Each summer ski areas invest two ways. Normal maintenance requires many man hours servicing lifts, brushing trails, repairing water bars and sprucing up lodges. This runs into thousands of dollars at smaller areas and into the millions at major resorts. We can add almost annual upgrades on snowmaking, either by increasing capacity or new more efficient snow guns to get more snow for the amount of energy expended. Skiers might not see these routine expenditures, but be assured they are there every year. In addition there are more visible upgrades, a summary of which follows.

The big news out of Big Rock and Black Mountain and all of the Maine Winter Sports Center venues is the new ticket price. Both alpine areas will offer skiing for just $15.00 a day. A season pass good at both areas and the cross country centers as well is $150.00.

Physical changes include an expanded base lodge and pub at Big Rock and a new snowmaking pump. Black has a huge snowmaking expansion including more guns and electric service to the summit to operate guns. The lounge has been expanded to create a sports pub, and trails have been redesigned to increase vertical to 1240 feet.

The Camden Snowbowl is in the middle of a long range improvement plan with $3 million raised toward a goal of $4.5 million which will trigger an additional bond funding of $2 million. The total of $6.5 million will eventually rebuild most of the infrastructure including new lifts, new beginner/novice area, expanded snowmaking, expanded lighting, new base lodge and improved parking. This year’s piece of the plan includes 10 new snow guns, a new groomer, and expansion of upper part of the Mussel Ridge Trail to improve snowmaking efficiency, lighting, race starting area, and more steep terrain.

Mt Abram will bring back snow tubing on Friday and Saturday nights. New snowmaking pump installation continues which will boost the capacity of the HKD low energy guns installed last year. The popular family ski area is in the process of a complete planning of the resort before building a new base lodge to replace the temporary lodge put in use after the fire two years ago.

The big news out of Saddleback comes from the ski school. Since Mark Robie took over as director of the ski school the emphasis has been on keeping the student to instructor ratio as low as possible and this year new programs carry that forward. New this season will be programs for junior instructor training, back country and off piste, freestyle and terrain park for both skiers and snowboarders, full day meisters for children six and under and adults meisters. To facilitate learning the number one trail of the four miles of beginner terrain, Royal Tiger has been widened and leveled side to side.

Shawnee Peak

It was 75 years ago when skiers first road rope tows at Pleasant Mountain and the month of January will see the celebration of those 75 years. New on the mountain will be a freestyle airbag, expanded learning terrain with 50 % more room for beginners to learn, and an extended carpet lift to give them longer runs. Snowmaking infrastructure has been expanded, Wi-Fi installed throughout the base area, a new website and a new handicap lift to all levels of the base lodge. Maine’s oldest ski area isn’t standing still.

Sugarloaf continues to implement its 20-20 Ten Year Development plan. The biggest snowmaking expansion in two decades includes 300 new HKD impulse snow guns along with additional snowmaking pipes to improve efficiency and capacity. Nearly 100 acres of new glades will open on West Mountain and glade skiing is expanding on Burnt Mountain. The Black Diamond restaurant has been renovated and renamed “45 North” and the renovated ski shop has reopened as the Downhill Supply Company.

Sunday River has invested $1 million in snowmaking, mostly on 300 HKD snow guns to increase efficiency. Two new Pisten Bully 400’s will beef up the grooming fleet. Real estate development continues with the second phase of Tempest Ridge, the Glades at Ridge Run and the Village Off the Green. A new kids adventure trail will give the kids a mile of off piste skiing from North Peak to South Ridge.