Maine Sunday Telegram - SKIING

November & December 2003 Ski Columns

 

 

 

"Maine’s Ski Hall of Fame Part II"
 

December 28, 2003

Imagine skiing on crusty, rutted snow, without that soft layer of freshly blown snowmaking groomed into ripples we call “corduroy”. As much as we Mainers like to think that we are hard-core skiers and riders braving nature’s elements, we tend to gravitate toward that perfectly groomed man-made snow.

Did you know that snowmaking and grooming were the brainchild of a Mainer? It was 1962 when Otto Wallingford blew the first snow from his own ingenious machinery. He went on to tweak his system with the first air dryer, and fashioned the first pole guns by mounting hoses 20-feet above the trail to simulate natural snowfall. 40 years later we call these tower guns, and they are essential components of snowmaking at resorts around the globe – but it all started as Otto’s experiment at 240-foot Lost Valley.

You can also thank Wallingford for the white carpet grooming that we take for granted. Wallingford invented the “Powdermaker” in 1968, using a giant roller with openings like a chain link fence which when dragged at an angle would pulverize hard pack into soft carve-able snow.

Accepting her father’s Maine Ski Hall of Fame induction this fall, Otto’s daughter Ruth Wallingford said, “One of Dad’s favorite saying was, “I have a crazy idea.”

Students at University of Maine Farmington should know the name Ralph A. Des Roches. “Doc” as he is known amongst skiing friends, founded the Ski Industries Program at UMF in 1981, considered one of the finest ski industry training curriculums in the country.

Doc’s dedication to skiing started in Rumford, Maine where he first learned to compete. He raced on the UNH ski team from 1939-1943, while serving in the Maine National Guard. Following graduation he joined the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale, Colorado, and later taught skiing for the US Army in Lake Placid.

In 1963, Des Roches formed the Ski Industries of America, a national trade association best known for hosting ski shows across the nation. Des Roches name is on the charter of most every organization in the ski industry; The Professional Ski Instructors Association, The Eastern Ski Writers Association, the US Ski Team, and the US Ski Association.

Des Roches received the good news of his Maine Ski Hall of Fame induction this summer, just three weeks before he passed away.

Wendall Broomhall, “Chummy” to most, is a true ski pioneer and an original member of the Chisholm Ski Club back in the 1930’s. During the war, he served in the legendary skiing10th Mountain Division. Upon his returned from Europe, he was eager to develop Black Mountain.

Chummy was a US Ski Team member from 1947-1954, and competed in the 1948 and ‘52 Winter Olympics. The Chisholm ski club sponsored his trip to the Games, and according to Chummy, even took care of his family of three children while he was away. Broomhall later worked at two Olympics, Squaw Valley in ‘60 and Lake Placid in ‘80, as technical advisor, Chief of Race and judge.

“Skiing has been a way of life for me, it has taken me all across the country, but the most satisfactory part is my involvement at Chisholm,” said Broomhall. He donated over 300 acres of land to his home Ski Club for Nordic trails.

Broomhall was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1981, and is now among respected friends in the new Maine Ski Hall of Fame.

C. Allison “Al” Merrill is Maine hall of fame caliber, even though much of his skiing took place at Dartmouth College. As captain of the Dartmouth ski team, he won three straight Winter Carnival titles, skiing in all four events.

During the war, Merrill served in the 83rd Infantry and earned a Purple Heart. After graduation in 1950, Merrill joined the US Ski Team. He became coach in 1954, bringing the U.S. Nordic Team to the 1956 Olympics in Cortina, Italy.

Merrill returned to coach at Dartmouth for 15 years, winning seven Winter Carnivals. He served as US Ski Team head coach (1963-68), and technical advisor of four Olympics.

John Bower is another Maine Hall of Fame competitor. Bower, an Auburn native, was the first American to win the Holmenkollen in Norway in 1968, the most coveted combined Nordic event.

Long before that Bower was jumping into record books, including scoring a perfect 400 when he won slalom, downhill, cross country and jumping in a high school championship in 1959. As a US Nordic Team member, he competed in two Olympics (1964 and ’68) and won four National Nordic Combined titles. Bower later coached Middlebury and the US Nordic Team. For his personal skiing achievements and his coaching, John Bower is an esteemed member of the National Ski Hall of Fame.

At the Lost Valley induction ceremony, Bower (the youngest of the ten inaugural 2003 Maine Ski honorees) said, “I am a beneficiary of these nine other hall of famers. I am so grateful to be included among them.”

Mainers reap the rewards of these talented and hard working Nordic and alpine enthusiasts, as we enjoy the sport that they shaped and groomed before us.

“It’s about time we recognized some of the pioneers of skiing in our state,” said Greg Sweetser, director of Ski Maine Association and Maine Ski Hall of Fame committee member.

Events: The Maine Ski Hall of Fame is currently accepting nominations for next year’s batch of worthy candidates. Forms are available at www.skimaine.com/museum

---

“Maine ski legends named to Hall of Fame”
 

December 21, 2003

What does it take to be a Maine Ski Hall of Fame member? First you need a Hall of Fame. That was accomplished this fall at a first annual ceremony at Lost Valley Ski Area.

Next you need inductees, people worthy of the distinction – folks who have made a unique and remarkable contribution to the sport of skiing in Maine, whether for their vision, ingenuity, hard work or athletic talent.

In its inaugural year, 10 remarkable men were enshrined into this newly formed record of Maine ski legends. Here are a five of our state’s 10 outstanding alpine and Nordic enthusiasts.

You might think Robert “Bunny” Bass was chosen as a ski hall of famer for his Bass footwear ski boots, the first ski boots designed and worn around the world. But it was Bunny’s involvement in forming Sugarloaf as a ski facility that was equally notable. Bunny was chief fundraiser and P.R. man in Sugarloaf’s infancy, giving the far-fetched resort credibility as a business investment.

Bunny served as president and also chairman of Sugarloaf Mountain Corporation, he even personally guaranteed the loans on the Gondola installed in 1965. Bunny said of the radical new lift, “the gondola may not have transported a lot of people every hour to the summit by today’s lift capacity standards, but it got a lot of people from Boston to Sugarloaf.”

Bunny was marketer ahead of his time, cross-promoting his most popular ski boot, The Sugarloaf, in the Bass footwear catalogue with pictures of the snowfields on the cover.

At the Hall of Fame induction, Bunny Bass said, “Our goal after the war was to ski, not to be hall of famers. We wanted to ski here in Maine, instead of traveling to Cranmore or Tuckerman’s. In the 1950’s and 60’s, skiing was a sport for everyone. I hope that becomes the case again.”

Amos Winter, a Kingfield storekeeper, was also named a Maine ski hall of famer, for his vision combined with good old-fashioned hard work. Amos loved to ski so much, he hand cut ski trails, first on Bigelow, and eventually on neighboring Sugarloaf in 1948. His dream of a ski area got momentum as he launched the Sugarloaf Ski Club, and served as its first manager.

Amos even sold his store to invest in the first T-bar and build a base lodge. Amos Winter worked every acre of Sugarloaf Mountain, and every aspect of the original ski business. Mainers should be mindful of Amos Winter as they schuss down the classic Winter’s Way, his first official Sugarloaf trail.

Maine’s first ski instructor takes his spot in the hall of fame. Wes Marco was Pleasant Mountain’s first instructor. He started skiing at what is today’s Shawnee Peak before there were lifts and helped start this first commercial ski area in Maine.

Marco joked about his early days on skis, “In those days, most skiers could only turn their skis one way, I could turn both ways so they made me instructor.”

Marco attended early race camps held at Cranmore in the late 30’s, then brought the latest teachings to Mainers. He introduced sanctioned racing at Pleasant, and later at Titcomb Mountain where he taught what became the largest ski school in the state for 24 years.

Marco was also part of the Maine Ski Council that developed Sugarloaf along with Winter and Bass, and helped launch the Loaf’s race hosting tradition. Wes Marco became a certified Professional Ski Instructor of America and is honored as a lifetime member of the PSIA. In Maine, Marco should be remembered for putting us on the map as a state that cultivates top skiers and racers.

Russ Haggett is a Maine ski hall of famer, for his 39 years as general manager of Pleasant Mountain. After his return from WW II, Haggett focused on making Pleasant a major ski area and a significant local business. He installed rope tows, introduced Maine’s first ski patrol in 1947, and eventually Maine’s first T-bar (‘51) and first chairlift (‘54). Pleasant Mountain, under Haggett’s leadership, set the standard and led the way for future Maine ski areas.

“Russ Haggett is honored for introducing the joy of skiing to many Mainers,” said Dave Irons, Maine Ski Hall of Fame chairman at the induction ceremony. “Russ made sure that kids in Bridgton that couldn’t afford to ski, got to ski.”

Aurele Legere still holds the Maine high school ski jumping record of 185-feet, which he accomplished in 1935 at age 18. Rumford native Legere never competed in an Olympics, since the 1940 Games were cancelled due to the War. Legere served in the US Army, and following the war he toured in Europe on the All-Army Ski Team. He won numerous international jumping competitions in the U.S. and Europe, including a huge 256-foot jump on the Olympic Hill in Garmisch.

Legere went on to become one of the top designers of ski jumps. He served as an Olympic jumping official at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, and has a spot in the Masters Ski Jumping Hall of Fame there, and now a rightful place in Maine ski history.

These five skiers, along with five others whom you will learn about next week, dedicated much of their lifetime, their energy and talent to the sport of skiing. It is safe to say Maine skiing would not be where it is today without their contributions.

The Maine Ski Hall of Fame committee should also be applauded for their effort to document, assemble and award these ski pioneers.

Events: As we head into a two-week holiday period, Maine slopes are decorated in white and ready to greet skiers and riders. Sunday River and Sugarloaf have a plethora of holiday activities planned including fireworks.

---

“Snowfall boosts conditions at Maine areas”
 

December 14, 2003

Mother Nature fulfilled skiers’ wish lists last weekend with a wave of her mighty snow wand. According to meteorologist Russ Murley, this was the biggest statewide December storm since a 1970 blizzard, although snowfall amounts ranged widely throughout Maine.

Sunday River received 42 inches, 50 inches was measured at Sugarloaf. Prior to that storm, the mountains had received only a trace of snow and only snowmaking terrain was open.

“You can’t ask for anything better this time of year,” said Bill Swain, Communications Director of Sugarloaf. “This snow will help with holiday bookings, especially since there are two vacation weeks this holiday season.”

Susan Duplessis, Director of Communications at Sunday River said, “The snowstorm was a tremendous boon and definitely created more urgency among our guests to get their reservations booked for the holiday weeks, we're nearly sold-out.”

Big Squaw received 34 inches, and moved their opening date up to Dec. 12. Shawnee Peak opened Dec. 13 as scheduled, with top to bottom skiing thanks to three feet of snow received in Bridgton.

Jessica McDonald, marketing director at Saddleback reported 52 inches. “We are not opening early, since we have a lot to do before Dec 19. We are digging out from all the snow, grooming the slopes, and we will be in great shape for next weekend’s opening.”

“If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said we were behind last ski season for snow conditions. But now I tell people it is definitely time to get out,” said James Krams, a shop employee at Joe Jones Ski and Sport. Krams has already skied multiple days this season.

“There is plenty of terrain open and Sunday River has been blowing snow every chance they get. It is time to make some early turns and get your legs in shape. When you start to feel the burn, then you should call it quits,” said Krams.

Ken Bialorucki, manager of Joes Jones Ski and Sport, reports retail sales are up 20% over last season. “Obviously we are a weather reliant business, but the biggest thing that helped our sales is the $299 Sunday River/Attitash pass deal. That promotion has prompted people who bought the discount pass to come in to the shop looking to update their equipment,” said Bialorucki.

“Resorts out west in Colorado and Utah have done multi-resort discount season passes for years to generate this kind of business,”Bialorucki said. “Perhaps this Sunday River/Attitash combo pass is a result of American Skiing Company headquarters moving out west. If the goal was to stimulate lapsed skiers back into the sport, it seems to be working.”

“One of the goals was to reinvigorate Sunday River, where our numbers were flat,” said
Chip Carey, Senior V.P. of Marketing at American Skiing Company based in Park City. “62% of the pass buyers were not previously in our database. That tells us these are new customers to us, so that is a good sign for the industry.”

“The $299 season pass has generated interest from people who have been away from the sport for a while,” Bialorucki said. “They are also ready to move into the new shaped ski technology, which is a great product that will make their return to the slopes easier.”

While Sunday River offered a dramatically discounted pass, Sugarloaf did not. “To make that deal work at Sugarloaf, we would have to sell three times the number of passes, and we do not have the trail and lift capacity to support that,” said Swain.

Swain said, “We met our pass sales numbers this year at Sugarloaf. As far as the Sunday River/Attitash pass, it will be great for Maine skiing in the long run because it is bringing lapsed skiers and new skiers into the sport – and eventually they will come to the Loaf.”

Duplessis at Sunday River said, “We have noticed our parking lots are busier than previous early-seasons, and it's especially gratifying to see more people come out midweek. We anticipate that we will see a lot of these people during the holidays, but a majority of our new passholders purchased the $299 Sunday River/Attitash pass that has some restrictions during the Christmas period, so overall we would expect the same number of people on the slopes during that period.”

Josh Burns, owner of Mt Abram, said his early bird season pass sales were up 25% over last season, despite the discounted ASC pass. Burns said that with the 40 inches of snow received on the summit combined with on-going snowmaking, they hope to have 100% of Mt Abram’s terrain for the Dec. 20 opening.

No matter where you choose to ski, Maine snow conditions are excellent for mid-December. Get out there and make some turns.

Events: Saddleback celebrates Tin Mountain Round Up on Dec. 20 and 21 with $5 off the regular $35 lift ticket price when you donate three non-perishable food times, as part of a food drive campaign at many Maine ski areas.

Emergency Personnel Appreciation day is December 20 at Mt Abram. All emergency personnel and their families will receive free all-day, full-mountain lift tickets and rentals on Mt Abram’s opening day.

---

“Bode Miller feels strong”

December 7, 2003

Meeting Bode Miller was admittedly a thrill for me. This boy next door, well actually from over the state line, has transitioned from Cannon kid, to CVA speed demon, to world-renowned skiing super star at 26. While U.S. Ski Team racers do not get the spotlight treatment like Nomar Garciaparra or Adam Vinatieri, Bode Miller has tapped into a certain star quality, while maintaining his New England roots.

I had the opportunity to meet Bode when he received the 2003 North American Snowsports Journalist Association Outstanding Competitor award this fall. This is the second consecutive year that our national group of writers has deemed him America’s top ski athlete.

The facts speak for themselves, Bode Miller is an Olympic triple-medallist, and last season he dominated the World Alpine Championships with golds in Giant Slalom and in Combined, plus silver in Super G. This season, he already has his first World Cup win in the bag, winning GS at Park City last month.

Last winter’s speedy season ranked him second in overall World Cup standings, the best US finish since Phil Mahre two decades ago. Bode’s triple medal haul at the World Championships made history as the best U.S. men’s finish ever. He capped off his season with a hat trick, three Golds at Lake Placid’s U.S. Alpine Championships.

Bode described his podiums at the World Championships at St. Moritz, “It was right out of a storybook. The scene over there is so Hollywood. It was great to be on the podium with Erik (Ski Teammate and friend Erik Schlopy),” said Miller. “To be second in GS and 2nd overall was really exciting.”

US Alpine Head Coach Phil McNichol said, “Bode brings a passion to ski and to compete and win, and a self-confidence not only in himself but in the team that’s intoxicating.”

Miller says he was let down by last season’s slalom performance, “There are such time-differentials in ski racing. You can’t get mad if you’re fifth. I take each race and do my best.”

Miller said he does not dwell, “I am all psyched about stuff before I do it and when I do it, and then it’s done. As soon as the season is done, it’s all about golf and tennis with the little kids.”
Bode Miller spends his summers teaching tennis at the family’s tennis camp in hometown Franconia, NH. He is also on the A-list for celebrity golf tournaments.

Hiking and biking vary Miller’s dry-land training. “I have hiked all the Presidentials, I run them and hike them. I bike too, but I can’t stand riding for more than a half hour so I do interval sprints since my legs are built for huge G-forces of skiing,” said Miller.

Miller says he is much stronger coming into this winter, explaining that it took time to come back from his knee injury in the Downhill at the 2001 World Championships. He also underwent surgery on his right eye on Halloween, to improve his vision.

Miller quit kayaking, saying it became too dangerous at the level he was pursuing it. “Any sport is only as much fun as the amount of risk you are willing to take,” said Miller. “I save my risk for skiing.”

Miller’s upbringing was unique – as was sensationalized during Olympic broadcasts with snapshots of his rustic homestead. He was home-schooled and excelled at tennis, soccer, hockey, and spent loads of time skiing and snowboarding at Cannon Mountain. “When I was five-years-old my parents would drop me off at the mountain at 7:30 and pick me up at 4, there aren’t many places in the world you can do that as a kid.”

Carrabassett Valley Academy helped him make a commitment. “I went to CVA to see how much I liked racing. I wasn’t there to make the honor roll; I wasn’t looking for the social aspect either. I was there to test myself for the ski team.”

Miller recalls that his coach Eric Webster made the “full court press” to choose between snowboarding and skiing. “I am very stubborn, but I made the decision to focus on ski racing, though I still like to snowboard. Going fast I prefer skiing, but on a powder day I would for sure snowboard.”

Miller’s third place slalom finish at the Sugarloaf-hosted U.S Championships in 1996 launched his “rock star” status. He’s been crashing the gates and tearing up both the technical and speed disciplines with wild pursuit ever since.

“It’s great being able to make a living skiing, but you have to be so determined, so focused, and patient at the same time. The ski team may look like a fun club, but they use me for sponsorship, so I have to use my knowledge and experience from CVA to get what I need from the tour.”

Miller now has a laundry list of sponsors from ski products to trucks to food companies. He has his own clothing line, his own ski and he just signed on as Bretton Woods’ Director of Skiing.

“I have always had a simple lifestyle, growing up in Franconia. I’m no more of celebrity there than anyone – since everybody knows everybody’s name. In Europe the celebrity status of ski racers is huge. With all that, things get complicated, that is the downside. Ski racing is a thankless sport in many ways, it’s so isolated, so limited and the wear and tear on your body is huge.”

When asked about his goals, Bode said, “Everyone on the team has to set five year goals, I looked back and I attained them all last season already.” Miller is not short on confidence.

“My number one goal is the same as every year, not to hurt myself, and since taking up Downhill, I would add I don’t want to kill myself to the list.” Miller said jokingly. "Seriously, I want to win the overall World Cup title."

This weekend, Bode Miller competes on the legendary Birds of Prey Downhill course at Beaver Creek, Colorado.

Event: Shawnee Peak plans to open Dec. 13, and will offer $15 lift tickets Saturday and Sunday with the donation of three non-perishable food items.
 

---

 

"Downhill Dynamo savors 10 years on US Ski Team"

November 30, 2003

Kirsten Clark, “Clarky” as her U.S. Ski Teammates refer to her, is not the aggressive thunder-thigh racer you would expect from a downhill dynamo who skis at 77 m.p.h. She is soft-spoken, polite, pretty, and relatively petite at 5’6. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in speed and finesse.

The 26-year-old Maine native has skied her way from 1994 junior national Downhill champion to two-time Olympian, and World Cup winner. She is the only American to win four straight U.S. downhill titles, and last season finished second in Downhill standings. Clark was named U.S. Alpine Skier of the Year, with the best woman’s performance since Picabo Street in 1996.

Clarky is from Raymond, Maine, where she was married this September to former U.S. Coach Andreas Rickenbach. I had the pleasure of chatting with Kirsten Clark in Maine, between summer training camps at Mt Hood and Chile.

“As a kid, I never followed the U.S. Ski Team, I didn’t know that’s what I wanted to do.” said Clark, who started on skis at age three, and began racing at Sugarloaf at seven.

“I loved to ski with my family, especially my brother Sean. We had this competitive relationship. Skiing with him and his friends, they’d give me a head start so I would bomb down Double Bitter. I would be halfway down and think they had taken off on me or gone another way, then they’d fly by me and we’d squeeze into the gondola, and do it again. That sibling rivalry definitely made me ski harder and push myself. ”

“I just kept at racing in Buddy Werner program and then Junior Olympics, which was a struggle at times. I was not always in the top 10, which was sometimes disappointing,” said Clark.

Kirsten Clark entered Carrabassett Valley Academy in eighth grade. “CVA was a great experience for me, both the athletic and the academic atmosphere. Bode Miller was a year behind me. There were some great kids, so many of whom have done really well, like Emily Cook.”

Clark said of the Sugarloaf based ski academy, “It costs parents a lot of money to send their kids to CVA, so when you decide to be there, you really focus and work hard. The academics and personalized attention I received were excellent, the classes are small – and once I started traveling with the ski team, I found I could get one on one attention, to keep up with my studies.”

Kirsten said of her sophomore year, “I put all my eggs into skiing. I first made the U.S. Ski Team in GS, and I was the only GS competitor in the World Cup. Those first years on the Team were hard. The competitions and traveling were new to me, and I expected so much from myself and would push myself too hard and get down on myself.”

Coach Jim Tracy said of Clark, “Kirsten’s harder than anyone on herself. She wants to win all the time.”

Clark said, “The best thing my parents did was always let it be my choice, whether I raced or not. They encouraged me and supported me, but never pressured me. There was a time that I thought about quitting, and they understood and said they supported my decision. That actually made me stronger, knowing that it was totally up to me, and they were behind me no matter what.”

Clark said, “Now that I have been on the U.S. Team for 10 years, I have gained some maturity, and learned not to be too hard on myself. A lot of it just comes from experience, knowing that you have done well before, that you are prepared, and that you need to stay calm and focused.”

Clark’s off-season is no time off, it’s about intense strength training. “You have to put the physical work in off-season. I work out hard all summer, twice a day, doing trampoline, jumping, lifting weights, bike riding, sometimes water-skiing and horseback riding. In the summer it is 90% physical and 10% mental,” said Clark.

“In the winter it is the opposite, its 90% mental” she said. “On race day, you get to the start and the physical preparation is behind you. You better have done the foundation work. I know I have. So then it is all about keeping things simple, going through the race rituals, having a good inspection, and not expecting too much.”

Clark admits skiing so fast can get scary, “but it’s also exciting when they prep the hill so well, there isn’t even a ripple, so you can really fly.”

Coach Tracy said, “She likes the courses icy with hard snow, and a more technical course that’s steeper and has more turns.”

Clark speeded to Downhill gold at the 2001 World Championships in Lenzerheide. “The first time I stepped up on the podium it was the top step. It is a tremendous feeling,” said Clark. “There is no other feeling in the world like being on the podium. My goal is for several podiums this season. My ultimate goal is to be first in the Downhill standings, and to win one of those beautiful crystal globes. I know I can also do that in the Super G.”

When asked about her third Olympic appearance in 2006, Clark said, “I find it best to treat each race as just that, another race. I want to achieve my goals for each season. The Olympics are too far away, so I try not to get too amped up about medalling.”

Clark mentioned Banknorth, her head sponsor that allows her to travel and concentrate on racing. Clark described herself as low profile compared to certain ski team members who enjoy the limelight and pursue multiple endorsements. She prefers being home, with her pets including her dog Bode - a funny coincidence but not named for the Ski Team’s best male skier.

Kirsten said of her U.S. Ski Team experience, “You get to travel to these incredible ski places. But we don’t get to spend much time touring. We get up on the hill early and train, we race, then we need rest. It’s not easy being away from December to March, never coming home that whole time.”

Clark said of the U.S. Ski Team, “My teammates are very good friends. We push and pull each other because we are so close, even though we are competitors. And there are those rare occasions when it snows too much to race, and we get to go powder skiing.”

Clark’s eyes light up as she talks about skiing the Dolomites in Italy, but also as she recalls her time at Sugarloaf. “Sugarloaf is my home mountain; I miss skiing there now that I am traveling so much.”

Clark is currently in Park City, Utah, competing in the America’s Opener, the World Cup kick-off to what should be a stellar season for our Maine skier.

Events: Dec. 6-7 Sugarloaf hosts the 6th Annual Blues Fest, while sister resort Sunday River hosts the 4th annual Santa Sunday on Dec. 7.

---

"Winter Whiners: “Get a snow life”

November 23, 2003

 

Have you been day dreaming all summer about those first cherished turns on snow? You are not alone my ski friend. Isn’t it sad that so many folks bemoan the entire concept of winter? You have heard them at the Post Office, at work – complaining about the cold, the inevitable snow they will have to deal with, and how “it rained all summer.”

I propose that they need to “get a snow life” – if you will indulge me a modification of that overdone expression. Certainly, winter is no joke in Maine – it is cold, snowy and not for the thin-skinned. The long drawn out snow season is no fun if you do not partake in an outdoor winter sport.

While I appreciate all seasons, I readily admit that winter is my favorite. July and August days at the beach are fantastic (albeit precious few), fall never disappoints with its splendid show of color, and spring is warm and refreshing. But winter in Maine means glittering snow capped peaks awaiting our adventurous spirits.

We are blessed to have 18 alpine ski areas in our state, all of which will be open within the next four weeks. This is especially welcome news for Saddleback skiers who feared their mountain might not operate this winter just a few tenuous months ago. The enthusiasm for new ownership, not to mention economic relief, permeates the air in Rangeley.

Yes, this fast approaching winter has the promise of yet another epic ski season. That is one of a dozen things I love about skiing, all the anticipation. Instead of dreading the cold, skiers and riders are filled with optimism for plentiful powder days on big mountains, raring to reconnect with their alpine acquaintances.

We have been teased with the cold chill in the air and many already possess their ticket to ride in the form of a pass (hopefully taking advantage of one of the outrageous season pass deals on sale this fall). A lucky minority has even carved early turns at Sunday River or Sugarloaf.

Skiing brings out the kid in us, as we admire the initial snowflakes that tumble from the sky and eagerly gather our gear for first tracks. Children find snow absolutely magical – but unfortunately the novelty often wears out, allowing that blasted TV and the warm indoors to triumph. That is why we need to share the joy of winter sports with our younger generation.

Thanks to WinterKids, the premier youth winter sports program in the country - based right here in Portland, Maine children have more opportunity than ever before to embrace winter.

The Maine Passport, now in its 8th year, grants free alpine and Nordic skiing to 5th, 6th and 7th graders throughout the state. Students will receive their applications at school in early December, or if they cannot wait - apply on-line at www.winterkids.org. 

 

You can add snowshoeing, tubing, and even ice-skating to the program’s fitness fun this season – making it even more accessible to Maine kids.
 

What I love about this clever Passport program, besides the fact that it makes kids beg their parents to take them to the slopes, is that it reaches over 200,000 Maine kids and parents, almost 20% of Maine’s population.
 

Olympian Julie Parisien will be touring Maine schools again this year to pump kids up about WinterKids’ healthy outdoor options by engaging their fantasies of becoming athletic stars. Parisien will be in strong company with additional Maine athletes: Boardercross champ Nikki Pilavakis, former Portland Pirates Kent Hulst, figure skater Alexa Ainsworth, and Nordic skier Kristina Sabasteanski will all be promoting WinterKids.
 

“Our mission is to help kids develop lifelong habits of health and physical fitness through participation in outdoor winter activities,” said Carla Marcus, Executive Director of WinterKids. “The Passport program involves the entire family by offering free skiing for 5th, 6th and 7th graders plus discounts for parents and siblings as well.”

Maine Nordic Ski Council has its own affordable way to get families outside this season. $50 entitles two adults and unlimited children to half-price trail passes at 15 Nordic areas this winter. You must purchase the Discount Nordic Card by Dec.1 to get that special price, visit www.mnsc.com or call 1-800-754-9263; a portion of the proceeds will be donated to WinterKids.

Skiing is a superb way to burn off those Thanksgiving calories. Instead of succumbing to the tryptophan slumber, go carve some turns. Sunday River has been open since Nov. 10, that is five days earlier than last year. Sugarloaf opened Friday, Nov. 21, a day ahead of last season. Big Squaw and Eaton plan to open Nov. 28. Shawnee Peak aims to open Dec. 13.

Event: Sunday River will host Demo Days Nov. 29-30, this is your chance to pay an extra $5 to sample all the latest equipment and chat with the knowledgeable reps before you write your holiday wish list.