JAY — Spruce Mountain Ski Club members are overcoming obstacles, one at a time, to keep the local slope open so area children have a nearby place to ski and snowboard.
“We opened on time,” club President Judy Diaz said Tuesday. “We had our first junior ski meet Saturday. It went awesome because everything that could go wrong went wrong on Friday, the day before.” She said staff worked through the night Friday to fix the tow rope and utility poles and make preparations for the ski meet. There were also issues with the hydraulics on the snow groomer.
“It is a miracle” that things went well, she said.
Even before the slope opened on Dec. 26, members didn’t know if they would have a power source. But things worked out with help from Central Maine Power Co. and Otis Ventures LLC in Jay.
They are good to go until May.
In the meantime, the club will be raising money for a new power source. The options open to consideration, so far, are running three-phase power from the bridge on Route 4 — it’s expected to cost at least $150,000 — updating the ski area to 480 volts and using a large capacity generator, or using individual generators.
They’re also soliciting corporations and donations, organizing benefits and applying for grants to raise money.
“We operate on a shoestring,” Diaz said. “With the exception of the manager and lift operators, everything is volunteer. And it’s good we have mechanics, electricians, plumbers and other contractors as members because they work full time. Everything is used, and it’s used hard,” she said. “For people in construction it is a maintenance nightmare. We keep it together, but it is a constant struggle. But it’s all for the kids.”
The equipment is aging, Diaz said, and everyone is working together to find ways to upgrade it.
Members Carmen Hayford and her daughter, Isabella Randall of Livermore Falls, plan to submit an application to the ABC TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to upgrade Spruce Mountain.
Club board member Katy Botka-Quirrion of Livermore Falls said she started skiing at the mountain when she was 3 and now her children are skiing there too, as are Diaz’s.
There are nearly 300 family members involved in the Spruce Mountain Ski Club. That number is up about 10 percent from last year, she said.
“The volunteers are way up from last year,” she said. “People are coming out of the woodwork to help and volunteer, which is welcoming and wonderful.”
The club also sponsors a junior ski team for kids in grades four through eight from the three towns, and is the home mountain for a joint high school team.
The mountain will host a number of events this year in hopes of drawing new people.
The mountain and buildings are owned by the towns of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls. The club owns the equipment and operates the ski area.
The club has 11 alpine trails and about 2 miles of Nordic trails to maintain. The Nordic trails are located on land owned by the Androscoggin Land Trust.
Judy Diaz, president of Spruce Mountain Ski Club Inc., and Rick Couture, vice president of operation and maintenance, both of Jay, are among the many club members working to keep Spruce Mountain Ski Slope running for today’s youth, families and generations to come. Behind them snowguns blow snow onto the trails.
Spruce Mountain Ski Club Inc. has a number events planned for this year.
* Mountain Dew Races, 1 p.m., Sundays
* Junior ski team race, Saturday, Jan. 23.
* Free skiing and snowboarding, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.,Wednesdays, Jan. 20, Jan. 27, Feb. 3 and Feb. 10.
* State Junior Ski Meet, Wednesday, Feb. 10
* Spruce Mountain Winter Olympics, Week of Feb. 14 through Feb. 20
* Downhill Dummy Race, bonfire, Feb. 20
* Benefit 8 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Feb. 27, AMVETS Hall in Jay. Admission $10 single, $15 a couple.
* State finals Mountain Dew Races, Feb. 28.
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