Welcome to the Mainely Skiing Weekly Email! 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!
Mountain Report:
| Mountain Name | Trails Open | Percent Open |
|---|---|---|
| Saddleback | 67 / 68 | 99% |
| Sugarloaf | 66 / 176 | 38% |
| Sunday River | 31 / 139 | 22% |
| Pleasant Mountain | 5 / 47 | 11% |
Trail of the Day: Blue Devil (Saddleback)
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: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Mountain’s Opening Day | December 8 | December 8 | One Day |
| Lost Valley’s Opening Day | December 9 | December 9 | One Day |
| Barker 6 Opening Day | December 9 | December 9 | 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 |
| Rangeley Fat Bike Loppet @ RLTC | January 28 | January 28 | One Day |
| IFSA Junior Freeride @ Saddleback | January 28 | January 28 | One Day |
| Fire on the Mountain @ Sugarloaf | February 2 | February 4 | Three Days |
| February Fest @ Saddleback | February 23 | February 23 | One Day |
Pleasant Mountain is Open:
Pleasant Mountain sent their first chair of the season up the Pine Quad at 9:30am this morning. For more information or to stay in the loop, click the link below.
Lost Valley Opens Tomorrow:
Lost Valley has been cranking out snow and are opening a week earlier than expected. Lost Valley will send the first chair of the season up at 9:00am. They also plan to offer 4 trails:
| Difficulty | Trail Name | Difficulty | Trail Name |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Pine Grove | | Big Buck |
| Deer Run | | Bobcat |
For more information, please check out their report page listed below.
Sunday River’s Barker 6 Opening Day:
The first chair of Sunday River’s latest major project, Barker 6, gets sent up the hill lighting fast, on Saturday, December 9. There will be a raffle for the first chair. For more information, click the link below.
Three More Resorts Start Snowmaking:
This week, snowmaking crews from BigRock, Camden Snow Bowl, and Mt. Abram all fired up their equipment. While the snow we got on Sunday and Monday will help build bases, we hope it’s just the start of a great season ahead. Bring it on, Mother Nature. For the most current report on your local resorts, click the link below.
Santa Sunday:
Join Sunday River on the slopes with their annual Santa Sunday. The Registration is now open to join the hundreds of Santas sending it down South Ridge. All proceeds go directly to the River Fund, a non-profit organization that supports youth education and recreation in the Bethel area. To sign up, click the link below.
Opening Days:
That first chair is always one of the most exciting moments in the early season. It’s time to start waxing those skis, dusting off gear and making sure your pass is ready. mainelyskiing.com/season-passes 😉 you’ll thank me later. Below is a table of the opening days as we know right now. Plus, for a more frequently updated list, click the link below.
| Mountain Name | Opening Date |
|---|---|
| Pleasant Mountain | December 8 |
| Black Mountain of Maine | December 26 |
| Big Rock | December 16 |
| Camden Snow Bowl | December 26 |
| Mt. Abram | December 16 |
| Big Moose Mountain | December 26 |
| Lost Valley | December 8 |
| Hermon Mountain | December 30 |
| Titcomb Mountain | Not Announced |
Mainely Skiing Gear Guide:
It’s been a long time in the making, but I’m extremely excited to share our gear guide page with you. Complete with beginner, intermediate, and expert pages filled with the appropriate gear for each level. Check it out by clicking the link below.
Saddleback $49 Lift Tickets:
Buy Now And Save!
This week, Saddleback announced $49 lift tickets available for the full season. Act fast, as there are only so many tickets being sold at that price before going to the next pricing tier. Click the link to purchase now.
Sugarloaf Marathon Registration Open:
The Sugarloaf Marathon and 15K registration is now open. Thankfully, you have time to prepare for the race, as the deadline to sign up is April 15. For more information on the races, click the link below.
Resort Status Page:
Our Resort Status page is now live. Complete with the various ski areas we cover, you’ll have all the important information relevant to us skiers. Check out the page below.
Saddleback’s New Website:
Saddleback released a new website that we think looks pretty good! They debuted it for the first weekend of the season, and it will only get better as the season progresses. Check it out below!
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 | N / A |
| Sunday River (New England Gold) | $1,619 | N / A |
| Pleasant Mountain | $959 | N / A |
| Black Mountain of Maine | $525 | N / A |
| Big Rock | $520 | N / A |
| Camden Snow Bowl | $550 | N / A |
| Mt. Abram | $599 | N / A |
| Lost Valley | $645 | N / A |
| Hermon Mountain | $530 | N / A |
| Titcomb Mountain | $265 | N / A |
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. Check out the full video below along with the 2030 plan.
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 completed 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 of the lift construction. 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:
Woah! Thanks for all the snow, Mother Nature, we loved it! The snow that fell Sunday night into Monday made for great mid-week skiing out there. We watched Sugarloaf nearly triple their trail count and Sunday River doubled it. We’re looking good as we start December.
Weather:
We’re hoping the rain for Sunday will hold off, making for a good weekend of skiing and riding. With four resorts already open and Lost Valley opening tomorrow, there’s lots of excitement here in the mountains. Welcome to winter, welcome to ski season!
Keep doing those snow dances!
– Keegan
Mainely Skiing 