There is actually a LOT of sun at Sugarloaf in March and April, and a heck of a lot more than it gets credit for throughout the winter. Have a wee bit of experience there.
But......like all of New England, it can really be shitty. No question.
Now to be fair, I spent a winter coaching weekends at Killington in the late 70's and I think we had four sunny weekend days in three months.
It's not like some of the spots my kids have coached: Aspen, Mammoth, Sugar Bowl, Vail. Nor is at anywhere near as cold as some other spots....like Jackson. Where one did two PG years. Gates shatter quickly at -30F.
The WC at Sugarloaf was in 1971. 51 seasons ago. It was held there because it was a historically crappy snow winter in Europe the year before and hey decided that one of the big series had to be moved to not risk another cancellation. There was a group at Sugarloaf who had been running pretty big races for twenty some odd years, and a very loyal army of volunteers. Sugarloaf had a good track record of snow, and while nobody will mistake Narrow Gauge for the Strief....for this continent it's a good track. Sugarloaf had hosted a large number of US Alpine Champs, CanAm Champs, the NCAA champs. Big events.
So they quickly agree to host it, after being asked. And they pulled it off, with a lot of work and a good plan. I was in high school at the time, in boarding school {no ski academies then} and my whole ski team went up to volunteer. Somehow we weaseled into a dinner for the competitors, coaches, organizers, and the head volunteers. I have no idea how we made the list. But I'll never forget the dinner. Surf and Turf. Lobster and grilled moose. The moose it turns out was provided by the Maine Warden's Service. It was literally road kill that had been frozen for months. That drew a lot of laughs a few days later. As I recall, it tasted great. That was one of the more legendary events. People STILL talk about it.
It was also pretty cool to see the press from all over the ski world arriving in Carrabasset Valley, which was much more rustic back then. Think it's the end of the railroad now? Huh!
PS and an edit......
I had forgotten about the trailer fire and the Swiss Team's loss of pretty much everything. I wonder how that might be handled today? My impression has always been that despite the remoteness and low key nature of the event, the "White Circus" loved it. I know that when Sugarloaf held the Nationals is 1995, 1996, 2008, when MOST if not all of the USST was there, the competitors really enjoyed it. Had a blast, and good racing. One of the reasons, IMO, is a strong culture to support the sport. many fans, and volunteers. Fun stuff.
