Most people have a big birthday party as they turn 50. Not George
“Woody” Wood. He made 50 turns in 50 days at 50 ski areas with 50
friends. Born in Bangor, Woody learned to turn on skis as a youngster
at Hermon Mountain and went on to race at
Sugarloaf. Approaching half
a century, he masterminded a mission to ski 50 ski areas, by seeking
out more rural “mom and pop” ski areas throughout Maine and New
England, since his Maine list only brought him to 13.
“Some
of my best experiences were at community run areas in Maine,” said
Woody (George Wood). “I found that smaller ski areas have more
personal touch. When these folks heard my story, they treated me like
a celebrity, opening the lift for me, or taking me up the hill on
snowmobile if they were closed so I could get in my 50 turns. My
Odyssey brought out the best in people, genuine kindness. I met the
lift operators and the volunteers who keep these ski hills running so
that local kids can get outdoors and enjoy winter.”
One of Woody’s favorite hills was Baker Mountain, where he met a
volunteer named Parker who had already logged 300 man-hours in 3
months. Skiing at Baker cost $5 a day and ski rentals are $1. Woody
insisted on giving $30 to Baker to cover the expense of his stopover,
which the folks at Baker turned into a scholarship allowing six more
local kids to ski.
During the winter of 2004, Woody sought out Maine areas most skiers
have never heard of like Jefferson, Pinnacle Hill, Big Rock, and
Titcomb in addition to the better-known resorts. One of Woody’s
funniest encounters was in Aroostook County at Quoggy Jo, which is
admittedly a funny name to begin with. Woody approached the T-bar just
before 3:45pm. When he inquired about the sign, “lift stops at 3:45,”
the attendant verified, “Heeyep, the lift stops at 3:45.” Sure enough,
Woody was halfway up when the lift stopped, and folks just got off and
started skiing from that point.
As
part of Woody’s multi-mountain odyssey, he deemed
Sugarloaf the most
friendly big ski mountain. Squaw, overlooking Moosehead Lake, was
awarded “best fireplace.” Woody described the Barker Lift at Sunday
River that starts its ascent over a pond as; “the only mountain that I
know of in New England that travels over water – a fun but somewhat
eerie sensation.”
Woody said, “I encourage people to explore the rural areas in winter,
stay in Maine’s local inns, and go to the smaller community run ski
hills, get to know the people who load the lifts and keep these little
areas going.” Woody’s resulting mantra is, “Life is a wonderful
journey, full of delightful detours.”
What’s next for Woody? He’s working on a Lobster Relay, where he will
travel via working lobster boats from Eastport all the way down the
Maine seacoast.
