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!
We Have Snow:
The Maine mountains have snow! This is the first time we’ve seen new snowfall since mid-April. Not like I’ve been counting or anything… Bring it on, Mother Nature! We’re ready.
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: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeport Ski Boosters Ski Swap & Sale | November 4 | November 4 | One Day |
| Maine Ski And Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction | November 4 | November 4 | One Day |
| Daylight Savings Ends (Fall Back) | November 5 | November 5 | One Day |
| Sugarloaf Opening Day | November 17 | November 17 | One Day |
| Live Auction @ Big Moose Mountain | November 18 | November 18 | One Day |
| Bridal Show & Tasting @ Sugarloaf | November 19 | November 19 | One Day |
| Thanksgiving Dinner @ Sunday River | November 23 | November 23 | One Day |
| Saddleback Pub Opens | November 24 | November 24 | One Day |
| Live Auction at Black Mountain of Maine | December 2 | December 2 | 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 | Januaray 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 |
Maine Hall of Fame:
The 2023 Maine Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Induction is happening this Saturday, November 4, at Sugarloaf. Join the Maine skiing community as we honor the newest Hall of Fame inductees: Harry and Martha Baxter, Don, Norton, and Stuart Cross, Paul Emerson, Mike Gammon, Ron Gifford, Ron Jacques, Bruce Johnson, Frank Langlois, and Jeff Rosenberg.
Black Mountain Guide:
Check out one of the newest pages on the website, Black Mountain Guide. With all the relevant information needed for a great day at Black Mountain, it’s worth the time to check it out!
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.
| Mountain Name | Opening Date |
|---|---|
| Saddleback Mountain | December 2 |
| Sugarloaf | November 17 |
| Sunday River | November 16 |
| Pleasant Mountain | December 16 |
| Black Mountain of Maine | December 26 |
| Big Rock | Not Announced |
| Camden Snow Bowl | December 26 |
| Mt. Abram | Not Announced |
| Big Moose Mountain | December 26 |
| Lost Valley | December 18 |
| Hermon Mountain | December 30 |
| Titcomb Mountain | Not Announced |
Freeport Ski Swap & Sale:
Join the Freeport Ski Boosters Club at Freeport High School from 9am to 1pm on Saturday, November 4, for their annual Ski Swap & Sale. Plus, don’t forget to stop by the Black Mountain of Maine table for the chance to win season passes for a family of 4! For more information, click the link below.
Big Projects For Big Moose:
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
The Friends of the Mountain, the non-profit group that owns Big Moose, is under an agreement to bring a Mombardier 13 Passenger Snow Cat from Colorado to Maine. Currently, they are offering partnership and pre-buy options for your trip to the summit. You can purchase below.
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.
$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.
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.
Sugarloaf Bridal Show & Tasting:
If you’re looking to get married at Sugarloaf, you need to go to their Bridal Show & Tasting. The event occurs on Sunday, November 19, from 1-4pm in the King Pine Room. There will be many different vendors and flavorful dishes being served. For all the details, head over to the website below.
Thanksgiving Dinner At Sunday River:
Join Sunday River around the table for a lovely Thanksgiving meal. The folks from Camp will be cooking a tasteful turkey with all the sides you could imagine. Happening from 1-8pm, you can’t miss this!
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 | $959 | 11/30 |
| Black Mountain of Maine | $475 | 11/30 |
| Big Rock | $500 | 11/27 |
| Camden Snow Bowl | $550 | N / A |
| Mt. Abram | $599 | N / A |
| Lost Valley | $645 | N / A |
| Hermon Mountain | $530 | N / A |
| 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, which 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.
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.
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:
This week showed us what Mother Nature can do around Old Man Winter. The mountains of Maine saw snow early this week. Plus, with Sunday River making snow, it’s only a matter of time before we’ll be back on the skis. Keep those snow dances going, Mainely Skiers!
Weather:
While today’s temps aren’t the best for snowmaking, the lows for Saturday and Sunday are promising.
Bring on winter!
– Keegan
Mainely Skiing 