Sugarbush History -- The Claneil Years

ARA Services sold Sugarbush to Philadelphia-based Claneil Enterprises in 1984. In its eleven year tenure as the resort's owner, Claneil made significant upgrades and additions. Their ownership marked the beginning of Sugarbush's four-season resort days, as they purchased the Sugarbush Inn, the tennis center, the golf course, condominiums and townhomes (and other similar real estate), several restaurants, and a cross-country ski center. They also made some on-mountain improvements, most notable of which was the addition of three new chairlifts to Mt. Ellen. Claneil installed the original Green Mountain Express (now the North Ridge Express) which became the fastest quad in the world at 1100 feet per minute (fpm). This greatly cut down the transport time to get from base to summit.