Dear Sugar Bowl Academy Community,

We skipped right over spring! It was summer conditions all week at Sugar Bowl, with warm days and nights filled with the peaceful sound of flowing water all around our mountain. As calming as that sound is, it is caused by what has become another major challenge for us, rapid snowmelt and a shrinking snowpack. As always, we are facing this challenge with grit, grace, and courage so that we can keep our athletes safely and purposefully skiing and riding as long as possible. An excellent example of this is the incredible effort from our coaches and athletic staff. Thanks to their commitment, we successfully hosted the U14 Regional Championships and the IFSA U12 Competition. No matter how hard we work, there is limited snow left to work with. Accordingly, we are adjusting our plans for the end of the season. We will ski and ride this coming weekend as scheduled and are excited to host the Far West U12 Championship. Unless there is a significant change in the weather, we are setting Sunday, April 5 as the last day of team programming at Sugar Bowl. For athletes competing past April 5, we will assess what opportunities there may be to keep them training. Our final weekend at Sugar Bowl will be action-packed:

  • Silver Belt Finals

  • Intrasqaud Race

  • End of Season Awards

  • Celebrations marking the end of the current Gondola

  • Golden Egg Hunt

  • More ways to celebrate an incredible season together

We hope you will join us for two more weekends of skiing and riding at Sugar Bowl, the best place to do what we do. Now is the time for families to secure their team spot for the 2027 season. Our team roster is already more than one-third full, and prices will increase on April 12. Registering now also gives you the flexibility of choosing a payment plan with 7, 4, or 3 total payments. Our school programs are enrolling as well, and I invite you to learn more about our offerings for students in grades 6 through 12. Looking forward to seeing many of you as we close out another memorable season.

Sincerely,
Stephen
Executive Director

Athletics

SBA Results

Our SBA teams are nearing the end of the competitive season with athletes competing in regional and national championships. Find the latest results on our Results page.

  • Ziva Levy finished 1st in U15 Snowboard Women at the 2026 Eastern IFSA Junior 3* at Jay Peak last weekend. Full Comp Report

  • The FIS Men competed at Sugar Bowl last week in a 2xSL race series. Porter Sullivan took 1st in Monday’s race, with 3 additional SBA athletes in the top 10. Full Race Report

  • Two of our FIS Women competed at Sugar Bowl in a 2xSL race series. Ava Bradford finished 3rd in Tuesday’s race. Full Race Report

  • Four of our FIS Women have been competing in a series of races in Slovenia over the past few weeks. Sophie Skytta had top 10 finishes in GS and Slalom. Full Race Report

  • SBA’s U8 and U10 teams competed at Northstar in the Tahoe Race Series race. Rylee Phillips finished 2nd in U8 girls. SBA had 3 boys in the top 10 in U10 and 1 girl in the top 10 in U10. Full Race Report

  • Our U14 team competed at the Western Region Championship at Sugar Bowl this weekend. Violet Hanbury, Andy Doiron, Clark Schwall, and Charlie Bertram all had top 20 finishes. Full Race Report

  • Our U8 and U10 teams competed at Diamond Peak in the Tahoe Race Series Championship this weekend. SBA had multiple top 20 finishes in U8 boys and girls and in U10 boys and girls. Full Race Report

  • Our Freeride U12 team competed this weekend at Sugar Bowl. Naomi Archer finished 1st in U12 Snowboard Girls and Finn Cullerton, Finn Dowdeswell, and Evan Fletcher all finished 2nd in their respective categories. Full Comp Report

This Week

Thursday, March 26 - Sunday, March 29 - Far West U12 Champs at Sugar Bowl

Cheer on our Sugar Bowl athletes and help us put on a great event. Contact Kelly if you are able to volunteer.

Thursday, March 26 - Weekly Uphillers Meet Up

All levels welcome and beginners encouraged! Meet at the bottom of Nob at 8:30 am. More information

Friday, March 27 - All Team 8+

All teams ages 8+ will ski and ride on their normal schedule.

Saturday, March 28 - Sunday, March 29 - All Teams

All teams will ski and ride on their normal schedule.

SBA Menu - Week of March 22

Academics

There are three weeks left in Quarter 3. It has been a busy, productive and dynamic winter. All students, especially those who will be missing school over the next several weeks, should check in with their teachers about any outstanding assignments. As a reminder, there is limited capacity to turn in missing work after the last day of the Quarter on April 10.  

Schoolwide Read: Accountable

Students should have read pages 361-398 (Parts 11 and 12) for our Monday Homeroom discussion of Accountable. Last week, we split up into small groups to explore some of the moral and legal issues that emerged in our section, focusing on the moral obligations of being an upstander versus a bystander. We are nearing the end of the book and are consistently impressed by the engagement from our student-athletes.  

Middle School Update

It has been another busy week for our Middle Schoolers on Donner Summit. In English 7 with both Mike and Emmet,  students have been continuing their examination of Ancient Greek Mythology. This week, students looked at The Myth of Hades and Persephone, comparing it to other myths to see how they are similar and different. These myths will serve as important background as the class dives back into the adventures of Percy Jackson in their book The Lighting Thief. 

Practice ACT for 10th and 11th Graders

The Practice ACT will be given on Saturday, May 9 at 8:30am.  Any students interested in taking this practice test must sign up so a test can be ordered. Please mark yes or no next to your student's name in the sign-up sheet.

The deadline to sign up is March 27. If you have any questions, please email Karen Rowe.

Community

Concussion Care 101

Recovery should begin with rest and a gradual, step-by-step progression. Athletes should never be rushed back into training or competition.

Treatment Guidelines:

  • Rest first: Avoid activities that worsen symptoms.

  • Light activity: Gentle movement is allowed as long as symptoms do not increase.

  • Academic adjustments: Follow return-to-learn protocols and adjust school load as needed.

  • Healthy habits: Prioritize sleep, hydration, nutrition, and stress management.

  • Ongoing monitoring: Athletes should have regular symptom check-ins with a healthcare provider and follow the return-to-play protocol with oversight from the Athletic Trainer.

Return-to-Play Progression:

  1. Symptom-free at rest

  2. Light cardio

  3. Bodyweight circuit

  4. Sport-specific workout

  5. Full workout

  6. Sway test must be back within normal baseline scores 

  7. Stop: Athletes must be cleared by a concussion-trained physician before returning to sport.

  8. Begin the 4-day return-to-snow protocol under coach supervision

Important Reminder: If symptoms return at any stage, the athlete should return to the previous step.
Recovery first. Performance second. Safety always.

Upcoming Events

April 7 - SBA Low Stress Book Club

We will discuss There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak. More info and RSVP

April 10 - Winter Term Rock Band Showcase

Join us right after school on Friday, April 10 as our two middle school bands perform songs they learned in their enrichment class during Winter Term. Stay after school and dance/cheer in front of the school building during pickup. Featuring Full Send and Saisha and the Vowels.

May 15, 2026 - Prom

Open to all students in grades 9-12 at Mountain Lotus Yoga from 7-9 pm. Tickets on sale soon. View Invitation

Prior Updates