Restored Bigrock Mountain
turned over to community group
Aroostook’s largest ski area will now be owned by its regionally-based, non-profit operator
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
MARS HILL — The Maine Winter Sports Center, with the support of the Libra Foundation, has gifted the Bigrock Mountain ski area in Mars Hill — and all the mountain’s assets — to the non-profit Bigrock recreational entity that was created to operate it. When combined with demonstrated strong fund-raising potential, the gift will allow the mountain to continue serving as a critical and robust community asset.
“We acquired the mountain well over a decade ago to refurbish it, to make the necessary large investments, and to give these Aroostook communities a chance to keep this remarkable institution alive,” said Andy Shepard, president and CEO of the Maine Winter Sports Center. “It has been exciting to see the progress that has been made on grassroots support and the quality of leadership that has stepped up to take on this challenge.
“This is the second such gift in the past few months in our concerted effort to keep historic Maine community alpine mountains firmly grounded in the communities they serve,” he said, referring to the restoration and gift of Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford to its community-based non-profit operator earlier this year.
Bigrock General Manager Bill Getman said the transfer of assets to the local board of trustees is now complete.
“There have been a lot of people working extremely hard to make this transfer happen,” he said. “This generous gift from the Maine Winter Sports Center and the Libra Foundation, and the amazing support from the Bigrock community and local businesses that donated to the Friends of Bigrock fund-raising campaign, has been overwhelming, and made this transfer possible.
“This is truly an exciting day and a new beginning for the mountain,” said Getman. “Bigrock Nation would like to thank all of those that donated their time and money to make this happen. With your continued support, together we can keep Bigrock Mountain open for years to come.”
To date, the Friends of Bigrock have raised $210,000 of $300,000 needed to keep the ski area operational for a minimum of three years.
“We are continuing the fund-raising efforts throughout the ski season and into the spring,” Getman said.
Anyone who would like to contribute financially to the mountain can log onto www.gofundme.com/save-BigrockMountain and donate, add the amount they would like to donate to their season pass, or drop off a donation in person.
At 980 feet of vertical, Bigrock is the tallest ski area in northern Maine and the Maritimes. Over $6 million in improvements have been made in recent years at Bigrock, including a dramatically expanded snowmaking system, a new beginner/intermediate area with a triple chair, a glade park, a magic carpet lift in the ski school park and a tubing park.
“Bigrock has been a fixture in the winter economy and culture of the region for over 50 years,” said Shepard. “The improvements from the past decade-plus are now firmly in place and there should be great opportunities for the families and supporters of Aroostook County and New Brunswick to keep Bigrock Mountain going strong.”
While monetary gifts are important, Getman said volunteer man-hours are also going to be key.
“In order to make Bigrock Mountain successful, we are going to need your help,” he said. “Our new operating model calls for more volunteer help than we have used in the past, and there are several ways you can volunteer here at the hill. If you like to have fun and get a little work done, helping us out would be for you.”
For more information on volunteer opportunities, contact Getman at billgetman@skibigrock.me or call 425-6711.
Ski officials hope to start making snow by late November, and are projecting an opening day of Dec. 14.
