Skiing Maine Peak to Peak
Column by Heather Burke Feb. 3, 2008

Most ski weekends consist of driving to one ski area, making 5, maybe an ambitious 15 runs, and that seems like a full alpine agenda. Skiing 17 ski areas in one weekend sounds – insane! Eight brave souls set out on the Maine Peak to Peak challenge and accomplished this alpine assault on Martin Luther King weekend, skiing from sun up into the night. The Team traveled 1,000-miles on mountain roads connecting the topographical bumps on the Maine map.

Greg Sweetser, director of Ski Maine, and Carey Kish, fellow outdoor journalist, were the brains (and brawn) behind the Peak to Peak Challenge to “sample” 85 of Maine’s 560 trails over a long weekend. The Ski Maine Team was comprised of six skiers, a snowboarder and a teleskier. Their mission was to inspire others to ski more of Maine’s ski areas.

“This was such a fun adventure,” said Heather Atwell, e-communications manager for Yankee Magazine, one of three females on the tour. “The diversity of Maine’s mountains is unbelievable. You would think after skiing 17 mountains in 3 1/2 days it would be difficult to keep track of which mountain was where, but they all had special attributes that made them memorable.”

Sweetser said one of his favorite run of the Tour was the very first, “We arrived at Spruce Mountain just as the clouds cleared away and the sun shone down brilliantly on a fresh layer of powder. We were met by Spruce Mountain ski club members, several photographers, and a teenage local who showed us “the ropes”- an important demonstration of riding the rope tow which was a new experience for some of the team. That first run was incredible, on a small community ski hill, skiing powder with a group of friends. That is the basis of why skiing and snowboarding is such a fabulous lifetime, outdoor, sport. It just doesn’t get any better.”

Heather Atwell’s favorite run was at Titcomb Mountain, the oldest club-operated ski area in the country dating back to 1932. “Dare Devil's Plunge had fresh snow, a great pitch and nice, mellow bumps,” said Atwell. “Titcomb had my favorite lunch too - turkey stew with a dumpling, homemade by volunteers.”

Kish said he loved skiing Lonesome Pines, “It was wild looking out over Fort Kent and the St. John River into Canada, especially knowing that by that evening we would be skiing at Camden Snow Bowl overlooking the Atlantic.” Kish also enjoyed last chair at Sugarloaf, as the Team drifted down Tote Road watching the alpenglow on the Bigelow Range.

Annie O’Brien of Cape Elizabeth said Baker Mountain in Moscow was most memorable. “When we arrived the lodge was toasty warm with a piping woodstove in full swing. I felt like I had arrived home for a holiday gathering with my friends and family all welcoming me.”

Sweetser and Atwell both agreed that Bob Henderson (who smokes a corncob pipe according to Atwell) at Baker was one of the most amazing characters they encountered. Sweetser said, “Bob and Jack Hilmer and their ski club work hard to run the area for the local kids. Bob estimates that 95% of their skiers are children. These guys are heroes.”

Janet Thurston, the snowboarding participant from Raymond said, “The guys at Baker volunteer their time, their energy and their money for that mountain.” Thurston said family-owned Mt Jefferson, with views of Katahdin and homemade donuts, was also a tour highlight.

Atwell was impressed by all the thriving community ski areas they visited. “They are not glitzy or big, but the people there are passionate about the sport. These areas are the backbone of the sport and industry. It’s where skiers and riders are made.”

O’Brien said, “The folks at each mountain had heartfelt pride. There were smiles galore on the faces of the liftees, ski patrol, ski kids and parents. Their love of the outdoors, of skiing, boarding and tubing was evident.”

Sweetser concurred, “The pride that each of the ski areas and local ski clubs has for their mountain is powerful. They love sharing their special place with others. Even our biggest resorts have a friendly feel this is just so Maine.”

Of all the vertical variety tallied, Sweetser said, “The other run that stands out in my mind has to be the sunrise experience at Sunday River. The top of the mountain was spectacular with the snow covered Mahoosuc Range as our backdrop. The run down was almost like being in a dream for me. We were on this whirlwind tour, our schedules are tight, the team was jelling, and for a few minutes, we were all floating down the mountain. The snow was perfectly groomed, the air was so clear and it was so quiet. It really was one of the longest, floating runs that I have had in my entire life. It was remarkable.”

The team soon coined the term “the trail tease” given their precise plan of skiing as many as six areas a day. Sweetser said, “We could have ended the tour at any area and spent the day. But, the team was up for the challenge and we kept on schedule at every stop – that was the key to our success.”

Heather Atwell said, “I hope our Peak to Peak tour inspires others to explore different mountains in Maine, especially the community ski areas.”

To take part in your own Maine Peak to Peak tour, go to SkiMaine.com and start tracking each ski area you visit. One word of caution from the Peak to Peak Team: don’t try to ski Lonesome Pines and Camden Snow Bowl in one day. Sweetser says, “This is a season long tour for sure.”

The more mountains you log, the bigger the prize. If you squeeze in all 17, you could win a VIP Maine Pass for next season.

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