Vermont Resort Explains Why Multiple Ski lifts Are Closed

Sugarbush, Vermont, is taking to the internet to explain a suite of chairlift issues on the Mt. Ellen side of its slopes.

First, the ski resort noted in a social media post, North Ridge remains out of commission as crews work to fix an “electrical problem” on the “monitoring circuits” with the manufacturer. That lift is one of two that climb into the summit area.

The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.

The “main fuse on the drive” for the Green Mountain Express also blew this week, forcing Sugarbush to spend time diagnosing and fixing the issue. 

“We currently do not have a time line for reopening either lift, but we will provide another update as soon as we have more information,” the ski resort wrote.

According to Sugarbush’s Wednesday snow report, both lifts remain closed. The Summit lift, which sits above the Green Mountain Express and North Ridge, is also closed. The upper mountain is open, but you’ll need to hike to get there.

Two Mt. Ellen lifts are currently open: Inverness and Sunshine.

The Slide Brook Express joins the slew of closures. It’s one of the world’s longest lifts, spanning the valley between Mt. Ellen and Lincoln Peak. To safely operate Slide Brook, Sugarbush needs there to be snow on the evacuation roads below. Due to the lack of snow there, the resort said the lift won’t spin for the foreseeable future.

One commenter on social media wondered why Sugarbush couldn’t use ATVs when the snow melts.

“There's typically still snow on snowmaking trails we use to access those roads, so you'd be talking about vehicle switches partway en route to daily line inspections or evacs,” the resort explained. “It just isn't feasible.”

While the East had a rip-roaring start to the 2025-26 season, more recently, warm and spring-like conditions have set in. The Mount Mansfield snow stake, an approximate metric for how the Vermont ski season is looking, has taken a nosedive. At Sugarbush, temperatures were expected to hover in the 30s and 40s on Wednesday.

But more wintry weather could be on the way, with temperature expected to drop ahead of the weekend.