Fat Bike Trails are open.  Good to excellent riding conditions. Dusting of new snow on top or firm base. Entire 25km FatLagChilada course groomed Tuesday. The trail groomed out very nice and set up well. Might be a few soft spots but cold temps tightening up the base again. We do not close the trail because of cold weather, just if above 32. When riding in colder temps, be prepared, dressed properly and good riding to be had. Stop in the Hygge before or after to change, have some snacks and beverages! 

The FatLagChilada includes the east side of Bullhead Bootleg loop and the west side of Twin Lakes. Ski trail segments and inner singletrack in between along with crossing of Bullhead lake consists of the “FatLagChilada”.   

Start at Skaters Waltz ski trail and go right to access the start. Stay on Skaters Waltz and only going off to singletrack where signed.

To access Twin Lakes singletrack only, take driveway down and start at bridge section. SukkerWest also accessed off the driveway for a good starter/beginner loop. 

 Click here to be part of the Strava Maplelag Mountain Bike Community

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Jim Richards, whom was a co-founder of Maplelag. 
Jim was surrounded by family and friends as he took his last breath on earth, after suffering a stroke four weeks ago.



Jim had exceptional vision to create a magical place in the forest, along the shores of Little Sugarbush, a retreat that has been enjoyed by 100's of thousands of people from skiing, biking, weddings, retreats and language learning. His work ethic and adventurous spirit will continue to be present as Maplelag moves forward in this next chapter. A special tree grove memorial will be constructed this fall. There will be a private celebration of life. A full obituary linked here. 

Happy Mid-Summer! Scandinavians reference the longest day of the year as “midsummer”. (We have many great memories from hosting the Concordia Language Villages Swedish Camp, where they celebrated this day.) At Maplelag we are “celebrating” Midsummer with the completion of many projects. And, as always, the constant trail work, keeping the nearly 100km of ski, mountain bike/fat bike trails, free of trees and debris. There hasn’t been many storms but plenty of wind, which has resulted in having several trees to clear. We have been focusing on the bike course as we prepare for the 34th running Laddies Loppet mountain bike race over Labor Day weekend but working on ski trails as well.

Highlights on some of the projects:

Big Dipper: One of the first cabins at Maplelag, “LapLand”, has gone through an incredible remodel and a new name. We have added a very spacious kitchen and living room, still highlighting with original Maplelag signature paneling and great views to Little Sugarbush Lake sunsets. We are super excited to complete this project and are now renting it! If you are interested in renting for the winter time frame, we suggest doing so soon! A few photos below and more info on the “Big Dipper” page.

Brant

The Brant cabin project began last summer, as we turned the cabin into a day lodge area featuring a store, rental shop, warming/visiting/lounge area and the most recent project, adding two additional bathrooms on the main level. We have used as many timbers and lumber as possible reclaimed from the lodge destroyed by fire in October of 2022. The bathroom is very unique in that we harvested an oak from a storm blow down to use in the vanity for sink bases. Keith did an amazing job in this remodel and restoration and Jonell’s decorating is evident.

Painting and Staining

The other big spring and early summer project has been the staining and painting of the other cabins at Maplelag. As you can expect, there is much upkeep keeping everything in operation and the staining was much needed. Everything looks fresher and newer and big thanks to Pat for his fantastic work.

Other Happenings

We upgraded the heating and cooling systems on two of the other available lodging options at Maplelag, the Candy Store and Six Swedes, by adding heat pumps. This will be a nice second option for heating in the winter and also cooling in the summer or a warm fall day.