Ski season is here
After the season’s first real frigid air, there are hopefully at least 100 days ahead to ski up, down and around the rolling hills of the Aroostook River valley.
Winter so far has been mild in Aroostook County — too mild for some snow ventures. Bigrock Mountain delayed its opening by about half of December and has yet to open all its trails.
Overall, though, it’s a good start to the year for anyone who wants to country ski off-piste, on their backyards or through the wooded trails at Aroostook State Park and the Nordic Heritage Center. With a current snow depth of 13 inches, as measured in Fort Kent by the National Weather Service, winter is here. Both Bigrock and Quoggy Jo Ski Center opened before the new year for downhill skiing.
Skiing so far has been “excellent” at the Nordic Heritage Center’s 12 miles of trail, said Tom Chasse, a member of the center’s committee and volunteer.
“The Gallagher loop and Presque Isle loop are my two favorite,” said Chasse, co-owner of Bike, Board and Ski and a longtime ski coach. Designed with a “rolliness,” they’re “more a skier’s trails.”
About 1.5 miles of trail are illuminated from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. for night skiing, and there are races every week, along with the clubhouse to warm up.
Over at Aroostook State Park, on the relatively warm weekend after the new year, the 10 miles of ski trails were still freshly dusted with the last week’s snow showers. The park’s ski trails offer good variety of flat skiing and hardier hills, said park director Scott Thompson.
The Novice trail, about one mile long, tours a cedar swamp south of Echo Lake that’s often too muddy and buggy to visit in the summer, and leads to the one-mile-long Maze trail, which passes through a managed forest and stops at a warming hut.
Meanwhile, a 4.5 mile loop-trip on the Quoggy Jo Mountain Trail takes skiers around the base of the mountain and to the northern peak of the ridge looking over Presque Isle, via the half-mile lookout trail ascending from the west.
The Quoggy Jo trail is intended to be one directional, starting at site 18 in the campground and winding around the south peak (with opportunities for little detours) and then north before turning to a gradually curving descent dubbed as a rollercoaster bend, ending at the kitchen shelter.
“The direction is necessary for safety due to the hills,” Thompson said. “It’s much easier to ski and safer knowing that other skiers are not coming up.”
For folks new to skiing or returning, or those leery of an upfront investment, rentals are available through the University of Maine Presque Isle’s Outing Club, the Nordic Heritage Center, and outfitters like Perception of Aroostook. Skis, snowshoes, sleds and tubes will also be available to use for free at Aroostook State Park’s Winterfest on Feb.20, 2016.
