By Heather Burke
While Maine is on the map for lobster and lighthouses, the vast
majority of the state is inland lakes and mountains. There is a strong
contingent of Mainers just passionate about skiing the Pine Tree
State’s summits and their reasons go far beyond pure Yankee
stubbornness.
Maine has 18 ski areas, from full service resorts worthy of a week’s
vacation, to happy hills with one lift and a crock-pot buffet in the
lodge. Families can take their pick from humble to humbling when it
comes to Maine’s skiable terrain and slopeside spots.
Sunday River,
with eight interconnected mountain peaks, speedy lifts and “super
power” snowmaking, definitely has all your downhill desires covered.
Large enough for you to get a little lost, there is terrain for
everyone in your gang. 128 trails range from humbling steeps of White
Heat, Shock Wave and Vortex, to South Ridge’s mellow learning basin.
Recently
the River ramped-up its après ski amusements for vacationing families.
The White Cap Fun Center is an after hours playground for kids with
snow tubing, a lit terrain park, ice-skating, plus an indoor arcade.
Parents can seek refuge inside Tango Mary’s– while keeping tabs on the
kids.
Another family diversion is a visit to the limited but lively town of
Bethel, to catch a flick or dinner, reached by car or free shuttle
bus. But the number one reason to come to Sunday River is clearly to
ski.
For overnight digs, families can opt for a suite at either of two
slopeside Grand hotels on opposite ends of the sprawling resort. Both
have spectacular outdoor heated pools and restaurants. Or you can rent
one of many mountainside condos – which are nothing fancy but their
slopeside locations are prime.
Not
far from Sunday River is
Mt Abram, a
pint-sized hill, with a worthy pitch and 1,030’ vertical. This family
owned ski area, 20 minutes south of Sunday River, makes for a fun stop
over or night ski spot – and the prices are extremely palatable.
Visiting a ski area with one summit lift means you can keep track of
the kids and keep your ego in check. Bullwinkle-themed runs entertain
the kids, like Dudley Do Right and Rocky’s Run (though that one is
double black).
Parents can head for Mt Abram’s rustic but raucous Loose Boots lounge
for some Maine humor over a beer with the patrollers, while the kids
hit the White Wave snow-tubing park.
There is good reason you see so many blue triangular
Sugarloaf/ USA
bumpah’ stickahs’, and it is not just because it is Maine’s single
largest ski mountain. The Loaf has a personality all its own and
families find it extremely homey despite its impressive size of 2,820’
vertical.
Sugarloaf’s
is famed for its extensive terrain, vast snowfields and award-winning
village. Families can choose from Sugarloaf’s slopeside hotel or one
of the abundant ski in/ski out condos.
Kids adore Sugarloaf’s mascots and the ample activities from ski camp
to evening games. Teens love the giant half-pipe and huge hits in the
terrain parks. Parents enjoy the Loaf’s slopeside village dotted with
watering holes, casual eateries, and cute shops.
You are sure to be impressed by the loyalty of resort staff and locals
alike. It’s a fascinating place to visit, like a mountainous magnet in
the middle of Maine.
While the Loaf is worth the lengthy drive for a weekend, the midweek
ski and stay packages are where families find the real deal and get
the true flavor. Your little ones will thank you when they meet Amos
the Moose, and you will be smiling once you are in The Bag – just go –
it will all make sense once you are a “Loafer.”
Big
Squaw is also a bit of a drive – and those are Maine directions
for ya’. There is much more to this modest mountain than their
marketing slogan – “Ski the View.” An old double chair climbs to some
exhilarating terrain with preeminent views of Maine’s biggest Lake and
mountain, Moosehead and Katahdin. A more modern triple chair on the
lower mountain caters to intermediates and beginners.
If you want to expose your kids to skiing, think 1960’s – then Squaw
is your ticket. There is nothing high-speed or high-tech here, but
there is plenty of character – and characters. Lunch is served out of
crock-pots. Adult lift ticket prices are $15 midweek and $25 weekends
– a bargain for 1,750’ genuine vertical.
Your family can lodge at the new, albeit basic, slopeside hotel for
$94 a night. The views are exceptional of Moosehead – which sums up
the entertainment. Or you can mix with the wicked witty locals and
snowmobilers by renting a simple Lakeview apartment at the
Black Frog
in “downtown” Greenville.
Saddleback
in the Rangeley Lakes region has a similarly old-fashioned feel. Two
double chairs serve some wonderful winding trails. A temperamental
summit T-bar is the only way to ski the most challenging of
Saddleback’s 1,830’ vertical.
What
makes Saddleback charming is the friendliness of its inhabitants. It’s
one big happy family and you are welcome to it – from the cozy log
base lodge, to lollipop races.
This past fall, a retired Maine geology professor purchased the sleepy
Saddleback with plans to preserve the affordable family atmosphere.
However, a slopeside hotel and expansion of the available terrain are
in the future plans.
For now you can rent a privately owned mountainside condo, or stay in
the lakeside town of Rangeley - where you will be among more
snowmobilers than skiers.
Another family hill is
Shawnee Peak
on Moose Pond in Bridgton. Shawnee is near the New Hampshire border,
just 20 minutes from the lodging and shopping of North Conway. The
Peak offers 1,300 feet of vertical of pleasant skiing on two sides
with fixed grip lifts, and lovely views of the surrounding Maine
countryside and nearby Whites.
Ticket specials on-line may tempt you to sneak to the Peak. As the
largest night ski facility in New England, Shawnee is the place to
take kids with evening energy overload.
It’s a natural instinct to head north for the best skiing. Traveling
to Maine, you will be rewarded with big mountain skiing served with
down-home Downeast flavor.
Snowmobiling may rank as Maine’s #1 winter recreation, but skiing is
Maine’s real state treasure.
This story was Published in
The New England Ski Journal