Sugarloaf teased at the snowmaking operations in an April Fools' Day post on Facebook that left many of its loyal skiers guessing as to whether or not Maine's tallest ski area would actually pull the trigger.

 

"It's not often that you get to do something like make snow in April, so we wanted to have a little fun with it," Sugarloaf General Manager Karl Strand said. "Our guests have been loyal throughout what has been a challenging winter, so we want to do everything in our power to make sure the skiing is as good as it can be, even if that means making snow later than ever before."

 

Sugarloaf expects to continue snowmaking operations on as many as four trails through Tuesday night, when forecasts are calling for temperatures to rise out of snowmaking range. This week's snowmaking will bolster base depths in advance of Sugarloaf annual Reggae Fest, scheduled for April 14-17. The weekend long festival attracts as many as 10,000 spring skiing and reggae enthusiasts to the slopes each year.

 

Despite the challenging weather this winter, Sugarloaf has made roughly double the amount of snow as it would in a typical season, and has made snow in every month since October.