FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington has unveiled a new certificate program designed to help prepare students and community members to pursue careers in the snow sports industry.

Available in the fall, the 24-credit program promotes wellness and the outdoors, combined with an important industry in Western Maine, UMF President Kathryn A. Foster said during a gathering Wednesday at Titcomb Mountain. 

For students with the passion for Alpine skiing and snowboarding, the program can help turn that interest into a career while they pursue their undergraduate degree, she said.

To further affordable skiing opportunities for UMF students, Dana Bullen, president and general manager of Sunday River ski resort in Newry and a UMF alumnus, announced a sponsorship that will provide all full-time students at UMF with free skiing at Titcomb. The sponsorship started this week, with plans to continue it the next five years.

The free-ski opportunity is a partnership among Sunday River, Sugarloaf ski area, UMF and Titcomb Mountain, Foster said.

The Alpine Operations Certificate program developed when the campus community started work on a new strategic plan a year ago, Foster said.

With collaboration from ski industry partners Sugarloaf, Sunday River and Saddleback in Rangeley, the certificate program is open to all majors at UMF and community members starting in the fall, she said.

It is one of only a few similar programs available in the country, she said.

The program combines ski-related classes in business, communications and operations with an intern program on the mountain, Clyde Mitchell, UMF professor of business, said.

“It’s a no-brainer,” he said. Titcomb is in UMF’s backyard and three ski resorts are within an hour’s drive from campus, he said.

Experts in the industry can participate as guest speakers on campus, he said. These classes will include management and leadership of Alpine operations, ski instruction for children and adults, along with the communications, marketing and social media, he said.

In addition, participants in Alpine operations will gain experience with skiing or snowboarding instruction and coaching that can help them earn a Professional Ski Instructors of America certificate.

“The opportunities are endless within the ski industry,” Ethan Austin, director of marketing at Sugarloaf, said after the meeting.

The local ski industry already partners with internship opportunities for UMF students. Drawing workers from the local area keeps Sugarloaf’s employee turnover rate low, he said. 

Internships can foster future employment as interns garner knowledge and contacts within the industry, he said.

Titcomb General Manager Megan Roberts agreed. The two UMF interns now working at the ski area are exposed to all aspects of the operation. They might help with the ski lift, computer work or manage a task in the snack area, she said. 

The sponsorship that provides free skiing at Titcomb for UMF full-time students is also a plus, she said.

Just announced this week, students were already at the local ski slope ready to sign up.

“They can ski for an hour and get some fresh air between classes here,” she said.

More information on the Alpine Operations Certificate is available at www.umf.maine.edu/majors-academics/alpine-operations/

abryant@sunjournal.com

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