As we head into the new year, the outlook is far better than a year ago.

Last year’s vacation was at best marginal, while this year we had plenty of skiing, and a busy January is shaping up. This past week’s snow was an added bonus.

A check of coming events shows a long list at our ski areas, some recreational and others involving competition. The recreational happenings revolve around the old idea that skiers need an extra incentive to ski in January. This stemmed from the belief that January was often too cold and many skiers waited for the snow to build up in February. Snowmaking has changed all that.

Mount Abram has a Mountain Dew race next Saturday with all the usual hoopla and prizes this citizens’ race presents. The following weekend has a New England Ski and Ride Cardholders Party on the 14th, a MARA race on the 15th and an Oxford Hills Fund Raiser Race on the 16th.

Shawnee Peak has a full schedule for the month. Race leagues get underway on Tuesday, Jan. 4. New England ski day (Jan. 6), Hidden Marmot Day (Jan. 7), Red Cross Blood Drive (Jan. 8), and a Moonlight Charity Challenge (Jan. 20) also dot the calendar. On the 21st, there will be an EISCL Race. This is the Eastern Inter Club Ski League, a group of ski clubs out of the Eastern Mass that is headquartered in the Mount Washington Valley. AAA members will have their day on Jan. 22, and there will be a Parlor Ski Demo and a Master’s GS, called the Lobstah Cup, to wrap up the month on Jan. 28.

Lost Valley will host the Androscoggin County Special Olympics on Jan. 14, and Jan. 22 is Winterkids Family Day. The 25th Annual J.P. Parisien Race is Jan. 16.

Sugarloaf has College Snowfest through Jan. 5, Sugarloaf Social with Maine Adaptive Sports on Jan. 7. Children’s Festival Week Jan. 8-13, Amos and Friends Dinner Jan. 11, Taste of the Valley Jan. 15, and the 17th Annual Charity Summit on the 28th.

Sunday River starts off with College week Jan. 2-6, with a Blood Drive on the 6th. Children’s Festival Week is Jan. 9-13, Go50 week Jan. 23-27, Veterans No Boundaries with Maine Adaptive Sports Jan. 27-30, and the Chef’s Summit on Jan. 28.

This is, of course, only a partial list. A search of the ski area websites will find not only special events, but often discounts as well so it’s worth the time.

In memory

This is always a time to look back, as well as ahead, and this past year we lost two skiers who had definitive impacts on Maine skiing. John Christie died in May after his usually busy ski season. At 79 he was still skiing 50-60 days each season and few skiers ever matched his enthusiasm. His skiing spanned racing in college, managing Sugarloaf when the gondola was installed, managing Mount Snow in Vermont, owning Saddleback in the early seventies and, in recent years, writing a weekly ski and outdoor column.

Bob Flynn devoted 50 years to Bates College as head ski coach, golf coach, and baseball coach, among many other ancillary duties. A year ago, a great turnout of his former athletes were on hand when new team rooms for the ski teams were dedicated to Bob. It was a fitting tribute to a coach who was always there for his athletes, who placed their success both in sports and academically above all else. More than one Bates athlete credited Bob Flynn with making college possible and for their success while there.

John Christie was inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame in 2006 and Bob Flynn in 2007. It was to recognize the contributions of skiers such as these that the Hall of Fame as formed. They are sorely missed.

CVA honored

On a more positive note, Carrabasset Valley Academy received a pair of awards from the United States Ski and Snowboard Association. The school was named USSA Club of the Year and Snowboarding Club of the Year. These awards recognize CVA for outstanding organizational and athletic performance while representing the vision and mission of USSA. It is the first time CVA has received either of these prestigious awards and only the third eastern program to receive the Club of the Year award since 1998. These awards recognize the unique relationship between the town, the mountain and the school which has played such a key role in not only placing athletes on the U.S. Ski Team but in Sugarloaf hosting the U.S. Alpine Championships which will return to Sugarloaf in March. Everyone in Maine can take pride in this extraordinary school. Congratulations to all at CVA.

Resolution time

Now as the New Year gets underway, it’s time for resolutions. Mine is always the same, to ski more. In my pro patrol years, a resolution wasn’t necessary. I skied seven days a week with only an occasional day off and it was really good for my skiing. These days I’m not forced to ski on any given day, so I can pick and choose according to weather and conditions and I will admit that I have become picky. The good news is, I can watch the forecasts (ignoring the wind chill part) and pick the best days. My schedule is such that I can rearrange it at will and ski midweek.

That makes it easy to ski at least two days a week and that is my goal. Part of the resolve is to ski at the smaller areas more often, which is why on weekends you will find me at places such as Lost Valley, Mount Abram and Black Mountain. By the end of the season I will have skied at least 30 days.

See you on the slopes.

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