Shawnee Peak, located just beyond Moose Pond in Bridgton, is one of the elder statesmen of Maine skiing. The ski area opened as Pleasant Mountain in the 1930s and has operated for nearly 80 years, making it the longest-running ski area in the state. Through multiple owners and a change in name, Shawnee has outlived many of Maine’s resorts. Today it stands as one of Maine’s great community areas, teaching generations of skiers and riders. If you’ve never made it over to Shawnee, here’s your plan of attack.

Getting there: Shawnee Peak is neck-and-neck with Auburn’s Lost Valley as the closest, easiest ski area to get to from the Portland area. It’s only about an hour from Portland, straight up Route 302. Just beyond downtown Bridgton, a left onto Mountain Road takes you to the resort. There’s parking at both the East Lodge and Base Lodge.

8 a.m: Snag a cup of Matt’s Coffee and a breakfast sandwich at Beth’s Kitchen Cafe (108 Main Street, Bridgton), the best breakfast joint in the area. Rub elbows with the other skiers headed west toward Shawnee, and pity those headed east to work in Portland.

9 a.m: Hop on the Summit Express, the triple chair that takes you to the summit. The old summit chair was replaced a few years back with this carpet-loading number, so it’s a quicker ride than the old days. From the summit, you’re best off heading toward The Maine or The East Slope, the two trails that bisect the resort. The East Slope has a steady, steep pitch – it’s where Shawnee racers run gates. The intermediate Main is a milder warmup.

10 a.m: If the Sunnyside Triple is running, head toward the terrain on the east side of the mountain. Some of Shawnee’s best expert terrain is there, and it’s a good place to hide when the main slope starts to get busy.

11 a.m: If there’s fresh snow, follow the locals to the double-diamond terrain near the summit. Dungeons, Cody’s Caper, Upper Kanc and the East Glades offer killer glades – tight, steep, and hairy. Roosevelt and Kancamangus feed riders back to either of the two summit chairs.

1 p.m: Hit Shawnee’s remodeled base lodge for a simple lunch in the cafeteria. A throwback to the crowded cafes of community hills of yore, the cafeteria has soup, sandwiches, salads and hot food fresh from the grill. Keep an eye open for the popular specials to keep the bill down, and spend your savings on a homemade whoopie pie.

2 p.m: With the sun on the east side and traffic chewing through the central trails, point your skis to Shawnee’s western boundary. The Pine Quad chair climbs from the base area to mid-mountain and serves a network of beginner and intermediate terrain. For jibbers, the chair is also the easiest access to Shawnee’s two terrain parks. Peering west from the chair, you can see the trees hiding the home of Shawnee’s future expansion.

3 p.m: Head to the Donut Shack, the newest addition to Shawnee’s on-mountain eateries. Opened last year, the tiny shed serves mini cider donuts along with hot chocolate and coffee. The shack is just above the lodge, near the Li’l Pine Carpet Lift.

4 p.m: Kick up your ski boots at Blizzard’s, the pub on the top floor of the base lodge. The massive deck is the perfect spot for an apres ski pint and looks out on Shawnee’s main slope. There’s frequently music and other entertainment, making it the premiere nightlife spot on the mountain. Even if you aren’t ready to pack it in for the day, the menu at Blizzard’s offers plenty of comfort food to fuel you up for a few more hours of skiing.

6 p.m: Close to half of Shawnee’s trails are open for night skiing – basically, everything west of the Kancamangus. And with operating hours that stretch to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, you can kill your legs with a marathon 13-hour ski day.

9 p.m: The resort is less than 15 minutes from Ebenezer’s Restaurant and Pub (44 Allen Road, Lovell). It’s worth the drive. Ebenezer’s has a respectable menu of burgers, salads, pizza and other pub fare, but the real star of the place is the beer list. With 35 Belgian beers on tap and hundreds more in the cellar, it’s easy to see why the middle-of-nowhere eatery has been named “number one beer bar in America” many times.

Overnight: The ski-in, ski-out East Slope condos ($475/night) offer the classic slopeside experience – fireplaces, full kitchens and multiple bedrooms – and sleep up to eight people. There’s also on-mountain lodging in the Pleasant Mountain cabins ($185/night) – pack in/pack out lodging near Shawnee’s summit. A short commute in either direction on Route 302 takes you to North Conway or Portland, where there are hotels to fit every taste and budget.

Planning tip: Like many of Maine’s other community hills, Shawnee has a few deals to entice budget-minded skiers. Among them are Carload Mondays ($92 buys lift tickets for everyone in a car), $27 Tuesdays, and $40 tickets for men on Thursdays and women on Fridays. Shawnee also turns on the lights for night skiing, and offers discounted night skiing (after 3:30 p.m.) Monday through Thursday.

 

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