INside the OUTside: Sugarloaf opens new Competition Center

by Dan Cassidy

Sugarloaf Mountain opens the season with a new state-of-the-art Competition Center. The new facility was built this summer in the footprint of the old Gondola station that served the Carrabassett Valley Academy and the Sugarloaf Ski Club as its tuning and waxing facility, along with meetings and locker rooms.

Dedication ceremony to be held

A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 10 at the new Competition Center from 2:30 to 5 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

The new center was made possible by a $1 million grant from the Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation and the combined efforts of Carrabassett Valley Academy, Sugarloaf Mountain and the Sugarloaf Ski Club. This completes the Bill and Joan Alfond Competition Center.

“CVA’s Board of Trustees has long supported the Sugarloaf Ski Club’s vision of a new competition center,” said Kate Webber Punderson, Head of School, in an e-mail interview. “In May 2015, CVA received an incredible gift from the Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation in support of the project such that the CVA Board, bolstered by the commitment and support of partners Sugarloaf and the Sugarloaf Ski Club, officially launched the effort to make this long awaited dream become a reality,” she said.

Punderson said that the Sugarloaf Ski Club had the vision, the Academy took the reins and Sugarloaf threw full support behind the project.

The new Competition Center will serve as base of operations during the U.S. Alpine Championships that will take place March 25-29, 2017. All are welcome to attend the dedication ceremony.

Ski and ride safely. Use your head and don’t forget to wear a helmet.