Maine summers have great renown and, as many of our editorials have shown, draw people from all over the country. But what about the winter? Frigid December days see snowy streets and ice-armored trees here in Portland and throughout the state. There are lots of ways to keep the cold at bay – sampling chowders at local restaurants and settling in with a book by the fire, but in order to really enjoy a New England winter, not just make it through, one has to find a way to get out in it and have some fun.
Though, I’m a transplant to Maine, I am a native New Englander and subsequently a skier. I grew up on the slopes of Loon Mountain, Waterville Valley, Killington, Cannon, Wildcat, and even Sunday River on occasion. A break from snow sports, necessitated by serious schoolwork, is now coming to a close and I am looking forward to getting back on the slopes again.
Maine’s got big resorts like Sunday River and Sugarloaf and more intimate mountains like Shawnee Peak and Lost Valley, and several others besides. Come the end of the semester, I’ll be busting out, and dusting off the old 200’s, waxing down, and bundling up. I’ll be starting small at Lost Valley to get back in the snow-saddle so to speak.
So whether you ski, ride, cross-country, snowshoe, or simply sled, getting out in the snow – and making the winter fun – is the best way to carve though Maine’s longest season with a smile.
-Joshua Lobkowicz