We were at Sunday River the Saturday after Thanksgiving last year checking out the demos. The skiing was limited to a pair of trails off Barker Mountain, which were so sparsely covered that the reps were not allowing any skis to be tested. This year, 20 trails were open with skiing off Barker, Spruce and South Ridge, and skiers were trying one pair of skis after another. The sunny day with good skiing filled parking lots at Barker and South Ridge, providing a definite feeling of optimism for the season.

The difference, of course, is not snow. but temperatures. While not super-cold, temperatures have been low enough for plenty of snowmaking, and the investment resorts have made in more efficient guns and systems have paid off. More trails were open, and more will be opening every day as we move toward the holidays.

In Maine, only Sunday River and Sugarloaf are currently open, and the Loaf will feature demos next weekend.

Shawnee Peak is hoping to open next weekend, Saddleback on Dec. 15, Eaton (Dec. 11), Lost Valley (Dec. 21), Mount. Abram and Titcomb (Dec. 22), and Black Mountain (Dec. 26).

Optimism is running high. Ski Maine’s Greg Sweetser told me last month’s Boston Ski Show was a banner weekend, with skiers not only gathering information about Maine’s ski resorts but actually making reservations. I’m hearing similar reports from the ski areas.

At Shawnee Peak, Melissa Rock said the area had “tons of inquiries over Thanksgiving,” and many skiers were purchasing gift cards. She also noted that Moose Pond was beginning to freeze over, which is a good sign. The original plan was to open the 15th, but the forecast for cold this weekend and most of next week convinced them the 8th was doable. Of course, as with all plans this time of year, the caveat is weather permitting.

Shawnee plans a learn-to-ski-free weekend Dec. 22-23. Pre-registration is required by calling 647-8444. The package includes equipment, lesson and a lift ticket good for the lower lift.

Saddleback general manager Tom McAllister said his mountain is well booked for Christmas. They were making snow in anticipation of their Dec. 15 opening. Grey Ghost was covered top-to-bottom and the crews were moving to the lower trails around the base. McAllister feels there will be plenty of skiing for the opening. He noted that there were plenty of beds available in town, and that the Saddleback Motor Inn, which doubled its units to 40, was half-booked for the vacation. This is a good example of how the changes at Saddleback have boosted the confidence of the entire Rangeley community.

Eric Anderson, who ran his ski shop, the Skier’s Service Center, for many years, is now running marketing and communications at Mount Abram. He said their snow guns have been tested. With anticipated temperatures in the low single digits, all guns would be running 24 hours a day. That should get a lot of terrain open for their Dec. 22 opening.

Lost Valley has made some snow and plans on opening Dec. 21, but Connie King told us the area would open earlier, if possible.

My own preparation is usually quite thorough. I always try on my boots a few days before the first outing and wear them long enough to make sure there are no new pressure points. The boots don’t change over summer, but our feet can, especially if we spend most of the summer in soft footwear. Because they were properly dried and stored, my boots came through the offseason just fine, and the fit is still precise. This was not a new boot year, so I am not concerned about making any adjustments.

I did slip up on one item. As I always do, last spring I made sure my skis’ edges were free of burrs and smooth. I cleaned the bases and applied a universal wax to protect them. Leaving an extra thick coat for protection requires the bases to be scraped before use, and this is where I fouled up. I simply put the skis in the ski box and headed for the mountain.

Realizing I needed to scrape them before use, I stopped by the Jack Frost shop to pick up a scraper. They had sold the last one an hour before. I’m sure I could have borrowed one from the shop guys, but the skis were up on the mountain, so I looked around for some piece of plastic I could use. I found a plastic case for a cassette tape that had a square plastic edge and worked fine.

I was ready to go, almost. It turned out I had forgotten to pack my knee brace, so I had to postpone those first turns. So, follow my advice that I failed to follow. Make a checklist and check it before each trip to the mountains.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.