WARREN, Vermont — Sugarbush Resort’s quest to be the #1 resort in the East just got a lot closer. In Ski Magazine’s annual “Top 50 Resort Guide,” on newsstands September 22nd, Sugarbush ranks third overall in the East in the magazine’s poll of the best resorts on the continent. This is the highest ranking ever received by Sugarbush and marks a steady upward trend for the resort. In another first, Sugarbush was ranked #1 for terrain variety by the readers of the long-running magazine.

In 2003 Sugarbush was ranked 19th overall. In 2006 it was 13th. Last season the resort jumped into the Top Ten with a #7 ranking. The annual readers’ survey, now in its twenty-first year, is considered the definitive ranking of North American ski resorts.

“We’ve always known that life is better in the Mad River Valley, but to climb 16 spots in only five years shows just how dedicated we are to making Sugarbush better each year,” said Sugarbush president Win Smith. “The improvements we’ve made over the last two years starting with the new Lincoln Peak Village, improving the quality of terrain we provide, and now continuing with the base area expansion, are really making a difference to our guests’ experience.” Sugarbush ranked #2 in overall guest satisfaction in the Ski Magazine Readers’ Survey.

Thousands of subscribers responded to the “Top 50 Resort Guide” survey, which was conducted by an independent research firm. The annual resort survey is the most comprehensive and longest-running ski resort survey in the winter sports industry. Resorts are ranked in 18 categories: Overall Satisfaction, Access, Apr??s Ski, Dining, Family Programs, Grooming, Lifts, Lodging, Off-Hill Activities, On-mountain Food, Scenery, Service, Snow, Terrain/Challenge, Terrain/Variety, Terrain Parks, Value and Weather by SKI subscribers who have skied the resorts for the past two seasons, skiing an average of 23 days a year.

Sugarbush saw jumps in 17 out of the Survey’s 18 categories, including a fourth-place ranking for On-Mountain Food, up from #10 the previous year; an eighth-place ranking for Family Programs, up from #17; and a second-place ranking for the Resort’s challenge of terrain, up from fifth place. Sugarbush maintained its seventh-place ranking for Snow.

For the latest Sugarbush news, including the best values on season passes, visit www.sugarbush.com.