Going into the final month of winter, Saddleback Maine remains closed and a spokesman says there is no update on whether the popular ski resort will open this season.
The ski resort outside Rangeley has been using its Facebook page as the only means for communicating updates on the status of the mountain, which did not open for the 2015-2016 winter season after its owners reportedly tried to negotiate a sale with a prospective buyer.
But there has been no new information posted to the page since Feb. 8 when Saddleback announced it would not be open in time for February school vacation week despite an earlier announcement that the resort would open by late January.
On Monday, Saddleback’s manager, Chris Farmer, said there were no new updates on the mountain’s status.
“We would update (Facebook) if there was,” Farmer said, declining to comment on whether the sale remains pending.
Saddleback, which has drawn between 80,000 and 100,000 skiers annually for the last four or five winters, announced in July that it would close operations if it could not secure $3 million to replace an aging chairlift, and the owners, Bill and Irene Berry, were unable to get the financing. Since October, Saddleback’s Facebook updates have been mentioning that the Berry family has been in negotiations with a prospective buyer who intended to open the mountain this winter season.
On top of Saddleback’s closure, Rangeley’s winter economy is taking a hit because it’s been “a winter without snow,” said Karen Ogulnick, executive director of the Rangeley Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, referring to the mild weather conditions.
Ogulnick said the town’s tourism sector is getting by due in large part to the Rangeley Lakes Snowmobile Club being able to maintain fair trail conditions despite low levels of snow.
However, Karen said Saddleback’s ability to make snow would have helped draw more people to the region. Saddleback is also the third largest employer in Franklin County during the winter, employing about 350 seasonal workers.
The last eight months of uncertainty have taken a toll on loyal mountain patrons, some of whom have invested upwards of $2,000 in season passes. Saddleback has offered season pass-holders three options: waiting for opening day and receiving a 50 percent resort credit added to their season pass; converting their season pass into a gift card; or returning their season pass for a full refund anytime prior to opening day.
Some Saddleback patrons doubt the mountain will open at all this season.
“Pretty late in the season at this point,” wrote one user Feb. 16 in a comment to Saddleback’s February Facebook post. “I’d be willing to bet because of the continued delays as well as the poor conditions in general, that (Saddleback) will not open this season … It’s also unfortunate as us, the customers have seemingly been left in the dark through infrequent and hollow promises.”
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.