Last weekend was expected to be one of the busiest of the season. Snow had opened up almost every ski run in the region with good conditions. As I usually do on holiday weekends, I sought out ski areas that might not attract quite so many skiers.

With Sunday River as our starting point, we left Saturday and drove to Saddleback, choosing to drive across through Rumford and Dixfield to Weld to reach Route 4 in Phillips. The 77-mile drive took about an hour and 45 minutes, but unlike past years the last four miles was on a smooth paved road, a welcome change from past trips. The new pavement is the first change skiers notice.

The outside of the lodge hadn’t changed much since a visit this fall. The siding has yet to be installed over the shell that has tripled the interior space, but inside things are fully functional. The crowd grew as the day went on, but there was still plenty of room in the lodge. The upstairs lounge has views of the slopes and Saddleback Lake. The new furniture matches the original natural wood tables and chairs.

Warming up

We started with a warm-up run under the new quad chair, which extends below the base area to the location of the planned new hotel. The new runs have an ideal gentle pitch for teaching beginners. From there we headed up the Rangeley Double which was extended down the mountain to allow skiers to reach it from the base lodge. Our first run was down Green Weaver, a long roundabout trail where we discovered how well the groomers had handled the challenge of snow followed by rain.

Owner Bill Berry told me they insisted on not grooming until the water had time to drain out of the new snow. The result was a skiable packed powder granular mix. We found it on every run we skied, returning to old favorites like Grey Ghost, Silver Doctor and Blue Devil. The investments in lifts, trails, snowmaking and base facilities have made a difference, and the $35 lift ticket makes Saddleback especially appealing.

But this is just the start. A section on the trail map under “Future Plans” states, “We’ll be expanding the trail system and putting in new lifts.” Construction of a new hotel will start this summer. Skiers wishing to check out Saddleback’s improvements can take advantage of special days to ski for $20 – ladies Monday, men Wednesday and seniors Thursday. There are some excluded dates so check ahead. Maine residents can also ski for $20 next Sunday, March 6.

On the trip back, we chose a different route, traveling down Rte. 17 to Rumford. This road over the “Height of Land” has some of Maine’s best views of lakes and mountains, and the difference in distance is only about a mile. It also allowed a side trip to get a look at the new base lodge at Black Mountain. By crossing the river to the Rumford side, it’s possible to drive directly to the ski area on the way into town. The biggest change is apparent from a mile away.

Higher aspirations

Only a year ago the highest lift reached 500 feet up the mountain. Now the new 4,250-foot triple chair takes skiers to the summit with 1,100 feet of vertical drop. The new runs and lift line are visible a long way off. The place was bustling with skiers on all three floors of the new lodge. With an $18 lift ticket and that kind of vertical drop, this community area is a bonus for towns that have always produced a lot of skiers. Our visit was a short one to get a feel for the lodge and say hello to manager Terri Anne Bennett, but we will definitely be back.

Sunday we left for shorter trip. We headed west on Rte. 26 for the 50-mile drive to the Balsams. A dusting of snow slowed us down and we arrived about 9:15 a.m., still early enough to park in the fourth row of the first parking lot about 75 feet from the base lodge. The lodge was busy with most of the guests coming from the hotel by shuttle bus.

On a cold day, beginners have a south-facing slope drenched in sunshine which we chose for a run before heading to the top on the Notchair dedicated a year ago to the memory of Warren Pearson. This top-to-bottom triple never had a line of more than a dozen skiers ahead of us and the trails were equally uncrowded. By early afternoon we had skied most of the runs at least once.

Before leaving, we had a chat with Warren’s son, Andy, who is following his father’s early footsteps by directing the ski school. Andy told us the previous week’s snow had really set them up for vacation week, which could provide 40 percent of the school’s business. The skiing was all packed powder with a little fresh powder on some runs and in the trees. I noticed they picked up another 6-8 inches Monday night as did a lot of areas, giving vacation skiers superb conditions.

These trips to areas a little out of the way gave us some fine skiing with plenty of room on the trails. The conditions held up well. We hear most about the major ski resorts, and we find great skiing at them. But it’s worth a trip to check out some of the others, especially on busy weekends.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.