Last week I received an email declaring that Sugarloaf had three times as much terrain open as it had a year ago. It was the result of natural snow and snowmaking, and since then we have had more snow and great snowmaking temperatures. And that is why optimism is the word for the vacation which […]
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Posted inLocal Sports
On Skiing: Getting started depends on skill level, snow level
Making those first turns of the season has changed over the years. During my ski patrol days the decision wasn’t in my hands. I had to be there the first weekend day the mountain was open. As patrol director, I had to see that the rescue toboggans were properly packed and placed at the top […]
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On skiing: Sizing up Sugarloaf’s new competition center
Last week, I was at Sugarloaf and wanted to get a tour of the new competition center without waiting for the grand opening, which was yesterday. I remember the first races I covered where I worked out of Chip Carey’s office in the basement of the old base lodge and had to go down to […]
Posted inLocal Sports
On skiing: Ski activities remain available
As I sat in my office Monday looking out on five to six inches of new snow, I knew it was not snowing at either of the ski areas still open. All but Sunday River and Sugarloaf had closed, and at most only and inch or so was forecast for those areas. Choosing the only […]
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On skiing: High school skiing in the spotlight
Last week, we mentioned how vacation week is the biggest of the season for high school skiers, with state meets taking place in both Alpine and Nordic disciplines. It brought to mind the differences between high school ski competitions and other sports, and how they are funded. Team sports, like football, soccer, hockey, basketball and […]
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On Skiing: Safety on the slopes is important
While many non-skiers think skiing is a dangerous sport, they think nothing of riding a bike. Yet the statistics show that riding a bike is 12 times more dangerous than skiing. I would even venture to guess that if you add mountain biking it’s far more risky. We know that if you fall off a […]
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The ski season is officially under way
For some skiers, the season starts when they make their first turns on snow. For me, the season is well under way at least a month before I actually put on the skis. Since 2003, when we first celebrated the skiers who became the first class to enter the Maine Ski Hall of Fame, the […]
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On skiing: Plenty of runs left in this season
By now, the results of the U. S. Alpine Nationals are old news, but there are still observations worth mentioning. One is the remarkable finish of the Men’s super-G on opening day. After the 25 or so racers had completed their runs, those of us in the warm sun at the finish area concluded the […]
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D. Irons: More about Avery Angevine
The article (March 29) by Amy Chapman about Avery Angevine and his part in the capturing of the Bridge at Remagen reminded me of an afternoon I spent with Angevine seven years ago. I was researching the history of the Sunday River Ski Resort and he played a key role in the original construction of […]
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On skiing: Hyped weather forecasts shouldn’t deter you from skiing
Monday night I got the call from my brother-in-law letting me know that he would not be joining me for skiing Wednesday. He had heard the weather forecast and decided it would be too cold. Tuesday morning, I watched the weather and the announcer was telling us to stay inside unless we absolutely had to […]