TL;DR
Winter in Maine equals some of the greatest skiing and snowboarding in New England, we have compiled a list of the planned opening dates for the greatest resorts across Maine. Fear not as these opening dates are just around the corner. Check out the full list here.
The ski season in Maine is so close we could almost taste it! Well that might be a stretch however its right around the corner and we know there are plenty of riders all across Maine who have already pulled out their gear and got that first wax applied. A handful of ski resorts across Colorado and the Midwest have already started spinning their lifts thanks to some storms that rolled through in late October. We have pulled together the planned opening dates for the ski resorts across the great state of 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.
Sunday River Resort during winter Credit: Sunday River Instagram Sunday RiverSunday River learned from last year and has not listed a date for their opening, they simply said as soon as they have enough snow on the ground and its safe to open they will do so. 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 09 2023 Summit Elevation: 3140ft / 957mBase Elevation: 800ft / 244mVertical Drop: 2340ft / 713mBeginner: 30%Intermediate: 36%Advanced: 18%Expert: 16%Number of Runs: 135Number of Lifts: 18Avg Annual Snowfall: 180" / 15.00ft / 457cmResort terrain: 870 acres / 352 haPass Type: Ikon
Credit: Sunday River Facebook View Sunday River Snow Cams 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 18 2022Planned closing date: April 30 2023 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: Ikon
Credit: Sugarloaf Facebook View Sugarloaf Snow Cams Saddleback Mountain ResortSaddleback is back for their third 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: December 03 2022Planned closing date: April 16 2023 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: Indy
Credit: Saddleback Facebook Pleasant Mountain Pleasant Mountain (formally Shawnee 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 Pleasant Mountain welcomes visitors in early December which is only a few weeks behind many of the other resorts. Planned opening date: December 10 2022Planned closing date: April 02 2023 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:
About the author
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
