As of Tuesday,
two chairlifts and one T-bar were open carrying skiers to the 29 open trails.
SANDY RIVER PLANTATION – Saddleback Ski Area, operating for the first time under new ownership last Friday, reported one of its best opening weekends in recent history.
“We were very happy with the traffic here this weekend,” said mountain spokesperson Jessica MacDonald. “It was our best opening weekend in a long time.”
The success was no doubt due in part to the 70 inches of fresh powder covering the mountain after two major snowstorms.
The ski area came under the ownership of retired Farmington geology professor Bill Berry, his wife, Irene and their children in September.
Last Thursday, the day before the mountain opened, employees arrived to find the roof of the Rangeley chairlift’s lower loading station had blown off in a storm that rolled through the area the previous day.
The Rangeley lift is the mountain’s longest, carrying skiers and riders up 4,540 feet.
According to MacDonald, a crew got to work and by mid-afternoon Friday, a new roof was installed and the lift was opened.
As of Tuesday, the two chairlifts and one of the T-bars were open carrying skiers to the 29 open trails. Conditions are great, MacDonald said, and vacation week is expected to be booming.
“Everyone that was on the mountain had great things to say of the conditions,” she said. “We are expecting vacation week to be very busy. The energy up here is so high and all are very excited to have the mountain up and going at full force. Employees and skiers alike all have big smiles on their faces.”
More than 100 people are employed by the mountain, the most ever, MacDonald said. “We’re up and going!”
The mountain also hosted a Tin Mountain round-up, allowing skiers and riders to donate canned goods for a discount on their lift ticket. MacDonald said about 100 cans of food were collected. They’ll be donated to the Episcopal church in Rangeley.
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