A lot of Maine skiers have the Boyne New England pass, good at both Sugarloaf and Sunday River. Most will ski mostly at one, with an occasional visit to the other. But, there is another resort where the pass can be used, and most Maine skiers never go there. The resort is Loon Mountain in New Hampshire. While it’s one the most popular ski areas in the Granite State, it’s easier for most Maine skiers with the pass to go to Sunday River and Sugarloaf.

Interestingly, Loon has something in common with Saddleback/ So, along with a brother-in-law, I went over to Loon to check out their most recent expansion.

Actually, from my home in Westbrook, Loon is closer than Sugarloaf and not much further than Sunday River. Of course, the resort is located at the west end of the Kancamagus Highway. The day we chose was sunny and warm. Like any New England ski area, it was quiet midweek and without lift lines, we were able to explore the entire area before lunch.

This wasn’t my first visit to Loon, but it was the first since the South Mountain lifts and trails opened three years ago. The resort’s popularity is the result of a big mountain (2,100 vertical feet) and a location just five minutes off I-93 and two hours from Boston. A good variety of intermediate runs with some black diamonds as steep as you’ll find anywhere takes care of most skiers. The main parking lot stretches between two base lodges with a train to carry skiers back and forth if they wind up at the wrong one and don’t want to ride a lift and ski down to the other. Skiing with young children requires at least one ride on the cars pulled by the  J.E. Henry locomotive.

We chose to change in the Octagon Lodge at the base of the gondola. From the top of that lift, we took an easy cruise down Flying Fox one of several intermediate routes off the top. Crossing over through Grand Junction, we skied down into east Basin and hopped onto the North Peak Quad to the highest point of the area. This lift accesses a couple of Black Diamond runs and an intermediate run down to a point below the top of the gondola and the rest of the mountain. After exploring North Peak and a few of the older runs we headed for South Mountain.

This is where Loon has something in common with Saddleback. Both resorts applied for expansion permits in the 1980s, but were held up by environmental protests. Saddleback’s battle with the Park Service finally ended seven or eight years ago. At Loon, the National Forest Service was in favor of the expansion to South Mountain from the beginning, but lawsuits and protests held things up for more than 20 years. Three years ago a pair of quad lifts opened. After covering both of these stories, I was anxious to finally get to ski the new runs.

To reach South Mountain, we skied from the top of the Gondola to a spot on Upper Bear Claw to the loading station of the Tote Road Quad. This lift simply traverses a ravine that runs from Loon Pond to the base of the mountain. Skiers ride it to the top of South Mountain and back. We found four trails, two blues, a black and a double black. Our choice was made when we saw that Boom Run was closest to us. This is one of those wide runs that swing in a wide circle with no cross trails all the way to the base of Lincoln Express Quad. These runs and lifts are an important addition to this resort. New England Passholders will find a mid-week trip to Loon a nice change of pace, and on a sunny winter day, there is no more scenic drive than the Kancamagus Highway.

This weekend marks the halfway point of this ski season, and even though we endured a thaw the first of the week, there is plenty of skiing yet to come. Ed Rock at Shawnee Peak summed up the confidence of the areas with heavy-duty snowmaking, “We can pump 3,000 gallons an hour so we’ll be OK.” Today’s snowmaking systems are so powerful that once temperatures return to seasonal norms recovery comes quickly. And heading into the busiest month of the season, it will be crucial.

February is, of course, the month of school vacations. That week will feature the high school state championships. The Olympics also start that week.  One of my favorite winter events got underway yesterday. The Quebec Winter Carnival runs until Feb. 14. and with three fine ski areas within an hour. it’s a great way to mix fun and skiing. Saturday, Feb. 13, is Maine Ski Heritage Day at Sugarloaf, a fund raiser for the Ski Museum of Maine. The museum’s traveling display of Maine history items will be set up along with some Maine ski products. A silent and live auction will be held at the Sugarloaf Inn in late after noon, which will have more than $10,000 in items. For me, the month will start Tuesday with a trip to Stratton Mountain to test some of next year’s skis, definitely a fun part of the job.