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No Business Like Snow Business

December 31, 2008 - BRIDGTON -- With a thick blanket of snow covering the entire state, the winter sports season is off to a strong start this holiday week.

Operators of winter sport facilities – from ski resorts to snow-tubing complexes – say season pass sales have been strong leading up to the holidays. With a comparatively long school break this year, they said they were anticipating a solid year, despite the dismal economy.

"We are in a really, really good position," said Melissa Rock, marketing director for Shawnee Peak ski area in Bridgton.

Snow tubing and cross-country and downhill ski centers in Maine were celebrating the presence of snow on the ground throughout New England.

"The best advertisement is snow landing in people's backyards," said Bill Bickford, manager of the Seacoast Snow Park in Windham, where snow tubers have been hitting the slopes since Thanksgiving.

Greg Sweetser, executive director of the Ski Maine Association, said it is hard to overestimate the effect of a New England-wide snowfall on business.

He said his general rule is that when Maine ski areas have more than 50 percent of their terrain open for the holidays, the season is off to a great start.

"This is just a bonus. Everyone is 100 percent open," he said.

Bickford and other winter recreation centers reported strong season pass sales. Shawnee Peak saw double digit increases in season pass sales, said Rock.


She said the Bridgton ski area has been busy since it opened Dec. 13.

"We are pretty much full for Christmas," she said.

Only the snowmobilers were less than thrilled with conditions so far. The ice storm earlier this month toppled trees and snapped branches, creating a lot of cleanup work for area snowmobile clubs. The heavy rains of the fall left the ground soggy.

Now, the snow is serving as an insulator preventing streams, lakes and ponds from freezing enough to carry the weight of a snowmobile, said Andy Deschambault, a director of the Southern Maine Sno-Goers Snowmobile Club in Sanford, which maintains 31 miles of snowmobile trails in the region.

He said that last year, the club was able to open its trails Dec. 16. This year, they may not open until New Year's, he said.

"We need a week of below-zero weather," said Deschambault.

The good news, he said, is that gasoline prices are down, making the sport more affordable than last winter at this time.

Rock and others said the recession is keeping people closer to home. New Englanders who might have spent the holidays in Florida or California, for example, are heading to the ski slopes in New England instead.

She said this year's heavy, persistent snowfall raised the enthusiasm level for winter sports.

Winter sports centers also are offering special discounts and special rates to lure customers. Shawnee Peak offered a discount lift tickets to customers who donated three items to the local food pantry.

"We got a huge response. The pantry is stocked for the holidays, and we got a lot of skiers," she said.

Dixie Harris of Harris Farm, which operates 25 miles of cross-country ski trails in Dayton, said she expects a brisk business because cross-country is a less expensive alternative to downhill skiing.

"They can ski a half day and get on with their lives too," Harris said.

By BETH QUIMBY, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald, December 28, 2008


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Regions: Sebago


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