Greg Sweetser is Ski Maine
Column by Heather Burke Dec. 16, 2007

I should have written this column last year, to mark his tenth anniversary. Greg Sweetser has been at the helm of Ski Maine since 1996. “My job is more enjoyable every year, a decade sounds like an awfully long time, but there is so much more to do, I see myself here for another ten,” said Executive Director Sweetser. Ski Maine is the non-profit trade organization representing the State’s 17 alpine ski areas, plus cross-country centers, and snow tubing parks.

Sweetser said the toughest part of his job at Ski Maine is perception. “I get frustrated that skiing is portrayed, by the media and the public, as an expensive luxury pastime, that its only about high-end resorts that wealthy people fly to. Every ski magazine I look at, the cliffs get higher,” said Sweetser, “and so skiing is perceived as difficult to learn or only for experts. That’s not what skiing is about to me, it is really an everyday, healthy option.”

“Skiing is something I started with my family when I was a kid, and I have been involved with the sport ever since” said Sweetser, who worked as a Junior Ski Patrol at Mt Abram, a ski instructor at Hermon Mountain, and marketing director at Saddleback from 1977 to 1996. Sweetser and his wife Debby, and their sons Sam and Eben are all avid skiers from Cumberland. Sam has raced at the Alpine Nationals level. “The cool thing about skiing and snowboarding is its something families can do together, it’s a lifelong activity with tremendous benefits to your physical and mental health,” said Sweetser.

“Here in Maine there are so many affordable community ski areas, like Lost Valley where you can ski for less than the cost of a movie” said Sweetser. “For people just starting out, the equipment, the instruction and the terrain have improved to make learning easier than ever. Mt Abram’s West Side is the perfect pitch to learn on, and there are great family ski areas all over Maine.”

Sweetser said his greatest accomplishment has been to raise public awareness of the smaller ski areas. “When I came to Ski Maine, I eliminated the big and small ski area references. To call a ski area little or small diminishes its importance, when really these areas have huge stature in their community. Obviously that’s a challenge of running Ski Maine; it’s a balancing act with so many different size areas. I love that Spruce Mountain has three rope tows that network to the top, a little different than Sunday River’s lift network, but each resort plays a role in getting people outside and active.”

Sweetser’s first big initiative in 1997 was kicking off the 5th Grade Passport program, a statewide free ski program for students that had only been done in Colorado the year prior. Maine’s 5th Grade Passport program has since expanded into Winterkids - a dedicated organization providing winter sports to over 27,000 kids.

Sweetser said, “Half the battle is getting kids off the couch in winter, it’s a national problem. Our Maine program is the antidote for kids’ inactivity, obesity and other serious health issues. Winter sports are a great solution, and we are getting the whole family outdoors with programs like the Passport.”

Sweetser said he is excited about the initiative from Governor Baldacci called Take It Outside. “This is a fun message from the Governor, and he’s high profile. He hiked Kathadin, and now he is planning to ski, cross-country and snowshoe this winter. This fits so well with our programs, what town recreation departments are offering, and what organizations like Maine Winter Sports are working towards.” Snowboard champion Seth Wescott is also a spokesperson for Take it Outside.

Sweetser said, “The best part of my job is the people. The ski industry is all about fun, we sell fun, and the people in the business are enthusiastic and fun. We’re not like a bunch of accountants.”

The accounting Sweetser is focused on - increasing Maine skier visits. “Skier visits have been relatively flat in the past decade hovering around 1.25 million a year,” he said.
2006 brought a 1% increase in Maine skier visits compared to the previous winter season, when national skier visits were down 6.9%, according to a National Ski Area Association report.

“Maine is in a great position right now; being the first to open for skiing in the East gained national attention. With the infusion of capital at Saddleback, Sugarloaf, and Sunday River, there is a lot of vitality and momentum right now,” commented Sweetser. “Maine has always had a certain mystique; we’re perceived as different from other states because of our fierce independence, our remote location, and our authenticity. I think Maine skiing has that character but now we also have the snowmaking, the modern lifts and the facilities so we can be a national player.”

Sweetser’s next big challenge: to ski all 17 Maine alpine ski areas over the three-day Martin Luther King weekend, putting over 1,000 miles on the Ski Maine jeep.

As for Sweetser’s pet peeve, “The question I get all the time is what do I do all summer. Summer is our busiest time at Ski Maine preparing campaigns for the coming season. People don’t realize we are promoting winter all year long.”