Maine ski areas offer improved facilities, region’s first Chondola

Black Mountain of Maine -- Rumford
Black Mountain will be getting a second groomer to replace its retired PB270D. This new-to-the-mountain rig is a Pisten Bully Edge. The Edge will return grooming capability to a level not seen for the last two years.

Baker Mountain – Moscow
A new trail was cut at the ski area thanks to a partnership between Sugarloaf and the Baker Mountain Ski Club.

Camden Snow Bowl – Camden
The Snow Bowl will have a new Adult Ed learn-to-ski class, which will provide an opportunity for healthy outdoor activity for busy adults. Trail work included the redesign of the lower Foxy ski trail, the site of Camden's ski racing activity, and the expansion of the glade trail.

Lost Valley – Auburn
Lost Valley continues its updates for the 2008-2009 season with a new terrain park feature -- the new, giant, Wall Ride sponsored by Monster. This towering wall will be the centerpiece of Lost Valley's park. A new, efficient snowmaking pump will double the mountain’s snowmaking output. Nordic skiers will find improvements and expansion of both freestyle and traditional Nordic terrain. The trails now measure 18 to 20 feet wide, which allows the groomer to recondition the snow surface with state-of-the-art equipment.

Mount Abram -- Greenwood
The Westside will be improved with the extension of the children's magic carpet lift, which services the Westside Learning Park. The snow tube park has also been expanded to provide longer runs. Tubing has also been added to the day care. An increase to the snowmaking capacity keeps the mountain moving forward with its multi-year snowmaking master plan. Inside, skiers and riders will be greeted by a renovated lounge with a new entertainment stage, a Saturday night Chef's Special Menu, and Kids Night Out programs. The retail ski shop has been moved to the main floor of the base lodge and is operated by the SportsHaus ski shop. The Snow School, formerly the Ski School, will offer many programs, and competitive skiers will thrive in the new racing program. New ticket programs include 2-for-1, and "Caravan Car Load" pricing.

Saddleback -- Rangeley
This season, a Doppelmayr quad chairlift replaces the Kennebago T-bar, which was difficult to ride because of the steep terrain. The new chair will now provide easy access to what was already the largest self-contained advanced skiing complex in the East. The black diamond terrain is in a bowl that is separate from the rest of the ski area, and three advanced trails were added in the bowl this summer. The new quad chairlift also allows novice and intermediate skiers to ski from the summit for the first time. Novices can now enjoy the panoramic views before descending to the base via the 3-mile America and Hudson Highway trails. Intermediates can ski Tri-Color and Green Weaver back to the Kennebago Chair.

Three new trails, Black Beauty, Frost Bite, and Altura, were added off the new Kennebago Quad Chair. Hornberg is a new easier trail in the South Branch beginner/family area, which also provides access to ski-in ski-out trails for the South Branch and Mountain Brook condominiums. Additional snow guns were added in various locations including Tight Line and the headwalls of Warden's Worry and Supervisor, all in the new quad area. Snowmaking coverage was extended to America.

A new Inntopia Central Reservation and Packaging System will allow Saddleback to book lodging, Ski & Stay and other packages at the lodges in the town of Rangeley, as well as at the condominiums at the mountain. This season the rental shop will have a new fleet of rental skis, boards, boots, bindings and poles. The retail shop will have a new inventory of clothing and accessories. Interest in owning a condominium or private home site in Saddleback Village continues. Saddleback now offers partial or full ownership in three projects: Mountain Brook, South Branch, and Rock Pond.

Shawnee Peak -- Bridgton
Shawnee Peak will introduce the new Great Room, located slope side, adjacent to the Base Lodge Cafeteria. This 40-foot-by-40-foot addition will feature all-glass walls, atrium ceilings, post and beam styling and solar heating. By replacing every low-efficiency snowguns on the mountain with the latest technology, Shawnee Peak will decrease energy use by up to 50 percent while making even more snow. Shawnee Peak completely reconfigured the Lil' Pine Beginner Area – one-half acre of gentle learning terrain. Featuring the newly-expanded Lil' Pine Surface Carpet Lift, the Beginner Area has been expanded by 20 percent.

In an effort to get visitors up the mountain even faster, Shawnee Peak will implement an all-scanning ticketing system at each chairlift. Shawnee will celebrate its 20th anniversary with all-new night programs, including Skiing Under the Stars on January 3, 2009, when visitors can ski until 1 a.m. for just $10. Ski in / ski out accommodations are a great value at Shawnee Peak. Five -Night Ski & Stay packages in the East Slope Condos start at $31.25 per person per night.

Sugarloaf -- Carrabassett Valley
Following considerable improvements to the resort's snowmaking system in 2007, Sugarloaf added further upgrades this summer in order to produce more snow early in the season. The resort added a sixth water pump to its pump house, replaced all existing pumps with more efficient ones, and augmented its snowmaking fleet with 25 fan guns. Sugarloaf has also added 50 new snow guns, as well as new high-flow snowmaking pipe to the summit, which will improve snowmaking in the above-tree line area. The improvements will increase the resort's overall snowmaking capacity by 20 percent.

Freestyle skiers and riders will find a new terrain park landscape at Sugarloaf this season, with a new advanced terrain park on Haywire, new beginner park on Whiffletree, newly designed Superpipe, as well as a new, permanent snowboardcross / skiercross course. The course, which will be called Sidewinder, will be located in the area formerly known as The Yard, and will feature live timing.

The advanced terrain park features that were located in The Yard will now be found on Haywire, where new snowmaking equipment has been installed. Sugarloaf's intermediate park will again be located in the Stomping Grounds, where crews widened sections and straightened corners to allow for more features and better traffic flow. Beginning park riders will find a new park this season as well, the Skybound park on Whiffletree, located in the former Turbo Tubing area. Considerable earthwork was done to Sugarloaf's Superpipe, which will reduce the amount of snow needed to open the pipe by 50 percent or more.

Turbo Tubing will be located on the Landing for the 2008-2009 season, closer to the Base Area, which will feature several improvements of its own. The area known as The Beach will be flattened and resurfaced, and will feature a new bonfire pit, permanent awards podium, and new outdoor barbecue area.

Guests will be able to navigate the mountain with greater ease this season as well, with all new trail signage throughout the resort. Skiers and riders will also find improvements to Sugarloaf's tree skiing areas, including three newly marked glades, as well as a new addition to Bullwinkles, Sugarloaf's on- mountain restaurant, which will feature additional cafeteria area seating and a new deck. Eight of Sugarloaf's lifts will have new lift buildings, which will be energy efficient and will reduce the amount of energy required for heat by two-thirds or more.

Sunday River -- Bethel
This season, Sunday River is installing the first Chondola in the northeast United States. The Chondola is designed to serve guests via six-person chairs and eight-person gondola cars on one high-speed lift. The Chondola will run from South Ridge directly to the Peak Lodge on North Peak. With the Chondola in place, lift service that was once a 20-minute trip on two separate chairlifts is cut into a single ride just under seven minutes. Additionally, this added amenity provides skiers and riders with direct access to six of Sunday River's eight peaks, all within a single lift, and will serve summer guests interested in hiking, special events, mountain biking and weddings.

Sunday River will also introduce 12-hour skiing and riding. Lights have been added to trails in the South Ridge area and on North Peak to allow guests the opportunity to extend their days into the evening for even more time on the slopes. Lighted trails include Dream Maker and Escapade on North Peak and Broadway, Sundance, Express Lane, and Whoville on South Ridge. Sunday River will offer 12 hour skiing and riding shortly after Chondola construction is completed and in time for the New Year.

Sunday River Resort will welcome the world of snowboarding when it hosts the Visa U.S. Snowboarding Cup February 27-March 1, 2009. It will be the sole U.S. World Cup stop for snowboardcross and parallel giant slalom. The world's best snowboardcross athletes are expected to compete.

Titcomb Mountain -- Farmington
Snowmaking will get a boost this year with installation of tower guns. The five units will expand the snowmaking capacity without increasing energy consumption. Trail maintenance included widening the Nordic and Alpine trails. A multi-year plan on the Nordic trails has improved drainage and allows more terrain to be opened with minimal amounts of snow. Carpentry work and painting has dressed up the base lodge and added new ski racks and picnic tables.

One of the primary missions at Titcomb is to introduce more children to winter sports. Titcomb will expand its scholarships for local kids. Children ages 6 years and older participate in the Nanna Webber and Saturday Ski & Snowboard programs.