On December 25, 1958 Damon and Sara Gadd and their partner, Jack Murphy, opened Sugarbush. Lixi Fortna, hired to help run the mountain, shared duties with Damon, Sara and Jack from ticket selling to tending bar, the four worked long hours by candlelight. Lift tickets were just $5.50. Damon and Sara brought well-known figures to work for the resort, such as Peter Estin, Sigi Buchmayr, and Stein Eriksen. This group drew big-name guests such as the Kennedy clan, actress Kim Novak, fashion designer Oleg Cassini and his brother, Igor, a gossip columnist, heirs and heiresses, a countess or two, and lots of models. This Jet Set crowd became the standard for the Sugarbush scene and the resort became known as "Mascara Mountain". Today Sugarbush is owned and operated by Summit Ventures NE, LLC, as partnership of a few individuals which is majority owned by Win Smith, Jr. All investors in Summit Ventures are skiers and riders and devoted to the long-term success of the Mad River Valley and Sugarbush. They have a vision for the Resort that is very much the way Damon & Sarah Gadd and Jack Murphy envisioned it nearly 49 years ago. They believe that life is truly better here in the Mad River Valley. They are committed to making Sugarbush a better place, and they believe that guests can become better too at the things they love doing here. Since acquiring the Resort in 2001, the Castlerock and Green Mountain Express chairlifts were replaced, the snowmaking system continues to be upgraded each year, new grooming equipment has been purchased, the famed Robert Trent Jones Golf course has been significantly upgraded, and the new Gate House Lodge was completed in December 2006. The refined slope side residences of Clay Brook also opened in December 2006. Lire plus sur le site officiel