Nor'easter snow boosts Maine ski business
Courtesy Sugarloaf Mountain Resort
There's no business like snow business as Maine ski resorts see a rise in bookings following the recent winter storm. That includes Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, pictured here.
As a nor’easter raced through Maine on Thursday, leaving behind snowfall totals along the coast ranging from 17 inches in Berwick to 20 inches in Perry, ski-resort operators were jumping for joy over a rise in bookings that augurs well for the rest of the season.
The wintry weather couldn’t have come at a better time for Maine’s ski industry, less than two weeks before President’s Week school vacations and about halfway through a strong May-to-November season that’s still snowballing.
“This is awesome for us,” said Noelle Tuttle, communications manager at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort in Carrabassett Valley, which says it’s the largest ski area east of the Rockies. “We’re lovin’ it.”
By Wednesday, Tuttle said, Sugarloaf had already received more snow than last winter, adding up to more visits though she didn’t have exact numbers.
Greg Sweetser, executive director of the Ski Maine Association in Portland, said he expects this season to be one of the best, amid pent-up demand from last year when total visits amounted to a below-average 1.2 million visits. This year, the target is 1.3 million, the average for the best ski seasons.
“So far attendance seems to be ahead of where the average would be,” he said.
Phones ringing off hook
Ski areas throughout the state are all seeing a boost in business.
“Phones are ringing off the hook,” said Darcy Lambert, communications director for Sunday River in Newry. “That’s exactly what you want to hear going into the weekend.”
To entice visitors mid-week, Sunday River just launched a discounted $49 Maine Day pass for skiers and snowboarders on non-holiday Wednesdays. In March, Sunday River will host the return of the World Pro Ski Tour after an 18-year hiatus.
“The winter conditions have been tremendous, and makes us feel really confident about the way the event is going to be set up,” said Craig Marshall, executive director of sales and marketing for the World Pro Ski Tour who also skis every weekend at Sugarloaf where he coaches at the Carrabassett Valley Academy.
The 2017 World Pro Ski Tour will feature Olympic, World Cup and NCAA athletes, kick-starting a more extensive schedule in 2017-2018 across the United States.
Skiers need not be pro to take part in Shawnee Peak’s Marmot Day in Bridgton this Saturday, when stuffed groundhog-like critters hidden on the mountain can be redeemed for Marmot brand T-shirts, hats and raincoats made by the Rohnert Park, Calif.-based clothing and sporting goods maker.
Rachael Wilkinson, Shawnee Park’s marketing director, said she expects a big turnout this weekend inspired by the latest snow dump.
“It’s certainly a favorable weather pattern for us,” she said, adding that accommodations are nearly all booked for the February school vacations. “We always have plenty of room in our ski school, but we don’t have the same flexibility with the lodging,” she noted.
Other events this weekend include the Snowshoe Festival in Norway, the Fat Tire Festival at Sugarloaf and the U.S. National Toboggan Championships in Camden.
“I wouldn’t say that there is such a thing as too much snow in our business,” said Sugarloaf’s Tuttle. “We actually do better when there’s snow in the market, because it reminds people that we’re here.”
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