It’s with a twinge of sadness that I compose our final ski column for the 2015-16 season.

Sad that the season for so many areas started late and ended far too early. Sad for so many loyal Saddleback skiers and the businesses in the Rangeley area that depend so heavily on the traffic for which the ski area has been responsible over the past decades. And the area suffered from the double whammy of very little natural snow that drastically reduced the number of snowmobilers.

But I’m also delighted to remind you that there are still several more weeks of spring skiing in the western mountains, as Sugarloaf and Sunday River produced massive amounts of manmade snow, and are even continuing to do so when the temperature cooperates.

We’re now entering that frustrating part of the season for the operators of those areas as they try to convince skiers and boarders that there’s still plenty of opportunity remaining to make the most of what has been a difficult year for both themselves and their customers.

Creative pricing programs and weekly special events at both Sugarloaf and Sunday River help to lure the diehards, and this year they may well see an uptick in April visits as the number of competing open areas is very small, and many skiers are still trying to reach their annual target of number of days on the slopes.

But generating the traffic to justify staying open late into the spring is now an age-old dilemma with which the industry has been wrestling for years, for two quite obvious reasons.

First, when the daffodils on the south side of the house are several inches high, the forsythia is budding and the lawn is turning green, it’s exceedingly difficult for us to realize there are still miles and miles of ski trails still covered with snow.

Second, after observing the late-season decline in skiing interest over the past several decades, I’m convinced the biggest reason skiers don’t come out in the numbers one might logically expect is the fact that skiers aren’t just skiers. They’re active outdoor enthusiasts who have a wide range of other recreational pursuits that they enjoy, in most cases, just as much as skiing.

In the past couple weeks, I’ve seen an increasing number of brightly-garbed enthusiasts out on their road bikes; more and more face-masked motorcyclists enjoying an early season ride; golf lovers out on courses in much of Maine; tennis enthusiasts dotting courts; canoes and kayaks on the tops of cars and in the backs of pickups; and shrink wrap being removed from boats in boatyards as their owners start to scrape and paint hulls and polish up the bright work.

And I know that a lot of those people are skiers who are now turning their attention to their other passions. Although I’m determined to make up for lost days on the mountain this winter by making lots of turns in soft spring corn over the next few weeks, the kayak’s already on the roof of the Jeep and the mountain bike has already had its spring tuning. And I expect I’m pretty typical of a lot of you.

Now, to my annual late-season reminder before you hang up your gear for the summer.

If your parka is a little worn or you feel as if you ought to be replacing some of your gear for next season, spring’s a great time to check out the deals in the shops, as many of them offer deep discounts in an attempt to clear their shelves in anticipation of next year’s new styles and models.

Check your boots to be sure all the buckles are still in good working order, and your goggles to see if the lenses might need replacement. I usually go for an end-of-the-season ski tuning, as I know that come next November I’ll have plenty of other things to think about as I gear up for another great winter on the slopes of the magnificent mountains of Maine.

And despite my inability to resist the temptation to be blatantly self-promotional, keep your eye out for “Skiing Maine,” published by Down East Books, written by the Christie boys, and scheduled for a Sept. 7 release.

See you next season!

John Christie is a former ski racer and ski area manager and owner, a ski historian and member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame. He and his son, Josh, write ski columns on alternating weeks. John can be reached at:

jchristie@fairpoint.net