BigRock Mountain in Mars Hill, Aroostook County’s largest downhill ski area, is set for its earliest season opening in five years after bringing online a substantial upgrade to its snowmaking capabilities.
The mountain will open on Dec. 12, a week earlier than in 2024 and two weeks earlier than 2023.
The upgrade — part of a larger $6 million improvement project designed to increase tourism and extend the mountain’s season — was partially implemented last winter, but some limitations of an auxiliary pump house and a pond onsite prevented its full use.
Now with the complete system running, the resort’s snow guns can convert up to two million gallons of water in a single day in ideal conditions, BigRock Assistant General Manager Aaron Damon said. The mountain can now produce two and a half times more snow.
“It’s like night and day,” Damon said. “It’s the difference between opening after Christmas and opening before Christmas. Those early days of the season, that’s what everybody’s looking for: how soon can they get out skiing.”
The milestone marks the completion of a major capital improvement project for the mountain, which began in December 2021 as an effort to replace an aging chairlift and upgrade snowmaking.
The former goal came to fruition in 2024 with the installation of a new quad chairlift to replace a 50-year old double lift BigRock started using in 1993. The new chairlift is smoother, has shortened lift lines and provides better access to black diamond trails off the summit.
“It’s like going from an abacus to an iPhone,” Damon said. “It’s just this tremendous jump in — I don’t want to say quality because what we had before, like an abacus, is of quality — but this is just so much more advanced.”
The entire project is the single biggest investment in BigRock’s history. $2.5 million of its funding came from a federal grant from the Economic Development Administration that was matched by $634,700 in local funds. Money also came from $150,000 in American Rescue Act Plan funds from Aroostook County, a $380,000 forgivable loan in 2023 and donations.
Beyond the capital improvements, volunteers spent the summer clearing out trees in glades — skinny trails through forested areas — across the mountain to make them more skiable.
“They’re really well cleaned out,” Damon said. “I’m not a glades guy, but you can expect to see me out there dabbling.”
BigRock saw around 15,000 skiers last season, and is hoping its upgrades, plus early season snowfall, will attract more people from throughout Maine to the mountain this season.
“We often think of it as a hidden gem when it comes to Maine skiing,” Damon said. “Whether it’s good or bad, there aren’t lift lines here. You really have the opportunity to ski the entire day and its unique terrain makes it very appealing.”
