MARS HILL, Maine — Nearly three years ago, The Maine Winter Sports Center announced that it was ending its relationship with Bigrock Mountain in Mars Hill and turning over ownership to the community.
The move was made in order to “give the mountain a meaningful opportunity at being sustainable for the long term,” Andy Shepard, president and CEO of Maine Winter Sports, said in the release.
Bill Getman, general manager at Bigrock Mountain, said on Thursday that while the weather did not allow many Maine ski areas to turn a profit this year, the mountain has managed to remain open thanks to a hard working staff, a plan for present and future growth, and the dedication of the community.
“This season wasn’t great for any ski area because it brought weather that wasn’t uniform across the state,” he said. “There was only about one week this winter when we were able to have every trail open and skiable due to the weather.”
The mountain, which has 35 trails and a terrain park with more than 20 elements, is sustained by 35 employees.
Getman said that during the final winter that Bigrock Mountain was owned by the Maine Winter Sports Center, it lost more than $200,000. He said that MWSC had decided to offer a package of $15 lift tickets and $150 season passes, but the plan did not work out.
“We really don’t have the population base to move the needle in a big way like that,” he said. “So it did not turn out as well as was expected.”
During the 2014-15 winter, Getman said, when it was generally cold and snowy, the mountain saw a greater number of visitors, which also translated into more revenue from ski rental equipment, food and retail sales.
“We still sustained a $20,000 loss,” he said. “But that is a lot better than $200,000, and I think the loss would have been much, much less if we had better weather.”
Figures for this season have not yet been tabulated.
Shortly after MWSC announced that it was ending its relationship with the mountain, the group Friends of Bigrock raised $150,000 in about 40 days to keep the ski area open and thriving. The money was secured through an online campaign and the rest through corporate donations from businesses in Aroostook County and western New Brunswick.
He said that fundraising continues to be a “huge support” to the mountain.
“We have been able to reach out and offer more programs to the community, for example, through our Ski For Life program, which we put on with sponsorship support from McCain Foods in Easton, The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle and local Rotary clubs. The community and [area businesses are] very connected to the mountain.”
As part of its future plan, Getman said that the key is to attract more people to the mountain, and they will automatically invest in rental equipment, food and retail services.
Getman also said that growth, both through programs and physical changes on the mountain, will be very important to the operation’s success. For instance, he said Bigrock is looking to reopen next season the tubing park that has been closed for several years. Operators also plan to host more events, such as the successful Tough Mountain Challenge and the popular Bite the Bullet & Battle Big Rock snowmobile hill climb that brought more than 1,000 spectators to the mountain.
With 980 feet of vertical drop, Bigrock Mountain is the tallest ski area in northern Maine and the Canadian Maritimes, according to its website.
