). Torsell
has been a ski industry fixture for more than
thirty years, and has been with Sugarbush
since 2005. His passion for freestyle skiing
(the old definition, of course) began in the
late
'70s, and he has nurtured it through his career.
I'm really excited because I've always
been a proponent of mogul and
freestyle
skiing, Torsell tells mogulskiing.net. I'm
excited because we have decided upon a
direction for the mountain; we're giving
it an
identity. We're making it a home for mogul
skiers. I want it to be known by mogul skiers
as the place they want to go.
To
see him ski a zipperline on Cliffs or Tumbler, or execute a tip-drag 360 on Straight Shot, one would never suspect he turns 52 in
March. He is bringing his
freestyle passion to the forefront at Mt. Ellen this season by creating an operational plan and programming
that will support, promote, and teach mogul skiing, and all of the natural facets of skiing.
Part of the operational plan includes
offering mogul terrain for all ability levels. Most ski areas offer some mogul terrain, but often it is only on the steepest and most
difficult trails.
We want to provide a mogul skiing experience for everyone--from novice to expert--because I think once you
get caught up in it, it's something you'll never want to get out of. Many people are afraid or intimidated and never have the opportunity
to experience it, Torsell muses. We want everyone to enjoy the thrill of skiing moguls with the hope that eventually they will feel
confident and enjoy skiing the more difficult terrain.
According to Torsell, skiers can expect to find moguls on novice, intermediate,
and advanced terrain. Some will form naturally, and others may be helped along by patrollers, instructors, and local mogul skiers
skiing in good lines.
On tree skiing, Torsell becomes somewhat sentimental. There's a sense of serenity, he suggests. It's
like you're in the temple of the ski world. It takes you out of the hubbub of the mainstream resort environment and puts you one on
one with the essence of the alpine experience. Mt. Ellen offers six marked and maintained tree skiing areas.
As a parting thought
Torsell says, I invite everybody to come and try it. As the Sugarbush slogan suggests, we want to give all skiers the chance to 'Be
Better Here.'
Mt. Ellen at Sugarbush is located in Fayston, VT, 45 miles from Burlington International Airport, and is 3 miles
from the Sugarbush Lincoln Peak resort area. Mt. Ellen is scheduled to open for the 2008/09 ski season on December 19th. Visit www.mogulskiing.net/sugarbush.html for
our mogulskiing.net review of, and information about Sugarbush. Visit www.sugarbush.com for official information on the resort and
the Mad River Valley, VT.