As quickly as it came, Maine’s ski season is starting to wind down. With temperatures warming and the less devoted already trading skis for golf clubs and sailboats, Maine’s resorts are starting their trudge toward closing day.
Things aren’t done for good yet – the most longevous areas will be open until early May – but each week will see fewer skiers and more closed trails.
Sad as the end of the season is, it isn’t necessarily cause for complaint. Some of the year’s best skiing is spring skiing, when longer days combine with softer snow and warm temperatures. Like an Irish wake, the passing of the season is often an excuse for celebration rather than somberness. And skiers can celebrate with the best of them.
While the Camden Snow Bowl has already closed for the season, they’ve thrown a bone to their pass holders in the form of discounts at other Maine areas. At Lost Valley, Mount Abram, Sugarloaf and Black Mountain (all still open at the time of this writing), showing your Camden Snow Bowl 2016-17 season pass gets you a $50 discount on a lift ticket.
If you’re reading this article early enough on Sunday, you can rush over to Auburn’s Lost Valley to celebrate its final scheduled day of the season. The lifts will be turning from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., before shutting down until next season.
Greenwood’s Mount Abram is open Sunday and will be open Saturday, April 8 for its final day of the season. Rumford’s Black Mountain will be staying open just a touch longer, with a final weekend of skiing April 7-9.
Maine’s behemoth ski areas, Sugarloaf and Sunday River, stay open longer.
Sugarloaf has on-hill events planned at least through Easter Sunday, and typically rides its season through the end of April. Sunday River also has a full events schedule for the next few weeks, and plans on its traditional closing day of May 1.
At Sugarloaf, the coming week sees the raucous Snowmaker’s Ball on Wednesday, followed by the (in)famous Bud Lite Reggae Festival Thursday through Sunday. A tradition since 1983, the Snowmaker’s Ball is an annual celebration and appreciation of all the hard-working snowmakers who keep the hills covered with snow during thick and thin. This year, the celebration kicks off at the Widowmaker Lounge at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. It’s followed by the 29th annual Reggae Fest, headlined this year by New Kingston and John Brown’s Body. Spiritual Rez, Gorilla Finger Dub, Dub Kartel, Zeme Libre, CatchaVibe, Royal Hammer and Green Lion Crew are also performing. The perennial sellout event includes nighttime performances in the Widowmaker Lounge and King Pine Room starting on Thursday, and all-day performances on the outdoor stage on Saturday.
The following weekend sees the East Coast Pond Skimming Championship return to Sugarloaf on April 15. Easter Sunday celebrations include a sunrise service at the top of the Superquad (loading at 5 a.m., so be prepared), a meet-and-greet with the Easter Bunny, a scavenger hunt, a costume parade, and a special Easter Service at the Richard Bell Chapel.
Sunday River’s answer to Reggaefest, the Spring Festival (formerly known as Parrothead Weekend), wrapped up this weekend, but a few events remain on the Newry resort’s calendar. On Saturday, April 8, the third annual Pond-A-Palooza pond-skimming contest kicks off at noon on the slopes of South Ridge. That afternoon sees the third and final show of the Spring Apres Concert Series, featuring opener Hambone and headliner Harsh Armadillo playing South Ridge’s slopeside stage from 2 to 6. Sunday, April 9, is the annual pass holders barbeque at Sunday River (and, by dint of mountain ownership, Sugarloaf and Loon pass holders as well).
The following weekend, Sunday River hosts the Great Tailgate party in the Barker parking lot. The family-friendly affair includes cornhole tournaments, Easter egg shots, a Cadbury Egg challenge, an egg hunt and live music from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Every year the party has a theme, and participants are encouraged to decorate their tailgate spot on-theme for a chance to win a trophy. Be forewarned that this year’s theme is Easter Sunday Pregame Funday.
And, finally, Sunday River celebrates the unofficial official end of Maine’s lift-serviced ski season on May 1 with “Ski Maynia,” a day of free skiing for everyone willing to make the trip.
From then on, it’s really up to you if you’d like to get in more skiing. Both Sugarloaf and Sunday River hold onto enough snow that hearty skiers can hike for a few turns, and Tuckerman’s Ravine in New Hampshire usually lasts for at least another month. And, while I may take a few turns after the start of May, this column will transition back to “Worth the Trip,” covering hiking, biking and other outdoor activities in the great state of Maine.
Josh Christie is a freelance writer living in Portland. Along with his brother, Jake, he writes about great Maine destinations for outdoors enthusiasts. Josh can be reached at:
joshua.j.christie@gmail.com
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