The Best and Worst of Maine Skiing - the gloves come off...
Column by Heather Burke March 5, 2009

I love skiing; it is my very favorite thing to do. That is why I write about skiing, my enthusiasm for the snowy sport is more than I can contain. How could I write anything negative about the sport so near to my heart?

Well, my readers sometimes ask me about my skiing peeves. Editors ask that I take a harder line. So, here is my exposé on skiing, as I sharpen my edges (shameless pun) and provide you the downside on Maine skiing. It is not all fluffy powder and perfect pitch at Maine’s ski mountains.

Boyne is boss on the Maine ski scene. If skiing is a game, then this is yet another monopoly in the Pine Tree State. Sugarloaf and Sunday River are two tremendous ski areas; we are blessed to have such unique resorts within our borders. They deserve to remain separate from their identities to their services But it seems from American Skiing Company to Boyne – these two distinct resorts are destined to be stuck together. I hope they are never homogenized for corporate cohesion.

While on the Sunday River/Sugarloaf sibling topic, why are Loafers are so competitive when claiming their slopes are better than The River? Loyalty is a lovely quality, but it’s tasteless to “resort” to name calling and blasphemous bumper stickers, like “Someday Bigger.” Both areas have their awesome attributes, skiers and riders are free to choose where they cruise.

Sunday River’s racers irk me when I find an entire trail closed on a busy weekend for “race training in progress.” I appreciate that a handful of “future champions” (as the sign reads at the top of T-2) need their space to run gates, but what about the hundreds of “current customers”? It doesn’t seem right when one of two trails on Locke Mountain is entirely closed for the exclusive use of a few racers.

Sugarloaf could really use a decent summit lift. The Timberline quad gains beautiful views, but very little vertical. I am not on the “bring back the gondola” campaign. I understand the cost and wind realities of a bubble lift are problematic, but the Loaf needs a lift facelift, and better base to summit access. Even die-hard Loafers refer to the Super Quad as “the stupid quad.”

One more River/Loaf analysis before I move on. The “Perfect Turn” ski and snowboard school is poorly titled. I think the phraseology is intimidating, even pompous, to newbies, and those looking to improve but not necessarily “perfect” their skills. No one’s turns are perfect; to advertise that perfection as a goal is preposterous.

How can I “sneak to the Peak” when Shawnee Peak’s fixed-grip lifts move up the mountain like molasses? Surely the office staff will notice my absence if I just slip out to Bridgton for a few runs at this scenic ski mountain.

And why not revert back to Shawnee Peak’s previous name “Pleasant Mountain”? It really is a very pleasant ski area for families, school kids, racers. Besides, the original Shawnee ski area is in Pennsylvania.

While on the name topic, Black Mountain in Rumford Maine comes to mind. There is a Black Mountain in Jackson, New Hampshire (lift circa 1934) – so give it to the Granite State. The folks of Rumford might consider a renaming contest among community members, or consult the founders of the 1924 Chisholm Ski Club who moved their operation to Black in 1962. In honor of Black Mountain’s ski area-wide smoking ban, maybe “Fresh Air Mountain” could breathe new interest into Maine Winter Sports’ revitalized ski area.

If we are changing names, Big Rock might want to change to “Big Haul” since the ski area is closer to Canada than Portland. Here is one hill I want to check out, but every time I head that far north I find myself at Mont Sainte Anne. C’est la vie.

Finally, I wish the owner of Greenville’s Big Squaw ski area would repair or replace the summit chairlift that malfunctioned in 2004 (or change the name to “Big Disappointment”). It’s sad that you can’t enjoy skiing from the top of this most scenic ski area, with views of Moosehead Lake and Mt. Katahdin from classic trails like Penobscot.

Now that I have grumbled about my grievances, let me say that none of this stuff really bothers me. I love skiing in Maine. We are fortunate to have 18 unique, scenic and challenging alpine ski mountains.  I hope to see you on the slopes.

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