AUBURN — As the first snowflakes fall and the temperatures drop, skiers are anxious to head to their favorite mountain.
While many of the more experienced and out-of-state skiers head for the big resorts, thousands of Maine residents, looking for a more cozy, less crowded and less expensive experience, will head to one of the state’s smaller ski areas.
Some of those ski areas are thriving, while some are just getting by. Either way, they face an uphill struggle for survival as they work to stay affordable and relevant as a source of winter fun.
In the 1960s, there were dozens upon dozens of smaller, community ski areas in Maine. Today there are 14, plus a few private ski hills associated with schools.
Each year the financial hurdles get higher. Changing weather patterns; more expensive liability insurance, electricity and fuel; and the need for greater snowmaking challenge the affordability of ski areas.
And they rely on the support of their communities and its residents, as customers, volunteer workers and fundraisers.
It’s a group effort, where the goal is not to make money for owners or shareholders, but to keep outdoor recreation available for everyone.
Skiing history in Maine
Scandinavian immigrants are credited with bringing skiing to Maine as transportation as early as the 1870s in Aroostook County, with recreational skiing starting up in earnest in the 1930s.
The first mechanical ski tow, or rope tow, was built in Fryeburg in 1936. Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton opened its first trail in 1938.
In the years ahead, the popularity of the sport grew. In the 1940s, Rumford was known as the skiing capital of Maine. By the 1960s and 1970s, there were as many as 100 ski areas in the Pine Tree State, from simple rope tows and small community-focused hills to larger resorts like Sunday River in Newry, Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, and Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley.
At least 79 ski areas are now considered permanently closed by the New England Lost Ski Areas Project.
The reasons for closure are as varied as the mountain terrain, but most are related to finances.
The 14-plus that remain going into the 2025-26 season are independent, and are mostly owned by an individual, nonprofit organizations supported by the community, or a municipality.
Powderhouse Hill in South Berwick remains the smallest ski hill in the state, with one rope tow powered by a converted 1938 pickup truck, three trails and only 175 feet of vertical drop. The town charges $5 a day, cash only, to ski the hill.
Like other small areas, it has faced closure a number of times. The last time, the town purchased the ski area and folded it into the recreation department. Volunteers and the nonprofit Powderhouse Ski Club partner to keep the hill running.
For-profit ski areas rely on traditional revenue streams like lift tickets and lodging, ski rentals, ski lessons, food and beverage, and retail. Nonprofits, specifically 501(c)(3)s, rely heavily on volunteers, grants and tax-deductible contributions.
For 15 years, the Libra Foundation played a role in supporting small ski areas in Maine through the Maine Winter Sports Center, which has disbanded. At the outset in 1999, the goal was to foster community outdoor recreation and develop world-class facilities in rural areas.
BigRock Mountain in Mars Hill, Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford and Quoggy Jo Ski Center in Presque Isle all received substantial funding from Libra to build and maintain infrastructure for the long term. All three ski areas are nonprofit, community supported entities.
BigRock Assistant General Manager Aaron Damon said the funding has helped them.
“They invested in a carpet lift, which we still operate … and in snowmaking and a triple chairlift to serve a beginner pod,” he said. “Their investments were very fruitful for the ski area, and at a certain point it was time for the bird to exit the nest, see if she’ll fly, so to speak.”
Deanna Kersey, marketing director for Black Mountain of Maine, said its goal is to keep skiing affordable: “Our board does a really good job at making sure that that is accessible, you know, at a reasonable value. Is it getting harder? Yes, because prices of everything are going up for everyone, not just the consumer, but the businesses as well.”
That’s why community support is critical for small ski areas, she said. “I think people realize that we are an economic force that brings a diverse group of people to the area that supports their businesses as well.”
Key Dates in Maine’s Early Ski History
1936: First rope tow built in Fryeburg
1938: Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton opens
1954: Pleasant Mountain installs state’s first chairlift
1960: Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley opens with a single T-bar
1963: A ski area in Greenville opens; name changed to Big Moose Mountain in 2021
1966: Enchanted Mountain in Upper Enchanted Township near Jackman opens and closes in 1974 due to competition and isolation
Operating costs push budgets
Some of Maine’s smaller ski areas are doing quite well. But the increasing cost of electricity remains a threat, said Scott Shanaman, owner of Lost Valley in Auburn.
Electricity powers the motors that turn the lifts, rope tows and T-bars that transport skiers up the mountain. It also powers the snowmaking systems that today’s ski areas depend on and are perhaps the biggest operational expense.
“The outlook for the industry in Maine is tough, and the No. 1 enemy of all of us — I don’t care if you’re a little little guy or big guy — is what the power rates are going to do here … electricity is going to go insane. It’s already insane. But you haven’t seen anything yet.”
Lost Valley has long claimed to be the first ski area to make snow. In the 1960s, founder Otto Wallingford created the first snow groomer, snowguns and introduced night skiing. There are photos of Wallingford adjusting an early version of a snowgun.
“Snowmaking has always been a huge part of Lost Valley,” marketing director Travis Dow said. “It always will be. Our goal now is just to be able to make more snow in a shorter amount of time and in more places at once.”
Like many other small ski areas in Maine, Lost Valley had its ups and downs over the years. It was on the verge of closing when Shanaman and his wife, April, purchased the ski area in 2015. As they approach their 10-year anniversary, Lost Valley has invested in new lighting, expanded snowmaking and added a third double chairlift.
Coming off what he calls “an amazing year,” General Manager John Herric remains concerned about one thing common to all Maine’s smaller ski areas — the price of a lift ticket.
“Part of our benefit as a small ski area is that we can make it affordable for everybody, ” Herrick said. “My concern is when that affordability starts to chip away … that’s when we’ll be in trouble.”
At BigRock Mountain, one of nine community-supported ski areas, lift ticket prices are a constant topic of discussion.
“We have meetings that are very, very candid, like you know, fuel’s going up,” Damon said. “People are going to have to make some decisions … I just filled my tanks, can I afford a season pass this year? So, there are times where we look at the prices of this operation, and the prices of our tickets, and need to go below that. And you have to make it up somewhere.”
Mt. Abram Ski Area and Bike Park in Greenwood opened in 1960 and is among the more successful ski areas, despite being near Sunday River, one of the largest resorts in Maine.
Family-owned and community-supported ski areas need help to survive. Volunteers do everything from painting to ski patrol, with many others giving their time in leadership roles and fundraising efforts, which is in itself a constant challenge.
Allie Masten, marketing director at Mt. Abram, said they make a point to keep skiing as affordable as possible so that everyone can take part.
Titcomb Mountain in Farmington, a community-supported ski area, successfully raised more than $1.8 million to replace a 70-year-old T-bar, with plans to replace a second one.
Donations from individuals and local businesses poured in over five months and varied from as little as $3 to as much as $1 million. The $2.25 million goal includes money to replace a second T-bar and other improvements. The first T-bar will be up and running for the 2025-26 season, with a ceremony scheduled for Dec. 13.
BigRock Mountain installed a new four-person chairlift, or quad, last year. A federal grant of $2.5 million paid about half the $5.4 million cost of the lift and snowmaking improvements, with the remainder coming from fundraising.
“Over a million dollars was raised through our community,” Damon said. “These are businesses that are our neighbors and friends, and every tower on the way up has a business’s logo that is presented to show that they were an integral part of this project. The federal dollars are good, but they have to be backed — and they are backed by our community.”
Damon said the investments are for the longevity of the ski area.
“The developments with the new lift, with the new snowmaking, with the increased capacity for water are all not just random investments, they’re very well-defined strategies through our master plans,” he said.
Maine’s smaller ski areas do not compete with the bigger resorts, the operators say. They focus on family-oriented winter fun at an affordable price, with an eye toward the future.
“We build skiers here for the whole rest of the state industry,” Lost Valley’s Shanaman said. “We build skiers here for Sugarloaf and Saddleback. And that’s why we have four generations of people (coming) here.
“They may not stay here their entire lifetime, but they come back. They come back when they have kids. They come back when they have grandkids.”
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Christopher Wheelock can be reached at [email protected].
