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Exploring the Ski Museum of Maine

Editor — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:31:22 +0000

As its name suggests, the Ski Museum of Maine documents the fascinating history of skiing in Maine. Not many realize that Maine actually has a rich skiing heritage to be proud of. Some of the earliest skis in Maine were produced by Swedish immigrants for transportation and were all handcrafted. Primitive to say the least, with toe loops and upturned tips being the only accessories to the planks, they were effective, and the beginning of ski production in Maine. The main mission of the Ski Museum of Maine is to create awareness of the magnificent history of skiing and preserve the skiing heritage of Maine.

In 1995, Don Fletcher, Don Hayes and Greg Foster informally founded the museum when the Sugarloaf Ski Club decided to clear out some of their old files due to lack to storage space. The files dated from the early 1950s all the way to the 1970s and not wanting to destroy all the information, the suggestion of a museum was mentioned. The club’s archives revealed a wealth of information, newspaper articles, photographs and artifacts. In 2006 they held the first exhibition of the collection that they had accumulated, which included boots, skiing accessories and skis made in Maine. In the year 2009 the museum found a permanent home in Kingfield, Maine. Some of the skis and other artifacts are owned by the museum, while others are on loan from collectors such as Glenn Parkinson, and some items have been donated to the museum. One of the most popular items is a set of miniature skis that were crafted by Theo A. Johnsen from Portland, Maine, in the year 1905.

Over and above the documents, artifacts and photographs, the museum also has a section in the museum that is called Fireside Chats. This exhibit has four narrated presentations in the form of a digital slide show, and has wonderful vintage photographs telling the four various stories, which are Down Mountain and Cross Country: 140 Years of Skiing in Maine, An Avalanche of Interest: The First 75 Years of Skiing in Maine, Schuss Boom and Schuss Bust: Fast Paced Growth and Face Plants in Maine Skiing 1946 – 1980’s, and Made in Maine: 100 Plus Years of Craftsmanship in Skiing. The museum is also home to the Maine Ski Hall of Fame, which has thirty-nine inductees from Maine so far who have made a noticeable contribution to the sport of skiing.

A Successful and Fun Family Vacation

Editor — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:53:50 +0000

Last year, my wife and I were thrilled that our videogame-loving son learned how to ski and loved it. It was great to see him learn something active that he could enjoy. This year, we decided to capitalize on that enjoyment and get the family a vacation to Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine for Christmas.

When we told our son we were going to Maine to go skiing for a week, he could hardly contain his excitement. I was feeling the same way. My wife and I had agonized for weeks over the perfect rental house in our tourist destination. Should we rent a house on Sugarloaf Mountain and get quick access to lifts or should we rent off the mountain and get a better deal? We went with the house on the mountain and it turned out great. To get ourselves excited, we bought new skis and snowboards for the three of us before we left.

We left for Maine in the afternoon and planned to be at Sugarloaf Mountain within four hours. By the time we got there it was dark and we had a little trouble finding the rental. We did find it eventually and it was worth the wait. There was a room with three bunks for our son, which was perfect because my sister and her three kids were going to be spending a night there with us later in the week. There were also two master bedrooms and a hot tub on the patio. We were too tired to bother with the hot tub the first night. We wanted to get to bed and be ready for our first day on the mountain.

The next day we woke up to see that we had stunning views of Sugarloaf Mountain from virtually every window in the house. Eating breakfast, while we enjoyed that view, was a pleasure. After breakfast, we got dressed and up the lift faster than I had previously thought possible. We spent the entire day laughing in the snow together. In the evening, we sat in the hot tub and went swimming at the health spa. The six days and nights that followed were all as successful and fun as the first. It was even more fun when my sister and her children arrived.

The kids decided they wanted to try everything there was to try on the mountain. That meant going on zip lines, jumping on indoor trampolines, super tubing and snowshoeing. There were a lot of laughs to be had and not one person felt sour during the whole trip. That is quite a feat when you have teenagers with you and two of them have to share a bathroom.

Ty Cobb is an avid blogger and traveler. He loves music, art, people and how the three intermingle. He can be found on Twitter @bloggingcobb.

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The Canyons Resort in Utah under New Ownership

Editor — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:40:52 +0000

American Skiing Co. was at one time a prominent player in the snow skiing world, with holding interests in numerous ski resorts. However, the company will be dissolved following the sale of its final resort, The Canyons Resort near Salt Lake City. A subsidiary of the Toronto-based ski resort operator Talisker Corp, has reportedly paid an amount of R123 million to take over ownership of The Canyons Resort.

Other resorts unloaded by American Skiing Co. include Maine’s Sunday River and Sugarloaf. Colorado’s Steamboat Springs was bought by Canadian resort operator, Intrawest Corp in March 2007. Vermont’s Mount Snow, Killington and Pico, New Hampshire’s Attitash Resort and California’s Heavenly Mountain Resort were all previously owned by American Skiing Co.

The Canyons is the first ski resort to be owned by Talisker, and the company’s chairman, Jack Bistricer, reportedly stated that they are looking forward to unlocking the potential of The Canyons resort, and intend to play an active role as members of the community. Ski Utah president, Nathan Rafferty, welcomed the closure of the deal which he believes will provide some long overdue stability. Talisker has earned a good reputation for other work they have done in Park City and everyone concerned is confident that The Canyons will benefit from Talisker’s solid business foundation.

There has been some controversy surrounding the sale of The Canyons Resort to Talisker, in that Colorado-based Vail Resorts believed that they were first in the running to buy the resort. However, American Skiing accepted Talisker’s offer, prompting Vail to file a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the sale to Talisker. A request by Vail Resorts for a preliminary injunction to halt the sale to Talisker was denied in October and reportedly the litigation continues.

The Canyons Resort is one of the largest single ski and snowboard resorts in North America. It offers 3,700 acres of diverse terrain incorporating 155 trails and eight mountains, with three world-class lodging properties. The 17 lifts ensure that snow skiing enthusiasts waste no time in getting to the slopes.

The Canyons Resort is already a popular Utah snow skiing destination, which is set to become even better under its new ownership.

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Sunday River Resort’s Chondola Addition

Editor — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:02:30 +0000

The popular Sunday River Resort near Bethel in Maine, USA, is planning to spend $14 million on upgrades in preparation for the 2008/2009 snow skiing season. A highlight of the upgrade program is the installation of the region’s first chondola lift, which promises to take snow skiing convenience to a whole new level.

This chairlift/gondola combination, one of only four in North America, consists of a high-speed detachable six-person chairlift with gondola cabins at regular intervals. The chondola will transport skiers and snowboarders from the South Ridge Base Area to the summit of North Peak. Six of Sunday River’s eight peaks are accessible from the North Peak chondola drop off point. One of the chief benefits of the proposed new chondola is that a trip which currently requires two lift rides by skiers and snowboarders will be reduced to one.

The chondola, which is being manufactured by Doppelmayr CTEC, will play an essential role in the planned expansion of Sunday River’s four-season resort facilities, as well as opening up foot passenger access to the mid-mountain Peak Lodge. Sunday River Resort, which was previously owned by the American Skiing Company, now falls under the management of Boyne Resorts – a family owned, Michigan-based Corporation, which is America’s third largest resort network. Seen by the Sunday River Resort management as much more than just a ski lift, it is believed that the chondola will transform how Sunday River interacts with guests in all four seasons – to the benefit of all concerned.

In addition to the installation of the chondola, plans for Sunday River Resort include cutting new trails from the summit of North Peak and a significant upgrade of snowmaking equipment, with the goal of doubling the amount of snow being made, while reducing energy usage. A further $1.4 million is to be invested in hotels and resort condos.

Preliminary planning to offer 12-hour skiing on South Ridge and North Peak is progressing well, also with the possibility of being available in the 2008/2009 snow skiing season. Dana Bullen, the general manager of Sunday River Resort is confident that the planned upgrades, and the new chondola, will contribute significantly to establishing the ski resort as New England’s “resort on the move”.

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Tour the Intriguing Ski Museum of Maine

Editor — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 08:49:31 +0000

The Ski Museum of Maine is devoted to preserving the heritage and history of snow skiing as represented by the many artifacts and documents on display. Situated in Farmington, Maine, U.S.A., the museum held its first public exhibit in December 2006.

The collection at the Ski Museum of Maine includes close to three dozen pairs of skis that were manufactured in Maine and date back to the early 20th century. Viewing these various older models of skis helps current skiers to appreciate how advanced the popular sport of snow skiing has become. It also becomes apparent that ongoing advances in technology, as well as a better understanding of aerodynamics and other factors that influence speed and control, are proving to be hugely beneficial to skiers today. The same can be said of the numerous examples of early 20th century leather ski boots and accessories on display.

The Ski Museum of Maine came about as a result of a cleanout at the Sugarloaf Ski Club’s offices in 1995. The members of the club who were involved in this exercise realized that the documents relating back to the period of the 1950s through to the 1970s had enormous historical value with regard to the development of the sport of snow skiing in Maine. As they had no space in the office to store the documents and destroying them was out of the question, it was decided to create a museum as a permanent repository.

The museum started off with several thousand documents from the Sugarloaf Ski Club, many of which relate to the founding and formative years of Sugarloaf, which is currently Maine’s second busiest ski resort. Walter Melvin donated a valuable collection of newspaper clippings and records relating to the period from the 1930s through to the 1960s for a number of clubs and snow skiing areas in the Bangor region. The museum’s collection also includes memorabilia from ski areas which are no longer in operation, such as Big A in York and Enchanted Mountain.

In addition to the many fascinating exhibits, the roster of honorees of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame – prominent athletes, coaches, officials and others in the ski industry – is on display at the Ski Museum of Maine.

The Ski Museum of Maine places special emphasis on the history and heritage of snow skiing in the state of Maine, but there is little doubt that all snow skiing enthusiasts will enjoy the exhibits relating to their favorite sport, irrespective of where in the world they call home.

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