Welcome to the Mainely Skiing Fall Email! This email will be sent straight to your inbox whenever we release new emails. In this email, we will highlight all the summer activities in or around the Rangeley Area!
Maine Foliage Report:
The Maine Foliage Report brought to you by MaineFoliage.com
This week’s Fall Foliage Report from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) reports moderate to peak conditions (50-100 percent) throughout most of Maine.
As of October 11, 2023*, Maine Forest Service (MFS) staff reported peak and past peak color conditions with moderate to high leaf drop in zones five, six, and seven. Color changes in zones one through four are rapidly approaching peak. Coastal Maine, zones one and two, typically are last to reach peak during mid-to-late October.
This Week’s Foliage Outlook
“Despite the wind-swept rain we’ve received in the past two weeks, Maine is still showing plenty of color, blended in with the green of the oaks along the immediate coast,” said Gale Ross, fall foliage spokesperson.
“I spoke with Brandon Alfonso, park ranger in Acadia National Park, about conditions in the park. He observes that the park is 50-66 percent toward peak. He also noted that while the wind and rain in the DownEast region knocked down quite a few leaves, there is still color in the birches contrasting with the greens in the oaks,” Ross added.
Upcoming Events:
Make sure to add these events to your calendar to keep yourself up to date with the local happenings. Of course, you can always visit our events page, which is constantly getting updated so you can know about the event before anyone else! Click here
| Event Name: | Start Date: | End Date: | Occurrence: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penobscot Valley Ski Club Ski Swap | October 14 | October 14 | One Day |
| Sugarloaf Golf Course Closing Day | October 15 | October 15 | One Day |
| Sunday River Golf Course Closing Day | October 15 | October 15 | One Day |
| Saddleback Pub Closed Until Winter | October 21 | October 21 | One Day |
| Daylight Savings Ends (Fall Back) | November 5 | November 5 | One Day |
| Bridal Show & Tasting @ Sugarloaf | November 19 | November 19 | One Day |
| Demo Day @ Sunday River | December 9 | December 9 | One Day |
| Sunday River Santa Sunday | December 10 | December 10 | One Day |
| Sugarloaf Tree Lighting Festival | December 16 | December 16 | One Day |
| Winterfest Weekend @ Sunday River | December 16 | December 17 | Two Days |
| Christmas Vacation Week | December 25 | December 29 | Five Days |
| Indie Demo Day @ Sunday River | January 6 | January 6 | One Day |
| 2nd Annual Vertical Challenge @ Saddleback | January 7 | January 7 | One Day |
| Fire on the Mountain @ Sugarloaf | February 2 | February 4 | Three Days |
| February Fest @ Saddleback | February 23 | February 23 | One Day |
Mountain Lift Status is Back:
That’s right, Mainely Skiing’s Mountain Lift Status Page is officially back and ready to go for winter. Now, we just need lifts to start spinning. The page was temporarily offline due to it not looking right/working for some users. Thanks to the work of our website development team, we have been able to fix the problem and it will be good to go for winter. Think snow!
mainelysking.com/mountain-lift-status
Big Projects For Big Squaw:
Big Moose Mountain in Greenville, formally named Big Squaw, needs your help. The mountain has been hard at work reclaiming the upper mountain trails by bringing them back to skiable terrain. This is only made possible due to the support on GoFundMe. The mountain has raised about 30% of their goal of $60,000. If you’ve skied here before the upper mountain closed in 2004, you know it was a special experience. You can help bring this back by donating to the mountain’s GoFundMe. Click the link below to see the money raised and donate. Click here: link
Crews are also working on replacing the existing lift’s communication line. This isn’t an easy task, especially with a small crew. Nevertheless, Big Moose Mountain pushes on.
If those jobs aren’t enough, the trusty ol’ tarp only lasts for so long before talks emerge about what to do. The lodge for the upper mountain, which sits near the top unload of the current lift has a pool, which has the roof needing to be replaced. Last Wednesday, the mountain posted to Facebook asking for ideas and within a few days, they had raised over $16,000 of roofing material thanks to generous donors. If you would like to support the mountain in its efforts to become a bigger and better ski area, click the link to support.
Snowmaking Tests:
Various resorts got out early to test the snowmaking equipment. Sunday River’s tough team of snowmakers took to the hill early on Tuesday morning to fire up their system over on Jordan. Saddleback did the same on Wednesday afternoon.
Season Pass Sales:
Season passes have been on sale throughout the summer but to take advantage of the savings, you better purchase now! Check out the table to see all season passes:
| Mountain Name | Adult Price | Next Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Saddleback Maine | $949 | 12/31 |
| Sugarloaf (New England Gold) | $1,619 | 11/30 |
| Sunday River (New England Gold) | $1,619 | 11/30 |
| Pleasant Mountain | $859 | 10/13 |
| Black Mountain of Maine | $475 | 11/30 |
| Big Rock | N / A | N / A |
| Camden Snow Bowl | $445 | 10/31 |
| Mt. Abram | $599 | N / A |
| Lost Valley | $645 | N / A |
| Hermon Mountain | $477 | 10/31 |
| Titcomb Mountain | $205 | 11/4 |
Sugarloaf Debuts New Trail Map:
Sugarloaf recently updated their trail map to show the new Bucksaw area. The map has a few changes compared to the previous one that was their map for over two years. See for yourself here: sugarloaf.com Also, if you want to be in the know, head over to the Sugarloaf Mountain Guide – linked below.
Sunday River Early Season Update:
It might only be fall but the folks from Sunday River are already in the winter mindset. This week, the mountain announced a new early-season operating guide. The plan is to start the season off with top-to-bottom skiing and riding off their Jordan 8 lift. They hope to have “multiple trail choices” serviced from the Jordan 8. For more information and to stay in the know, click the link below.
Fall Activities:
Check out the latest on the Summer Activities page on our website. This page gives access to all the incredible activities you can do in the mountains of Maine. From mountain biking, to hiking, swimming, and golfing, there is something for everyone. Check it out on the home page or by clicking the link below.
PVSC Ski Swap:
The Penobscot Valley Ski Club is doing their annual Ski Swap in Bangor, Maine on Saturday, October 14. The event will be taking place from 8am – 2pm in the Bangor Parks and Rec Building at 647 Main Street. New & used equipment: Aline & Nordic skis, snowboards, boots, poles, gear, apparel & more!!! Plus, Saddleback will be there. Don’t miss it!
Sugarloaf Making Progress:
The newest major lift progress at Sugarloaf since the SuperQuad all the way back in 1994, the new Bucksaw Express will take skiers and riders to the top of West Mountain by the on-mountain Bullwinkles Grill. The lift will stretch 6,574 feet long and feature a 1,433-foot vertical rise. It will also be the future home to over 200 new homes including 52 single-family house lots.
The expansion will shorten the existing West Mountain Double Chair to the mid-station to relieve congestion at the top unload area. Set to debut in late December – early January with 12 trails:
| Difficulty | Trail Name | Difficulty | Trail Name |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Hatchet | | Bucksaw |
| Feller-Buncher |  | Cutter |
| Chipper | | Whistle Punk |
| Upper Beaver Tail | | Lower Beaver Tail |
| Knot Bumper | | Yarder |
| Twitcher | | West Mountain Crosscut |
Sugarloaf posted a video to Facebook showcasing the project and Sugarloaf’s continued investment to their mountain. They’re adding 246 high-efficiency HKD snow guns and over 88,000′ of new snowmaking pipe. Check out the full video below along with the 2030 plan.
New Hours At Rangeley Health And Wellness:
The Rangeley Health and Wellness in Rangeley, Maine – at the bottom of Dallas Hill Road, has announced their new fall hours. These hours are effective October 1.
| Monday | 5AM – 7PM |
| Tuesday | 5AM – 7PM |
| Wednesday | 5AM – 7PM |
| Thursday | 5AM – 7PM |
| Friday | 5AM – 7PM |
| Saturday | 8AM – 2PM |
| Sunday | 8AM – 2PM |
For more information on the Rangeley Health and Wellness, check out their website.
The Barker 6 Mix:
Sunday River is making quick work on their newest project, a new, high-speed, detachable 6 person lift – Barker 6. This new lift is manufactured by the world’s leading lift manufacturer, Doppelmayr and is set to be complete by the 2023-24 ski season. This lift will be pretty much identical to the Jordan 8 by featuring heated, ergonomic seats, individual head & foot rests, weather-proof Sunday River Red bubble covers, automatically lowering and locking restraining bar, 13 towers with 63 chairs, and a ride time of just under 5 minutes. This new lift will be a game changer for the Barker area and for Sunday River as a whole.
As well as the Barker 6, Sunday River is installing their second triple chair on Merrill Hill. The new triple chair will provide more opportunities for ski-in, ski-out homes on Merrill Hill. This lift is the second Doppelmayr lift getting installed at the River. While this lift wasn’t in the public eye as much as Barker 6 until this week, the two lifts should be complete when the snow flies. Check out the progress from a photo Sunday River posted this week over on Merrill Hill. See more by clicking the links below.
Saddleback Webcams:
Have you visited the Saddleback Webcams? With three cameras scattered across the mountain, you’re guaranteed to get the best sunset. You could go back in time if you missed the best part. Click the link below to see last night’s sunset!
Last Chair:
The trees are becoming peak foliage. Head up to the mountains and check it out for yourself. Bonus points if you get a round of golf in on one of the closing golf courses this weekend.
Weather:
The temps are certainly going down with this weekend’s high expected to barely reach the 60-degree mark. Right now, we’re forecasting a very cloudy weekend but that won’t stop us from having fun.
Think sun – then snow!
– Keegan
Mainely Skiing 
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