A little more than a week ago, I visited Lost Valley for a Season Launch Party. It was a Thursday night and there were plenty of skiers on the hill and the new Lost Valley Brewing Company bar area was busy.

Owner Scott Shanaman was a bit late arriving and I learned from some staff member that he was outside on the hill, where they were load testing the rebuilt chair two. Since taking ownership Scott has spent the last few years upgrading just about everything; snowmaking, lifts, trails and the base lodge.

By cutting back on office space and relocating the ski shop, the reception area at the front of the lodge has been expanded.This makes the new bar a gathering spot for locals as well as skiers, and it has created a much better setup for banquets as Lost Valley moves back into that business.

With Scott our conversation quickly moved to snowmaking and other on-hill improvements.I could see huge piles of snow in the flat area between the patrol shack and the runout of Big Buck. After one bout of rain, with another in the forecast, this snow had been stockpiled, and I’m sure there was more that I couldn’t see from the base lodge. It was ready to be redistributed once the rain ended and temperatures dropped.

This is important as we prepare for the vacation. Years, ago after a rain event like the one just past, the only solution was to wait for snow. Today all the ski areas need is cold weather, which we had all last week.

It’s also true that the deep base already laid down at our ski areas this season can absorb a lot of rain and be groomed back into shape quickly. With a full week of good snowmaking temperatures we can expect plenty of good skiing now that the vacation is underway.

As of this weekend, all of the areas nearby are open and will be featuring plenty of vacation activities. It may take more natural snow for skiers at Black Mountain in Rumford to enjoy the fruits of the Angry Beavers. This group of 35-plus volunteers has put in over 3,000 hours creating and maintaining glades. Black now has 500 acres of tree skiing with 1000 feet of vertical drop thanks to these busy skiers in the offseason. But not much man-made snow reaches glades, so it may take a few more storms to open them entirely.

Lost Valley should be close to full operation for the vacation week, and they reminded everyone that race leagues and other programs are starting up. So it’s time to sign up.

Mount Abram is ready for the vacation, and after the break will have their usual Thursday through Sunday operations.

Shawnee Peak has been skiing off the top for more than a week and will be open for regular hours during the vacation. They will be closed Christmas Day.

Spruce Mountain in Jay plans on operating for the vacation. This volunteer-operated area recommends tough leather mittens for riding rope tows where you ski up and ski down. They are still offering the “One dollar grilled cheese sandwich.”

Titcomb, Farmington’s community ski area, will be getting their race programs underway along with their regular operating schedule.

Needless to say, both Sugarloaf and Sunday River will have plenty of lifts and trails for the holidays having been open for several weeks, and both will be open so you can try out those new Christmas skis on the big day.

For details on operating hours, special events and entertainment check the websites, all of which can be linked from www.skimaine.com.

Folks in Rangeley were hoping for a big Christmas present. According to Andy Shepard, who will take over as general manager, the closing of the Saddleback deal was scheduled to take place Monday, with the focus on opening between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2020. In a statement released Friday, Arctaris managing Partner, Jonathon Tower explained the delay.

“Given the complexity of this transaction involving support from both the federal and state government partners,” Tower said in the statement, “FAME (Finance Authority of Maine) requested today that we consider advancing this discussion to their January board meeting.”

Tower expressed his appreciation for the continued teamwork from federal, state and philanthropic partners, along with the Berry Family for this effort. Fundraising is on track and Tower said this delay was viewed only as a pause in achieving the objectives for Saddleback. It may come a little after Christmas, but this will still be huge present for Rangeley and Saddleback skiers.

After four years of disappointments, everyone is hoping for the best. When Saddleback was threatened with closure 12 years ago, Bill Berry and his family came to the rescue, and their investments over the years set up the resort for more growth.

It’s important to understand how much those millions did. In a partnership with the town, the state and resort, the access road was rebuilt and paved, a new base lodge built, a huge increase in snowmaking and grooming, a new quad lift for a new learning area, and a new quad lift to replace the experts-only upper T-bar. These are huge assets, especially when mile wide Saddleback Lake is added as an unlimited water supply for that snowmaking.

Finally, the Chisholm Ski Club has decided how to honor long-time member Paul Jones, who died this fall. Jones had cataloged the history of the club and its members and was a key members of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame committee. His nominations were always the most thorough and complete of those received. The club will recognize his memory by donating a portion of the entry fees at the John Roderick Marathon race Feb. 14th to a cancer fund. This is especially fitting as Paul started this NENSA race.

See you on the slopes. Merry Christmas.

Dave Irons is a longtime ski columnist for the Sun Journal.

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