Maine Resorts 2021 Opening Dates

Michael FultonMichael Fulton

TL;DR

The 2021 season is fast approaching and with the drop in temps many ski resorts across Maine are priming their snow guns.

Level Up Your Ski Day — Download SnowStash on the App Store

The ski season is just around the corner for many riders who call the great state of Maine home. A handful of ski resorts in the west have already opened their doors and started to spin the chairlifts after a powerful October storm system rolled across the country.Check out our list of opening dates which are proposed for the ski resorts found across Maine. As always opening days are weather dependent and a large amount of natural snowfall or the right temps required for snowmaking need to line up perfectly.

Credit: Sunday River Mountain Resort

Credit: Sunday River Mountain Resort Saddleback Mountain ResortSaddleback is back for their second season since reopening after a 5 year hiatus and we are sure the locals in and around Rangeley, ME this is more exciting than Christmas. The mountain staff are excited to welcome riders back to the hill and are in constant preparations for opening day which is currently scheduled for November 23 2021. If you haven’t already get over to Indy Pass and purchase your season pass now, its hands down the best season pass going around for riders who want to access the best local hills around the country.Planned opening date: November 23 2021Planned closing date: April 02 2022

Credit: Saddleback Facebook

Credit: Saddleback Facebook Summit Elevation: 4120ft / 1256mBase Elevation: 2460ft / 750mVertical Drop: 1660ft / 506mBeginner: 32%Intermediate: 33%Advanced: 25%Expert: 10%Number of Runs: 68Number of Lifts: 6Avg Annual Snowfall: 225" / 18.75ft / 572cmResort terrain: 440 acres / 178 haPass Type: IndyShawnee PeakShawnee Peak is one of the smaller mountain resorts in Maine and does have one of the lowest elevations which means the resort takes a little longer to open up. Traditionally Shawnee Peak welcomes visitors in early December which is only a few weeks behind many of the other resorts. Planned opening date: December 13 2021Planned closing date: April 02 2022

Credit: Shawnee Peak Facebook Summit Elevation: 1900ft / 579mBase Elevation: 600ft / 183mVertical Drop: 1300ft / 396mBeginner: 25%Intermediate: 45%Advanced: 20%Expert: 10%Number of Runs: 43Number of Lifts: 6Avg Annual Snowfall: 100" / 8.33ft / 254cmResort terrain: 249 acres / 101 haPass Type:SugarloafSugarloaf is home to the highest summit elevation, longest vertical drop and being located so high in the state of Maine. With these elements combined, opening in November each season is normally a given. Thanks to a state of the art snowmaking system the mountain team can normally have riders on the slopes in time for Thanksgiving weekend. We know that all the keen Ikon Pass holders in Maine will be getting out their ski’s or snowboard and removing the storage wax in preparation for that first chairlift ride.Planned opening date: November 20 2021Planned closing date: May 02 2022View snow cams

Credit: Sugarloaf Facebook Summit Elevation: 4237ft / 1291mBase Elevation: 1417ft / 432mVertical Drop: 2820ft / 859mBeginner: 23%Intermediate: 34%Advanced: 27%Expert: 16%Number of Runs: 162Number of Lifts: 13Avg Annual Snowfall: 200" / 16.67ft / 508cmResort terrain: 1240 acres / 502 haPass Type: IkonSunday RiverSunday River Mountain resort had originally listed their opening day as November 6 however that date has been and gone. The mountain ops team are out on the mountain every day making the most of the dropping temps as they prep the snowmaking and grooming across many parts of the mountain resort. Just like the visitors who will be getting ready to visit Sugarloaf Mountain Resort we know that Ikon Pass holders will be itching to get back onto the 18 lifts and 135 ski runs found at Sunday River Mountain Resort.Planned opening date: Any day nowPlanned closing date: April 29 2022View snow cams

About the author

Michael Fulton

Michael Fulton

Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

50+ resorts visited15 years skiing

Keep reading

More from the SnowStash desk

Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law

Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law

Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.

22 July 2026
South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena

South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena

South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.

22 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited

Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited

Hoshino Tomamu is the ski resort equivalent of a conference hotel that happens to have excellent powder. Built for corporate retreats and package tourists, it offers genuine Hokkaido snow on surprisingly limited terrain - 29 runs spread across 585 vertical metres.

21 July 2026
La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts

La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts

La Thuile is spending 38.7 million US dollars on a new 10-person cable car linking Les Suches to Chaz Dura, replacing the La Combe and Chaz Dura chairlifts after nearly forty years of service. Built by Leitner, the new cable car runs 1,950 metres to a top station at 2,576 metres, carrying up to 3,000 people an hour with a six-minute ride. It also improves the connection to La Rosiere in France via the Petit-Saint-Bernard Pass, and is on track to open for the 2026/27 season.

21 July 2026
The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain

The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain

The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.

21 July 2026
Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow

Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow

Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.

21 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall

Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall

Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.

19 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May

Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May

Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.

18 July 2026