Snow Dreams> Alternative ski area in the works at Big Squaw

BIG SQUAW TOWNSHIP — Over the years, Big Squaw Mountain Resort in Piscataquis County could never quite compete with its more famous and heavily advertised sister ski resorts in the western part of the state.

That was until 1994, when Jim and Karen Confalone of Florida and Bar Harbor took over the ownership of the struggling business. Since then, the Confalones have begun chipping away at the competition. Under their ownership, the business has quadrupled and continues to exceed expectations under the current renovation plan.

With another ski season approaching, the Confalones are hoping to continue to add to Big Squaw’s reputation as an alternative resort. They hope to have some of the facility’s 22 trails open by Thanksgiving, weather permitting.

The object for the Confalones isn’t to turn Big Squaw into a five-star resort frequented by the preppie crowd; rather, they want to provide an affordable vacation spot for families, a place where it won’t take an entire paycheck to enjoy a weekend of recreation, relaxation and meals.

“We want to be an alternative to the big city-type ski resorts,” the Confalones said during a recent interview.

The alternative should be appealing to families on a budget. The lift tickets are among the lowest in the country for a facility its size — $20 for adults and $15 for children on weekends and $15 for anyone on weekdays. And a family of four can expect to stay in the refurbished hotel for $59 a night plus tax.

If that isn’t incentive enough to visit Big Squaw Mountain, with its elevation of about 3,250 feet, the absolutely breathtaking view from the facility should be. The panoramic vista features the dark-blue base of Moosehead Lake framed by a backdrop of mountain ranges topped with fluffy white clouds.

That view caused Jim Confalone to fall in love with the region and the mountain. As a former pilot for Eastern Airlines, he said, he had flown all over the world, from the Andes to Hawaii, but the view from Squaw Mountain was unlike anything he had ever seen.

“Every time you ski and stop and look out at the area, it is a Kodak moment,” Confalone said.

But it could well be the improvements being made to the building and grounds that ultimately persuade visitors to return. For the past two years, the facility has been a beehive of activity as employees and contractors feverishly work to complete the projects, from restoring the Olympic-size swimming pool to installing new snow-making equipment on the mountain.

The fact that the renovation work is progressing smoothly is credited to Rodney Folsom, general manager of the mountain. “This is Rodney’s mountain as far as I’m concerned,” Confalone said.

Folsom, who had at one time leased the facility with others in an attempt to keep it open, is enthusiastic that the mountain is making a comeback. The Greenville native said the mountain was extremely important to the economy in the Moosehead Lake region. On vacation weeks, it’s typical for the resort to employ 60 people, he said.

Former operators of the resort found that the cost of electric heat in the 60-room hotel alone absorbed most of the finances, leaving little for necessary improvements to the lodge, lifts and ski slopes. Changing the electric heat to oil was one of the first projects that the Confalones completed.

Jim Confalone likened operating the facility with electric heat to “buying a fuel-guzzling 747.”

Other renovations have begun, including the restoration of the pool, which Confalone hopes will be finished in time for the coming ski season. Forty-four new windows were installed around the pool which will be decorated with white coral keystone transported from Florida to Big Squaw Mountain. The floor of the pool area will be heated as will a walkway from the pool to a glassed-in hot tub outside the building. A health spa featuring a fireplace and a sauna will complement the amenities for the health-minded.

Confalone said guest rooms are being constructed over the pool, facing the panoramic view, to accommodate visitors celebrating special events.

Inside the lounge, where more windows have been added to showcase the view, visitors can eat $1 hot dogs and sip 25-cent sodas while soaking in the warmth provided by a large fieldstone fireplace.

“We want to make it like a gem in the North Woods,” said Confalone. “We want to bring up what is here. It doesn’t have to attract thousands of people … that would change the whole place,” he said.

Even the restaurant, which seats more than 400 people, is getting a face lift, according to Confalone. He said a cafeteria will be operated on the lower level, a game room for children will be offered, and eventually an elevator to the second floor will be installed. Plans also include construction of a deck around the restaurant for additional dining and a buffet served at low prices.

Confalone said the outdoor tennis courts have been resurfaced and new fencing and poles installed. To help the hotel blend in with the surrounding landscape, a coat of forest-green paint has been applied to the facility. Even the ski shop has been outfitted with brand-new, state-of-the-art equipment from skis to binders.

On the mountain, the chairlifts have been sandblasted and painted green; cables have been tightened; the old-style skiing trails that are isolated from one another have been groomed; and five portable snow-making guns have been purchased that will triple the mountain’s snow-making capabilities.

“We’re picking up three more trails with snow making this year,” said Folsom, adding that it will increase to nine the number of trails that get the extra boost of snow when needed. Folsom said the trails have a lot of character with more turns that follow the natural lay of the mountain, instead of the typical wide, straight trails at similar facilities. Much work also has been done to groom the snowmobile trails that wind through the area.

Keeping the family theme in mind, Confalone has plans to offer an area designed for snowboarders and to flood a small pond on the property for ice skating.

Residents and visitors alike are pleased with the make-over under way at the recreational resort.

“This is the best thing to happen to Squaw Mountain,” said Earl Thompson of Greenville, a veteran skier and former ski coach at the mountain.

“We’ve been through sheer hell here for 10 years,” Thompson said. The 77-year-old said he will continue to take his daily trips down the mountain but now will enjoy it more knowing that lots of work is being applied to preserve the facility for the future.