The start of the winter sports season in Aroostook County has been known to bring many people outside to take advantage of activities that the time of year has to offer. At Bigrock Mountain Ski Area in Mars Hill, General Manager Travis Kearney and his team have spent much of the past few months tracking weather patterns and getting ready to introduce new adventures to ski enthusiasts.
Kearney said that the past several years have resulted in some of the most successful ski seasons at Bigrock. Last winter brought lots of natural snow and colder temperatures, which produced some of the best trail conditions of any season.
Every year Bigrock trail groomers begin covering at least 80 percent of the ski area with artificial snow in preparation for their opening weekend. This year the opening day is set for Saturday, Dec. 16. If temperatures remain in the 20s at night, as they have thus far, and no snow freezes on the ground, Kearney’s staff typically starts making snow after Thanksgiving and continues until Christmas.
“Right now this is optimum weather because it’s cold and there’s no snow blanketing the ground, which means that the ground will freeze,” Kearney said. “When the ground temperatures are really warm it’s difficult to make snow.”
Cold temperatures remain important throughout the month of December because Bigrock crews prefer to operate their snow machines 24/7, allowing them to open in time for the local schools’ Christmas breaks. Visits during that period usually make up 25 percent of Bigrock’s income for the season.
“Our scheduled opening is Dec. 16. We like to give our members a set date, but if we can open earlier than that we will for sure,” Kearney said. “During December we only open on the weekends until school break because we’ll still be making snow during that first week.”
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- New rails have been installed to be part of the Bigrock Mountain Ski Area’s extended freestyle skiing slopes this winter. (Courtesy of Melissa Lizotte)
Membership trends for this year’s season are still uncertain because Bigrock extended the purchase deadline from early November to Friday, Dec. 1. But Kearney noted that after a good season for snowfall, like last year, memberships tend to increase. He encourages people to take advantage of early bird season passes, which are on sale through Saturday, Dec. 2, on Bigrock’s website at www.bigrockmaine.com/.
The Bigrock workers have been busy preparing new trail features in addition to the more traditional offerings. They recently added sections called “glades” where they thin out the wooded areas so that there’s no underbrush beneath the trails. Skiers can move through the woods from one trail to the next.
Trail groomers also have expanded existing features such as the terrain park and snowtubing. The terrain park is devoted to freestyle skiing such as jumps and rails that have become popular with young adult skiers. Bigrock offered snowtubing for the first time last winter. The family activity proved so successful that they spent the summer rebuilding and redesigning the 800 foot long tubing park.
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- Crews at the Bigrock Mountain Ski Area in Mars Hill have readied their snow making machines in preparation for the start of the new season. (Courtesy of Melissa Lizotte)
“We started out with 100 tubes and we’ve added 25 more this year because we consistently sold out on the weekends,” Kearney said.
On Feb. 19 and 20, 2018, Bigrock will host the Class B Alpine State Championships. All Maine high school Class B downhill ski teams will participate. Kearney also hopes to host a snowmobile hill climb on Saturday, March 31, or Sunday, April 1, 2018. He said that the event could attract between 500 to 1,000 spectators and competitors. Last year Bigrock cancelled the snowmobile hill climb due to a rapid spring snow melt.
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- Bigrock Mountain Ski Area’s Milky Way trail, seen here on Nov. 21, soon will be covered with artificial snow for the start of the winter season. (Courtesy/Melissa Lizotte)
In May, Presque Isle-born philanthropist Mary Barton Smith, the widow of the late Silicon Valley executive Rodney Smith, donated $350,000 to Bigrock, which is a 501C3 nonprofit organization. Staff used the money to buy safety gear and a new toboggan for the ski patrol and more rental equipment and gear for lessons. Kearney is grateful for sponsorships from local companies, which are a major reason why the ski area continues to open annually and keep prices stable.
“We haven’t raised our prices in three years. With our Ski for Life program, children get a discounted rate — $15 instead of $49 to $59. That’s $5 each for their ticket, rental gear and lesson,” Kearney said. “It’s probably the most affordable learn-to-ski program in the industry.”
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- The Comet Ski Trail at Bigrock Mountain Ski Area in Mars Hill remains bare on Nov. 21, but crews soon will start making artificial snow for the start of the winter ski season. (Courtesy/Melissa Lizotte)
