Members of Greely’s Nordic ski team practice in a neighborhood near the school on Tuesday. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

Emily Cartwright does all she can to promote Nordic skiing.

The former All-American at the University of New Hampshire has developed Nordic clubs for all ages in the Bangor area and her current operation in the greater Portland area called Nonstop Nordic. She’s an assistant coach at Greely High. She loves to promote other coaches’ efforts.

“She’s the guru of Nordic,” says Greely Athletic Director David Shapiro.

But there’s one thing Cartwright and other dedicated Nordic devotees cannot do. She can’t make it snow.

Again this year, southern Maine landscapes are barren of snow two months into the high school season. That means most practices look more like cross country running than cross country skiing.

“Most of the kids have had a taste of how great this sport is when the snow comes, but it is frustrating when you get less than eight weeks of snow in the area,” said Cartwright, who was named the New England Nordic Ski Association’s coach of the year in 2024. “There’s a lot of long-term delayed gratification.”

The recent announcement that Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook was permanently closing its ski trails and selling all of its equipment because of snowless winters was a stark reminder that southern Maine winters no longer support natural-snow Nordic operations. Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, normally a regular location for high school races, has yet to open its trails.

Climatologists say less snow and more rain during the winter months is Maine’s long-term trend, especially in southern and coastal areas.

Last winter was one of Maine’s warmest, and there was little snowfall. Recently it’s been plenty cold, but still no snow.

“We really need a snow-making venue within 20 minutes of Portland,” Cartwright said.

That’s unlikely to happen without significant grant money or private donations. Quarry Road in Waterville does have snow-making equipment, thanks to Alfond Foundation grants and support from Colby College.

In the meantime, Maine high school teams, with total participation levels below 500 students, must adapt.

Even in the western mountains, there wasn’t enough snow for the annual Bethel Relays, the traditional start to the Nordic season. That prompted organizers to pull together an event at Quarry Road, the only Nordic site in central and southern Maine that’s making artificial snow.

This Saturday’s Roy Varney Hornet Classic has been moved from its usual home at the Outdoor Wellness Center in Turner to Titcomb Mountain in Farmington for the second year in a row.

“No snow means lots of running around the Western Promenade, indoor aerobic work and strength training” said Cam Mackenzie, the Waynflete coach.

Waynflete did get one day on snow in December to practice at Portland’s Riverside Golf Course. Same for the Portland, Deering and Cheverus skiers, who train together. Greely got two days at Twin Brook Recreation Area.

Coaches know how to get creative. At Greely, the sport is well-supported and flourishing at the middle school level. Through fundraising, enough equipment has been obtained so any student can get started with school-owned skis, poles and race attire. Typically, they do need to buy their own boots to ensure a good fit, Cartwright said.

In addition, the school has roller skis for all of its high school skiers. Roller-skiing on pavement simulates the motions and strides used on snow while building endurance and cardiovascular fitness.

A first-year coach, Waynflete’s Mackenzie said he’s already heard his skiers grumble that “I guess we’re a cross country running team now.”

That’s why he plans to take skiers, skis and poles to a nearby beach next week.

“It doesn’t damage the skis, just kind of exfoliates them. It’s a lot of resistance training. It is grueling. But you can still get a bit of the glide, which is helpful and the poles work well,” Mackenzie said.

Stark’s Hill in Fryeburg, which is on Fryeburg coach John Weston’s family farm, can usually buck the no-snow trend and has again this year. Several modest December snows provided about a foot of natural snow. With Weston’s diligent summer excavation work to level trails and improve drainage, along with three days of grooming in very cold temperatures, Stark’s Hill was ready to host the Western Maine Conference opener on Wednesday, in which over 160 skiers competed.

“We definitely had people here (Wednesday) that talked about how for many kids, this was their first time on snow,” Weston said. “I hope once we start getting closer to February, the new norm will hold true.”

What Weston means is that Maine’s average seasonal snowfall has not only decreased, but most of the accumulation comes later in the winter.

“Our winters have definitely shifted. It’s obviously warmed. That’s true, but where November and December used to be snow months, now it’s March and April,” Weston said.

The high school Nordic season is scheduled to conclude Feb. 17-18 with state championships for Classes A, B and C at Black Mountain in Rumford.

Steve Craig — 207-791-6413

scraig@pressherald.com