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!
Saddleback Wins Best of Maine 2024:
Saddleback Mountain has done it again! Third Best of Maine title in a row. On Thursday, the mountain set an email sharing the news, along with some other things to note about purchasing items.
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! Plus, check out our Featured Events page where we dive deeper into the events we don’t want you to miss!
| Event Name: | Start Date: | End Date: | Occurrence: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trails In The Valley @ Lost Valley | May 17 | October 25 | Every Friday |
| Sunday River Scenic Lift Rides Open | June 27 | October 13 | Every Day |
| Saddleback Lift Serviced Downhill Mountain Biking | July 12 | October 14 | Friday-Sunday |
| Harvest Dinner @ Sunday River | August 31 | August 31 | One Day |
| XTERRA Trail Run @ Sugarloaf | August 31 | September 1 | Two Days |
| Kings & Queens of Mt. Abram | August 31 | September 1 | Two Days |
| Northwoods Gravel Grind Afterparty | September 14 | September 14 | One Day |
| Maine Brew Fest @ Sunday River | September 21 | September 22 | Two Days |
| Scenic Fall Foliage Lift Rides @ Saddleback | September 28 | September 28 | One Day |
| Flannel Fest @ Sunday River | September 28 | September 29 | Two Days |
XTERRA Trail Run @ Sugarloaf:
A weekend-long trail running festival that’s happening this weekend brings top elite and amateur runners together to compete for $10,000 in prize money and XTERRA championship crowns in both full and half marathon distances. Live music, great food, and family entertainment will keep the energy high throughout the weekend. There are also 8K trail runs, and races for kids to ensure everybody can get involved. Learn more about this event by clicking the link below.
Kings & Queens Of Mt. Abram:
The ultimate downhill challenge is happening this weekend, August 31 – September 1. This 6-stage downhill mountain bike race will crown the fastest riders King and Queen! Not quite ready for the full 6 stages? No worries! There’s a smaller and friendlier 3-stage category too. Learn more about this event, how to register, and volunteer info by clicking the link below.
Exciting News From Black Mountain:
On Monday, Black Mountain posted a video to social media sharing information on a 1.2 million, yes you read that right, dollar project that will happen in the summer of 2025. The project will feature 14 new fixed snowguns on the St. John and Allagash trails and will double their snowmaking pond. With more guns and more water, Black Mountain also announced new snowmaking pumps which will live in a new state-of-the-art pump house. They promise a longer season and better snow conditions. See the video for yourself below.
New Snowmaking at BigRock:
Yesterday, BigRock posted some photos to Facebook of new snowmaking equipment. The new guns will quadruple the snowmaking output. These guns are completely automated which means they’ll be making the highest quality snow in all types of weather conditions. See the post below.
West Mountain Update:
In a photo posted to Sugarloaf’s Facebook page from Maine Drone Imaging, you can see the West Mountain development starting to take form. With roads in place and some house foundations already poured, the crews are making quick work on the area! See the full post below.
Trails In The Valley:
Lace up your running shoes and drive to Lost Valley tonight for their first Trails In The Valley event, a weekly running club that takes place every Friday at 6:00pm. Led by their experienced leaders, Paula & Jason, this group trail experience is absolutely free and open to all. Learn more about this event on their website, linked below.
Work for Black Mountain:
Black Mountain is looking for a talented person to join their Ski School. The position, Ski School Admisistorator, is available for those who are organized, friendly, available on weekends, and have great communication skills. If you think you’re that person, reach out to them. See all the open positions below.
Ticket Packs Are For Sale:
Ticket packs are currently for sale at the following mountains. For questions or to purchase the tickets, click the link to the corresponding mountain.
| Ticket Pack Name | Click | Ticket Pack Price | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tri Color 3-Day Saddleback | here | $299 | 9/16 |
| Tight Line 4-Day Saddleback | here | $359 | 9/16 |
| Sugarloaf 3 Pack Sugarloaf | here | $259 | TBD |
| Threedom Pack Sunday River | here | $259 | TBD |
| Pleasant 3 Pack Pleasant Mountain | here | $199 | TBD |
Scenic Lift Rides:
Scenic Lift Rides are now open at Sunday River and Sugarloaf! Take a ride up Sunday River’s Chondola or Sugarloaf’s Whiffletree to enjoy awesome views of the surrounding mountains. To learn more about hours and to purchase your ticket, click the link below.
Know Be’fore’ You Go:
Time to tee off, Mainely Skiers! All golf courses are open and looking good. Your location tells you a lot about where your next round will be played, but I can assure you that wherever you go, you’ll have a great time out on the course. When outside, remember to bring sunscreen, bug spray, water, and tick repellent. It’s also a good idea to wear pants to protect yourself against ticks. Do tick checks often!
Statewide Lift Construction:
Across the state, there are three mountains that are installing chairlifts. Pleasant Mountain is installing a refurbished Doppelmayr High-Speed Quad, BigRock Mountain is installing a new Doppelmayr Quad, and Lost Valley is installing a used Hall Double Chair.
Please Note: Due to lift construction, hiking at Pleasant Mountain is currently prohibited.
Pleasant Mountain:
As of Fri, July 19
On Friday, Pleasant Mountain posted a few photos showing crews pouring the concrete foundation for the top terminal. Photo courtesy of Pleasant Mountain.
BigRock Mountain:
As of Mon, August 19
On Monday, Big Rock posted a video to Facebook of the haul rope getting hung on the towers. While the bottom terminal isn’t in place yet, the concrete structure is there. See the full video HERE
Lost Valley:
As of Wed, July 31
On Wednesday, Lost Valley posted a photo to Instagram showing Fall Line Construction breaking ground on Chair #3. Currently, they are digging the foundation to the bottom station. Watch the video HERE
NEW Featured Events Page:
Check out the latest page on the website: Featured Events. This is a page where we share the big events happening at Maine ski areas that you don’t want to miss! Check it out below:
mainelyskiing.com/featured-events
Win A Season Pass:
Maine Adaptive recently announced a referral sweepstakes where you could win a Silver New England Pass (Sugarloaf, Sunday River, and Loon, NH). Now through October 30, 2024, new volunteers who are referred to complete a new volunteer application, and the volunteers who refer them, are in the running for a season pass! every referral gives you another entry into the sweepstakes! Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to support Maine Adaptive’s growth AND win big! Learn more by clicking the link below.
Summer Activities Page:
There’s a lot to do in the Western Maine mountains during the “off-season”, and we want to lay it all out for you. Click over to the Summer Activities page to see the rundown, linked below! With everything from mountain biking to hiking, and everything in between.
Season Pass Sale:
Many resorts have already made their 2024-25 season passes available for purchase. If you want the best deal with the best perks, you need to purchase now. Plus, look to see if purchasing a pass means you can ski the rest of this season with it! For all the pass info and pricing, click the link below.
Mainely Skiing Gear Guide:
Start preparing for next season by stocking up on the best gear! Pro tip: Search around your local shops for amazing deals on winter appeal during the summer.
Webcams:
Take a peek at your mountain and see how it’s holding up throughout the summer by visiting your mountain’s webcams. With multiple cameras, you’re guaranteed to get the best view. Watching the sunset? you can go back in time if you missed the best part. Check them out. by clicking the link below!
Last Chair:
You can definitely tell that cooler weather is upon us and coming quickly! This past week was proof that fall is almost here and the weather has been amazing with the cool temps.
Weather:
The extended forecast is showing temps won’t climb much above 75 degrees with the average temp hovering around 67. This weekend will see some warmth and mostly sunny skies today, but Saturday and Sunday have some clouds rolling in which could bring rain.
| Day: | Friday: | Saturday: | Sunday: |
| High: | 70  | 68  | 74 |
| Low: | 46 | 51 | 56 |
Pack a rain coat!
– Keegan
Mainely Skiing 