The most recent message from Jackson Hogen at Realskiers.com brought back some memories. Jackson wrote about his early years on skis and his first real skis, Rossignol Stratos with Look Bindings. I thought about my first real skis, Paris (what else would a kid growing up in South Paris have?) ridge top hickories, 6 feet […]
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Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
On Skiing: Morten Lund was Maine’s most prolific ski writer
Last Sunday’s paper contained an obituary that sent me to the bookshelves in my office. Although many Maine skiers have read the words of Morten Lund, I suspect few know that he was from Maine. He grew up in Augusta and learned to ski at an early age. I used to think I was the […]
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Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
On Skiing: Skiers have already received the gifts of snow, cold
Whatever might be under the tree, those of us who ski already have the best possible present. Having plenty of snow to try out those Christmas skis can be iffy, indeed. That’s why ski area operators run their snow guns whenever temperatures and conditions allow, starting in November or early December, all to insure skiing […]
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
On Skiing: Exhibit tells story of Maine's Olympic history
Did you know that Maine has had a skier in every Olympics since 1948? It’s true, and that streak would go back farther had the 1940 and 1944 winter games not been canceled by World War II. Rumford’s Chummy Broomhall qualified for both of those Olympics, but instead fought with the 10th Mountain Division and […]
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
On Skiing: Exhibit tells story of Maine's Olympic history
Did you know that Maine has had a skier in every Olympics since 1948? It’s true, and that streak would go back farther had the 1940 and 1944 winter games not been canceled by World War II. Rumford’s Chummy Broomhall qualified for both of those Olympics, but instead fought with the 10th Mountain Division and […]
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
On Skiing: Only 16 days of Christmas shopping left
It’s hard to believe that, with only 16 days left to find something for the skier on your Christmas list, we have already had more than a month of skiing. Some years we have had only a few days by early December, and in a typical year two or three weeks. This year we have […]
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
On Skiing: It's early, but the season is already in full swing
Each fall has a number of milestones leading up to the ski season. Columbus Day weekend is homecoming for several ski areas, with many skiers showing up to secure their season passes. Whether it’s foliage viewing chairlift rides, craft fairs or such events as Sunday River’s wife carrying race, the weekend is always a busy […]
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On Skiing: The final month (or so) of skiing beckons
Happy Easter. Now that we are in what is usually the final month of lift-served skiing, only a handful of ski areas have anything on the schedule. While one or two other Maine ski areas may be open for another week, only Sunday River and Sugarloaf have a regular calendar of events for April. Naturally, […]
Posted inLocal Sports, sj-web
On Skiing: Despite warm week, great skiing still on tap
It’s hard to believe that February is almost over, and after this past week’s weather, it might seem the ski season could be almost over as well. The good news is that March is often our best ski month. The record warmth Wednesday might lead us to believe that an early spring is upon us, […]
Posted inLocal Sports, National Sports, sj-web
On skiing: A visit to Mt. Abram, and thoughts on the Olympics
Last Saturday I visited Mt. Abram, and found exactly what I expected: The runs were firm but well groomed and eminently skiable. Part of the weekend’s celebration of Ullr Fest was a Telefest, and the heel-free skiers were everywhere. At the top of Dudley, I watched for a few minutes as an instructor gave a […]