Author: Mainely Skiing

  • Mainely Skiing Summer Fun (May 21, 2021)

    Welcome to the Mainely Skiing Summer 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!

    Photo: Kyle Haley

    Rangeley Craft Fair:

    It’s that time again! The birds are chirping, the grass is green, and summer just getting started. With summer comes all kinds of fairs and festivals. We know that this is a while away but it doesn’t hurt to talk about it now! On Saturday, July 3rd, the Rangeley Town Park will come to life with lots of vendors, food, and entertainment for all ages, all provided by our area nonprofit organizations. This will be a true family day packed with fun. Festivities begin at 10:00 AM with the Children’s Parade at 10:00 AM and the Duck Race on Haley Pond at 10:30 AM, and go out with a bang as the fireworks get underway at dusk. Visitors will enjoy food, live entertainment, games, demonstrations, and more – including a dog parade – all in the splendor of the picturesque lakeside park. The fireworks are one for the books!


    Along with the many other vendors, Jamie from Simply Scrunch Co. will be there doing what she does best! With her company selling all homemade soy candles, scrunchies, cheese boards, and greeting cards. If you happened to find yourself in the Saddleback retail shop this year you probably noticed a great smelling candle burning. Those were all from Simply Scrunch Co. Currently, she is trying to reach 500 followers on Instagram and will do a giveaway when she hits her goal. At the time of writing this, Simply Scrunch Co. has 462 followers! Check out her website and Instagram below!

    simplyscrunch.com

    instagram.com/simply_scrunch.co.

    Photo: Simply Scrunch Co.

    Tin Mountain Roundup:

    Join the Sugarloaf Golf Course with their season opener event; The Tin Mountain Round Up. Happening all weekend, golfers can bring 3 or more canned goods and will play 18 holes of golf with a cart for only 40 dollars! The Sugarloaf Golf Club will continue an early-season tradition of collecting canned food in exchange for discounted golf rounds during the annual Tin Mountain Round Up, May 21-23. Get out onto their beautiful course for some early season fun! To learn more and to get tee times, click the link below.

    sugarloaf.com

    Photo: Sugarloaf

    Merrill Hill:

    Did someone say Merrill Hill? Yes, you read that right! Sunday River’s newest project, Merrill Hill, is taking place with crews working on the liftline and a few trails right now! With the plan being a new Doppelmayr triple chair coming for the 2021/2022 ski season, it’s all hands on deck at Sunday River. Throughout the summer, we will keep you up to date on both the Merrill Hill Triple and the Cupsuptic T-Bar getting installed at Saddleback. For more information regarding the Merrill Hill project, click the link below.

    sundayriver.com

    newenglandskiindustry.com

    Photo: Sunday River
    Photo: Thomas Herling (Merrill Hill)

    Weather:

    As we look ahead at our extended weekend forecast, the days look warm! However, with cloudy days all throughout this weekend along with light rain percentages, Make sure to check the weather before heading out for the day! After all, it is still spring.

    Day:Friday:Saturday:Sunday:
    High:82 77 73
    Low:60 58 38
    Based out of Rangeley

    Well, that’s all for today. Have a great weekend!

    -Keegan

  • Mainely Skiing Summer Fun (May 14, 2021)

    Welcome to the Mainely Skiing Summer 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!

    Swimming:

    There is a reason it’s called the Rangeley Lakes Region. With over 100 lakes and ponds, including six major lakes—Rangeley, Mooselookmeguntic, Cupsuptic, the Upper and Lower Richardsons, and Aziscohos, there are lots of options for swimming. Places that stand out to me include Smalls Falls, Coos Canyon, Rangeley Town Park/Beach, and the Rangeley Lake State Park as they are all family-friendly, have lots of options for parking, and are a great way to meet future ski buddies!

    Photo: New York Times

    Disc Golf:

    The Sugarloaf Disc Golf Course is located just above the base area and is open all summer. Please check in and pay at Downhill Supply Company in the village. Rental discs are available for $1 per round. With no reservations required, this makes for a great activity to get out onto the slopes during the summer months. Pared with many other great stops around the Sugarloaf area, why not make a day out of it? For all things outdoors at Sugarloaf, head over to their website at sugarloaf.com. All in all, this sounds like a tee-rific time!

    Photo: Sugarloaf

    Weather:

    This weekend looks like an inside type of weekend. However, don’t let being indoors kill the fun. Activities like bowling, going to the movies, or just driving around are perfect for those rainy days!

    Day:Friday:Saturday:Sunday:
    High:66 66 64
    Low:40 42 42
    Based out of Rangeley

    Have a great weekend Mainely Skiers!

    -Keegan

  • Mainely Skiing Summer Fun (May 7, 2021)

    Welcome to the first Mainely Skiing Summer 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!

    Hiking:

    We all know that Rangeley is home to beautiful lakes and mountains. With that, how can anyone live here and not want to be outside? Hiking is the perfect way to get out of the house and explore our great state, Maine. With so many perfect places all around the Rangeley Area, this makes for the perfect hiking location. With Saddleback Mountain a few miles from downtown Rangeley and other famous hiking trails/locations so close to the place we all call home, pick a spot and lace up those hiking boots! My personal recommendation would be hiking our second home in the winter, Saddleback Maine. You’ll see parts of the mountain that you typically cruise by on skis and you can get up close with things you normally can’t when there is snow. Another great option would be Rangeley Lakes Trails Center or the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust! Both of their websites are below.

    rangeleytrailscenter.com

    rangeleyheritagetrust.com

    Photo: Maine Lakes and Mountains

    Golf:

    Rangeley is home to two spectacular golf courses and with Sugarloaf and Sunday River’s courses just a few miles away, Rangeley is the total package for outdoor activities. If you’ve gone to Saddleback this winter, you’ve passed Everygreen Golf Course. Right next to the Saddleback access road is the Evergreen Course. If you are headed to Oquossoc, you’ve probably seen Mingo Springs Road. If you turn onto that road, you will arrive at Mingo Springs Golf Course and Driving Range. Check out both of their websites below.

    mingosprings.com

    evergreengolfclub.com

    Photo: Sugarloaf Golf Club

    Weather:

    While this weekend looks iffy, keep in mind it is Rangeley and the weather can change in a flash.

    Day:Friday:Saturday:Sunday:
    High:56 54 58
    Low:35 37 38
    Based out of Rangeley

    With so many fun opportunities this summer, get out and enjoy!

    -Keegan

  • Mainely Skiing Summer Fun (April 30, 2021)

    Welcome to the first Mainely Skiing Summer 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!

    Fishing

    Have you ever wanted to try fishing? If yes, boy do we have a summer activity for you! Try out fly fishing with our man, Steve Kidder. Steve is the Supervisor of Lift Operators at Saddleback, Maine. You’ve probably seen him running around the Rangeley Lift at some point this past season. With guided outdoor tourism on the rise, get ahead of the crowd and book a reasonably priced guided fly fishing trip today! This is definitely on my summer bucket list! Check out his website below.

    rangeleyonthefly.com

    Photo: Steve Kidder

    Quill Hill

    Have you ever wanted a 360-degree view of a sunset in the Western Maine mountains? Take a trip up to the summit of Quill Hill. With picnic tables at the top, even lunch up there is spectacular! For more information, click on their website!

    quillhillmaine.com

    Photo: Quill Hill

    Mountain Biking

    If you’ve visited Saddleback this year you’ve probably seen the Rangeley Lakes Trails Center Yurt. This is a perfect all-season activity with Biking and Hiking trails in the summer months and XC-Skiing in the winter. Every Sunday morning, they host Dirt Church, a great way to get outdoors and onto a mountain bike with your friends. Every Sunday is different and never the same! Visit their website today!

    rangeleylakestrailscenter.com

    This summer, let’s get outside and enjoy Maine!

    -Keegan

  • Mainely Skiing Weekly Email (April 23, 2021)

    Happy Friday! This email will be sent straight to your inbox at the end of every week to highlight what’s happening with your Maine ski resort!

    Weekly Recap:

    Well, This weekend is the last weekend for lift-serviced downhill skiing in Maine. Just a reminder, Sunday River’s last day is Saturday, April 24, and Sugarloaf’s last day is Sunday, April 25. Even with all of the Masks, Social Distancing, and Crowd Restrictions, we still had a pretty good ski season! Thank you to the Ski Patrol, Groomers, Snowmakers, Lifties, and Resort Staff! Not bad for the winter that wasn’t! Check out our final Mountain Report for the season below!

    Mountain Report:

    Saddleback: 0 / 68 Trails Open

    Sugarloaf: 43 / 162 Trails Open

    Sunday River: 9 / 135 Trails Open

    Weather:

    Day:Friday:Saturday:Sunday:

    High:
    47 59 52

    Low:
    37 36 32
    Based out of Rangeley

    Summer Fun:

    Summer?? YES! You read this right! Summer months are upon us and we all know what that means; Researching the latest and greatest gear for next season, thinking about skiing, or looking at photos and videos taken throughout the season, but we all know what will happen. Sitting around, bored. A lot can be done within the few months with warm weather we call Summer. In the coming weeks, I’ll talk about fun summer activities individually however, for the time being, let’s just list them!

    • Mountain Biking
    • Hiking
    • Fishing
    • Canoeing and Kayaking
    • Boating
    • Swimming
    • Golf
    • Birding
    • Scenic Lift Rides
    • Birding
    • Disc Golf
    • White Water Rafting
    • Exploring Our Great State, Maine

    This Summer, Head out and make memories that will last a lifetime! Even if you aren’t near locations to do these activities, you can still get out and have a great time! For example, renting a pontoon on either Rangeley or Mooselookmeguntic is a great option for people who want to chill on the water. I would personally recommend renting around dinner time as you can sit in the middle of the lake and eat dinner and then watch the sunset over the beautiful Rangeley Lakes Region.

    Thanks for a great ski season!

    -Keegan

  • Great Season Saddleback!

    Photo: Peter Williams

    Today’s The End

    Great season, Saddleback! For the winter (that wasn’t) that we had, Saddleback killed it every weekend we were there. I’ve made SO many friends from skiing and working at Saddleback this season. Thanks to all of the lifties who helped lift us up! Steve, Jenny, Rylan, Nick, Ben, Spencer, Pat, Alex, Harry, Ben, Mike, Bob, Ryan, Greg, Kernan, Koty, and Andy.

    Photo: Steve Kidder

    Thank You!

    Thank you to all of the other people who helped make Saddleback awesome, especially for their first season! Thanks Jim, Jeff, Jason, Jared, Anne, Ali, Nate, Ally, Blake, Andy, the people from Arctaris, and the folks from Doppelmayr who supplied us with this awesome High-Speed chairlift. And of course, the MANY people I’ve forgotten in the lists.

    Photo: Maine Mountain Media

    The Season

    The following photos were taken either by me or from others throughout Saddleback’s first season back.

    Want To Join The Fun?

    Season passes are on sale now through Saddleback’s website. Click the link below to order yours and lock in the best terrain, snow, and crowds in the east!

    saddlebackmaine.com

    Thank you for an awesome season!!

    -Keegan

  • Mainely Skiing Weekly Email (April 16, 2021)

    Happy Friday! This email will be sent straight to your inbox at the end of every week to highlight what’s happening with your Maine ski resort!

    Weekly Recap:

    There wasn’t a lot going on within the past week. Tomorrow is the last day for lift-serviced downhill skiing at Saddleback. Sunday River announced their last day is Saturday, April 24. Sugarloaf’s last day isn’t too far behind – Sunday, April 25.

    Mountain Report:

    Saddleback: 28 / 68 Trails Open

    Sugarloaf: 44 / 162 Trails Open

    Sunday River: 15 / 135 Trails Open

    Weather:

    Last week we got snow. This week, we got warm weather and sun… lots of it! Check out the weather for the extended weekend forecast.

    Day:Friday:Saturday:Sunday:

    High:
    38 41 47

    Low:
    30 30 32
    Based out of Rangeley

    Summer:

    Summer? You read this right! Summer months are upon us and we all know what that means. Researching the latest and greatest gear for next season, thinking about skiing, or looking at photos and videos taken throughout the season, but we all know what will happen. Sitting around, bored. A lot is going on within the few months with warm weather. In the coming weeks, I’ll talk about things individually however, for the time being, let’s just list them!

    • Mountain Biking
    • Hiking
    • Fishing
    • Canoeing and Kayaking
    • Swimming
    • Golf
    • Birding
    • Scenic Lift Rides
    • Birding
    • Disc Golf
    • White Water Rafting
    • Exploring Our Great State, Maine

    This Summer, Head out and make memories that will last a lifetime! Even if you aren’t near locations to do these activities, you can still get out and have a great time! For example, Quill Hill is perfect to get a 360-degree view of the Rangeley area! My advice, go and watch the sunset with that special someone! That’s something they won’t forget!

    Get ready for a summer like no other!

    -Keegan

  • Mainely Skiing Weekly Email (April 9, 2021)

    Happy Friday! This email will be sent straight to your inbox at the end of every week to highlight what’s happening with your Maine ski resort!

    Weekly Recap:

    I feel like I’ve been saying “what a week” for the past three weeks now but the snow and great temps continue into April! Seriously, this is not what I think of when I hear April. Maybe you’ve gotten rain at home but up in the mountains, it’s a different story. Scroll down to our Mountain Report to see how your mountain is holding up.

    Mountain Report:

    Saddleback: 52 / 68 Trails Open

    Sugarloaf: 65 / 162 Trails Open

    Sunday River: 33 / 135 Trails Open

    Upcoming Events:

    Weather:

    Wait, what month are we in? With 6-8 inches around the mountains, you can still find those sweet pow stashes we all love! April is usually time to wrap everything up and onto the next sport but it looks like winter will be sticking around for a little longer.

    Day:Friday:Saturday:Sunday:
    High:666857
    Low:414237
    Based out of Rangeley

    Enjoy the nice weather!


    -Keegan

  • New Post (April 8, 2021)

    Good Morning, Check out our latest post to Instagram and while you’re there, check out a post from Keegan’s personal Instagram! Links below.

    Mainely Skiing New Post: https://www.instagram.com/mainely.skiing/

    Keegan’s New Post: https://www.instagram.com/keeganplourde/

  • Mainely Skiing Weekly Email (April 2, 2021)

    Happy Friday! This email will be sent straight to your inbox at the end of every week to highlight what’s happening with your Maine ski resort!

    New Snow?

    Did someone say snow? No, this wasn’t a joke! Yesterday, most of Maine received a few inches of powder! Sugarloaf had their guns pumping out that white gold earlier this week. Although it was only for a couple of hours, it still will help them make it to April 22, the date they need to make 150 ski days. Sunday River also had their guns going last night. Pared with the few inches of natural snow, This weekend should be a good one!

    Mountain Report:

    Saddleback: 22 / 68 Trails Open

    Sugarloaf: 32 / 162 Trails Open

    Sunday River: 82 / 135 Trails Open

    Upcoming Events:

    Weather:

    What. A. Week. As this week looked unpredictable, this weekend should be a little more consistent. Here are the temps for the extended weekend. And of course, Maine weather changes on a dime. To stay up-to-date with your local mountain’s weather, check their snow reports before you head out onto the snow.

    Day:FridaySaturdaySunday 🐰
    High:314047
    Low:142029
    Based out of Rangeley

    Well, That’s all there is for this week! See ya on the hill.

    -Keegan