After 'Grinch' storm, Maine ski areas look to rebound for Christmas weekend

File photo / Saddleback Mountain Saddleback Mountain's Doppelmayr high-speed quad lift

Write a Comment

After receiving as much as 6 inches of rain in the Dec. 18 storm, Maine's ski areas are taking advantage of cold nights to make enough snow to reopen for the critical Christmas weekend.

In social media posts, five Maine ski resorts said they plan to either open or reopen in time for the three-day weekend, which is considered a key tone-setter for the ski season.

Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Saddleback, Pleasant Mountain and Mt. Abram all said in social media posts they plan to have at least some trails available by this weekend. Black Mountain of Maine will open the day after Christmas.

All lost key snowpack this week, at best, and in some cases reported infrastructure losses as well.

Monday's storm pounded the mountains with high winds and up to half a foot of rain, which melted snow and created flooding and road closures. Saddleback Mountain referred to the Dec. 18 rain event as the "Grinch storm."

Despite the setbacks for the overall industry, Sugarloaf reopened today with 94 acres of terrain, a spokeswoman said. The resort did not sustain any major damage to infrastructure, though the resort is urging visitors to check the road conditions on their normal routes.

"We’re happy to share Sugarloaf fared better than expected given the 6-plus inches of rain that fell," said Jessica Sechler, marketing director for the resort. "These next couple of days are providing a great window for our snowmaking team to resurface key areas on mountain as we prepare to open more terrain heading into the weekend."

Updates from the ski areas

Black Mountain of Maine, Rumford: Despite Rumford being hit hard by the flooding, the ski area is sticking to its plan to open on Tuesday, Dec. 26. "You know the movie, 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'? Well, we are doing our best to make sure he doesn't steal opening day as well," the ski area said on Instagram.

Mt. Abram, Greenwood: The family-owned resort said on social media it "was incredibly fortunate not to sustain any major infrastructural damage over the last few days." It had originally planned to open for the season mid-week, but will now open Saturday, Dec. 23.

Pleasant Mountain, Bridgton: The Boyne Resorts ski area will have its delayed season opening on Friday, Dec. 22. "This recent storm has impacted mountains all over Maine. Our crews have been hard at work since Monday and snowmaking operations will continue as long as the weather cooperates. Your experience on our slopes matters, which is why we are taking an extra day to replenish some of what we've lost," the resort posted on its operations update.

Saddleback, Rangeley: The resort plans to reopen the ski operations on Saturday, Dec., 23, though the Pub and retail and rental shops will reopen Friday, Dec. 22. "Like the rest of western Maine and our friends and neighbors at nearby resorts, we saw a lot of rain, but our man-made trails are faring well," the resort posted on its operations update.

Sugarloaf, Carrabassett Valley: The Boyne Resorts-owned ski area planned to reopen today. "The hard work both on and off mountain has been incredibly special," the resort posted on Instagram, "proving that Sugarloafers push through the toughest of times."

Sunday River, Newry: The Boyne Resorts-owned ski area, which had a key access road washed out, plans to reopen Saturday, Dec. 23, for Ikon and season pass-holders, ticket packs and pre-purchased lift tickets. "We want to thank the entire Sunday River community for the incredible support and understanding following Monday's storm," Sunday River said in its operations update.