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January 8, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Best of Maine

by Heather Burke/

Maine may be best known for coastline and crustaceans, but Maine’s mountains offer some spectacular scenery and skiing. Maine ski areas range from major ski vacation destinations to small community-operated hills. Here are some top picks for skiers and riders in the Pine Tree State.

Mountain features

BEST SNOWMAKING

Sunday River

This is no contest. There is no crud, just dry, light, manufactured snow. The River has made a Halloween habit of opening first in New England. With 1,600 guns-a-blazing and 72 miles of pipe feeding 2,200 strategically placed hydrants, the Snow Team blankets 92 percent of the River’s eight peaks, then resurfaces (fancy term for blowing more freshies onto snowmaking trails all winter long) to the delight of first-track skiers. But don’t take my word for it, take a Snowflake Factory Tour at Sunday River to see the most technically advanced snowmaking system in the East.

BEST GROOMING

Sunday River

A fleet of 14 Bombardiers and two eight-hour shifts each night assure that the slopes are buffed baby-bottom smooth. The white carpet each morning is seamless from edge to edge on as much as 80 percent of the terrain. That’s about 530 acres of corduroy.

BEST TERRAIN PARK

Sunday River and Lost Valley

The River is dialed in to the freestyle movement with its multiple park and pipes with features galore. Park Rangers keep things orderly and they organize rail jams or no-bib jobs almost weekly. Honorable mention goes to Lost Valley. For a ski hill with 240 feet of vertical, this L.A. (Lewiston/Auburn) area rocks with school-age kids riding rails and doing tricks into the twilight hours.

BEST BLACK DIAMOND

Muleskinner at Saddleback

To start, you have to earn your turns with a half-mile traverse (snowboarders read: hike) along the Dazzler trail. The scenery is dazzling, complete with frosty snow ghosts. The reward is a steep, stumped, twisty trail that epitomizes good, old-fashioned, black-diamond skiing.

BEST CRUISERS

Sunday River

Perfectly pitched runs such as Sunday Punch or Risky Business on Barker, American Express off Spruce Peak, and Rogue Angel and Excalibur off Jordan are all intermediate heaven, blue squares with blue skies above and mountain vistas in the distance. What more could a skier ask for? How about a conveniently located chair to whisk you back up so you can repeat the rhythm.

BEST DAY TRIP FROM BOSTON

Sunday River

The River is the first big mountain in Maine you come to after a 3½-hour drive from Beantown. The good news is the conditions at the River are reliable, and the lifts are open until 9 p.m. on weekends, so you can get 12 hours of skiing for your seven hours round trip of driving.

BEST BEGINNER MOUNTAIN

Saddleback

The Rangeley mountain has newly designated learning terrain. The Berry family, which purchased Saddleback in 2003, installed a half-mile-long beginner South Branch quad chair serving a half-dozen gently graded boulevards just right for novices. For little tykes, there are a few tree-sprinkled glades. The South Branch terrain is separate from the upper mountain, so beginners have their own space without speedy skiers flying through. The sign at the base of this easy loading quad chair reads: “Welcome to the cruizin’ slopes, for beginners, terminal intermediates and tired folk.” The lift brings you back to the beautiful, post-and-beam base lodge when you need a rest.

BEST OLD SCHOOL MOUNTAIN

Spruce Mountain

Spruce, in Jay, is town-owned and run by volunteers. It takes three consecutive rope tows (and several mittens each season) to get the full 300-foot vertical of vintage skiing. This 11-trail ski hill offers a total flashback experience of 1960s skiing — when Spruce opened.

BEST SCENERY

Saddleback

This pristine part of western Maine, while a bit of a trek, rewards travelers with incredible views of Saddleback Lake below and Rangeley Lake in the distance. Saddleback’s summit elevation of 4,120 feet gains skiers and riders a bird’s view of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and lakes. The grand lodge rests at 2,460 feet, with spectacular scenery even for the non-skiers who choose to sit by the giant fieldstone fireplace. Big Squaw Ski Area, overlooking Moosehead Lake, rivals Saddleback’s scenery, but since the upper mountain chairlift remains in disrepair, you have to hike the last 900-foot vertical for views of Moosehead and even Katahdin.

BEST NIGHT SKIING

Shawnee Peak

Shawnee is the largest night ski facility in all of New England. With 19 trails lit up every night except Sunday, plus a freestyle terrain park under the lights, sneaking to the Peak for a little evening exercise is fun for the whole family. Monday Night Madness lift tickets are just $12 from 4-9 p.m. Blizzard’s Pub is open for pub fare, with a view of the slopes and entertainment many evenings.

Bargains

BEST LIFT-TICKET DEALS

Shawnee Peak and Powderhouse Hill

The Bridgton mountain with those incredible lake and mountain views has a far-ranging menu of ticket-saving options from skiing at night to loading the car with friends. Most Carload Dayz are $75, there are two-fer Tuesdays, night skiing deals ($12 select Saturday nights and more) and $25 Sunday afternoon rates. Honorable mention goes to tiny Powderhouse Hill in South Berwick, where five bucks provides access to three natural snow trails and 175 feet of vertical.

BEST SHOPPING

Camden

Bring the credit card for Maine’s Coast after you ski at Camden Snow Bowl. Make a few runs on this scenic ski hill — the Lookout trail offers a glimpse of the Atlantic — then make waves to the boutiques and shops that line the seaside village of Camden.

Family

BEST FAMILY MOUNTAIN

Mt. Abram

Kids will love the Dudley Do-Right trail theme — Rocky, Bullwinkle and Boris Badenov are all represented. Moms and dads will like the reasonable ticket prices and the Loose Boots Lounge in the lodge. Fun stuff like NASTAR racing keep it entertaining on this humble hill that most skiers pass by on their way to Sunday River. 

BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT

Titcomb’s Base Lodge, Farmington

Volunteers cook up a storm of delicious homemade soups and stews and serve them at reasonable rates. When was the last time you enjoyed steaming turkey stew with homemade dumplings before a big fieldstone fireplace among ski friends? Sounds better than the greasy burger and fries in the cafeteria line. Titcomb is a 750-foot ski hill operated by the Farmington Ski Club since 1939.

Après ski

BEST APRÈS SKI

Sugarloaf

Loafers are loyal to their mountain and to their beverages at the Bag, the Widowmaker, Gepetto’s or the Sugarloaf Inn. At any of these après establishments, you will find a friendly crowd, cold beer and tasty food (nothing too sophisticated but always satiating). Typically, there is entertainment, too. The musical duo Uncle Al & Kenny are an institution Fridays at the Shipyard. You can go in your ski boots — Sugarloaf is not a dressy scene. Leave your fluffy boots and fur at home unless you bagged a deer on your way here and want to show it off.

BEST SINGLES SCENE

Sunday River

The Foggy Goggle is the place to see and be seen, and maybe hook up after you hang up your skis or board. There is live music and a view of the slopes, and with twilight skiing at Sunday River this season, you can opt for ski goggles or beer goggles, depending on where the snow bunnies are burrowing.

BEST SPORTS BAR

The Rack, Carabassett Valley

Seth Wescott is the brains behind this memorabilia-filled brew pub that opened on Sugarloaf’s Access Road the season following his gold medal in boardercross at the 2006 Olympics. The Rack is the place to watch sporting events and watch the door for pro skiers and riders coming in for a beer and bbq ribs.

Heather Burke is a Maine ski columnist who skis Maine’s slopes with her family most every weekend.