At last, reason to cheer at ski resorts

PORTLAND – After several lackluster winters, ski areas across Maine are finally cheering.

“The last two years have been tough, no matter how you slice or dice it,” said Greg Sweetser, executive director of the Ski Maine Association. “This year we had snow on the ground before Christmas, so people really got in their mind, ‘It’s winter.’ And when they think winter, they think skiing.”

Ski area operators around Maine are crowing at the near-perfect ski conditions this winter. After several less-than-spectacular ski seasons, the past few months have been a welcome change.

“We’ve probably had the best season in the 10 years since I’ve been here, the most consistent conditions,” said Chip Taylor, mountain manager at the Camden Snow Bowl. “We had good cold temperatures early in the season, which allowed us to make snow.”

Taylor said this season’s revenues are up 30 percent over last season’s. They’ve reached about $375,000, exceeding projections by $25,000. Last season, the Snow Bowl took in only $290,000.

Maine’s ski industry pumps an estimated $250 million a year into the state’s economy. The Ski Maine Association, which represents 17 ski areas in the state, estimates that 1.3 million lift tickets are sold in Maine during a “good” winter.

But the last time that happened was the 1997-98 season, when the total was 1.32 million. Over the last two seasons, Maine averaged about 1.2 million.

This season could put the ski areas comfortably in the black.

Besides dusting the mountains with fresh powder, the season’s steady snowstorms have been good for business because snowfall makes people think of skiing, Sweetser said.

“If it’s raining on the coast, which it does a lot, people don’t imagine it’s snowing in the mountains, even if it is,” he said.

Susan DuPlessis, communications director for Sunday River ski area, compared this winter to “the kinds of seasons we New Englanders are used to – lots of snow and great skiing.”