December 18, 2009
Saddleback has stunning views, terrain
by Tony Chamberlain/
OK, we’re not fooling around the edges of snow season anymore. Winter is really here now, with the big storm last week followed by wonderfully cold snowmaking temps.
Last time, we looked at a couple of Maine’s large areas — Sugarloaf and Sunday River — that turned from corporate rivals to cousins since American Skiing Company put them together a decade ago. They are now owned by Boyne Company.
But as those two grew and developed from backwater T-bar hills to leading Eastern destination resorts, Saddleback in Rangeley was all but forgotten, even though it has terrain comparable with the best.
From the geezer file, I can report that, as a student at Orono, Maine, in the 1960s, we would ski from Thursday to Monday about every week. Whether Sugarloaf or Saddleback, it was a toss-up. Both were big, raw-boned, undeveloped areas with a few A-frame houses along the access road.
But Saddleback got caught in a quarter-century-long legal fight with the Appalachian Mountain Club and other state and federal environmental officials trying to stop development of a ski area near the Appalachian Trail.
So, as Maine’s two big areas entered the mega range for New England, Saddleback lugged farther and further behind. But give it another look this season and you’ll find an area on the way back and offering terrific value, starting from the $49 daily lift ticket as a measure.
What Saddleback lacks at this point is the infrastructure — lifts and full snowmaking and grooming — found at a modern, state-of-the-art ski resort, though it does have a new, large, full-service base lodge.
Right now there’s some internal debate as to whether the resort should build a high-speed quad or stay with fixed-grip chairs and use the funds in other development areas. High-speed lifts also put more skiers on the hill.
What Saddleback does have, first of all, is killer terrain. From the old cruisers such as Peachy Peril and Royal Coachman (named for fishing flies) to the massive glades (44 acres, largest in the East) to some hair-raisingly steep double diamonds (Muleskinner, Black Beauty), Saddleback has complete variety in its 66 runs on 2,000 vertical feet.
The summit views back over the Rangeley Lakes Region — some of the most famous fresh-water fishing country in New England — are stunning, and even the natural forest trails give the place an older, wilder sense than most ski areas.
The reason you find few crowded days at Saddleback may be that it is slightly difficult to reach — no more so than Sugarloaf, and not much more so than Sunday River.
Downtown Rangeley itself — seven miles from the Saddleback summit — is a kind of funky place that services a huge snowmobile population, and weekends finds the place rocking with something of a Wild West feel to it. But there are some decent shops and restaurants — even an old-style movie theater with large seats.
Call ahead, but while the area has just limited terrain open, the lift ticket is $25. The difference between that and the standard lift ticket these days can buy you lots of gas for the car and chili for the belly.
