Now more than a half-century old, Sugarbush is a fine intermediate-to-advanced ski resort comprising several mountains linked by a long, high-speed chairlift that crosses several ridges. (A shuttle bus offers a warmer way to traverse the hills, and the resort also recently acquired a "Snow Cat" transporter.) The number of high-speed lifts, plus the excellent snowmaking, makes this a desirable destination for serious skiers -- and there have been serious improvements over the past decade. But this is not Killington. The "Bush" remains a pretty low-key area with great intermediate cruising runs on its north slopes and challenging, old-fashioned expert slopes on Castlerock Peak. Mount Ellen features a terrain pipe and half-pipe, and the resort has made "green" strides by fueling all its equipment and shuttle buses with biodiesel (vegetable oil and/or reused waste oil). This is a good choice if you seek great, exciting skiing but find Killington's sprawl a little overwhelming.