Trip Report: Post-Storm Saddleback Ready for the Holiday Week

Saddleback is back open! Picture date December 23rd.

It has been quite a week here in Maine. A destructive rain storm pounded Western Maine December 18th with high winds and 6 plus inches of rain causing significant flooding in the mountains and historic river flooding downstream through Central Maine. As of this writing electrical crews have 98% of the power restored and transportation crews are working hard to fix roads and brides throughout the region. Our hearts go out to all those significantly impacted and we are thankful to see all the ways the good people of Maine are rallying to help each other in this difficult time.

All the open ski areas in Maine had to close and everyone and to figure out how and when to reopen safely. The upcoming holiday week is an important one financially for the resorts and also important for the employees and businesses that rely on an open ski resort to keep the regions economic engine running.

Our home ski mountain Saddleback had some significant road washouts around the base lodge, but thankfully the ski, trail, lodge and condo infrastructure made it through OK. We checked in with Saddleback's Brand Manager Molly Shaw and she said Saddleback is actively working on the road repairs, but it won’t stop them from reopening to public for skiing and riding on Saturday, December 23rd.  Post-storm temps were great to start making snow again and they are getting fired up for a good weekend and holiday week.

We took a quick pre-Christmas trip to Saddleback to take part in their "re-opening day". 

The Drive Up

Our route from southern Maine takes us up 295 to Augusta, Route 27 through Belgrade then hop on Route 2 to get to Farmington. From Farmington we drove Route 4 to Rangeley and we could really see the damage the flooding had caused. However, the roads were in solid condition. The biggest hazard we encountered were washed out shoulders and a couple of crews working on power lines and road shoulders. We took it slow and steady and found the drive up was fine. 

Saddleback Access Road and Parking

Saddleback Road Repair Friday Dec 22

Saddleback has put out the word to slow down on the access road. It is newly paved and make it through the storm fine, but there is no need to be exceeding the posted speed limits and causing a hazard to people, other cars and wildlife. We came upon some barricades and heavy equipment as we approached the base lodge area, but the access to the parking was clearly marked.

The Skiing

Saddleback Corduroy

We clicked into our skis and got on the chair early. It was obvious that the mountain took on a lot of water. However, the snowmaking trails were refreshed with new snow and had great coverage. We give a tip of the hat to the Saddleback crew for getting the mountain ready, while also juggling what was going on at their homes during this weather event. Well done Saddleback team!

Being the first groom and ski after new snow was made, the skiing was a bit choppy as the snow tends to ball up in these conditions. However, we are 100% confident that after a couple of days of skier traffic and nightly grooms the holiday week skiing will be very good. Saddleback had 5 of their 6 lifts running today with 14 groomed runs down the mountain. They were working on getting the T-Bar ready, so expect full operating lift capacity for the holiday week which will reduce line time and increase snow time. A great combination!

Activities

Saddleback has a lot of fun activities and events planned for the holiday week including Santa visits, great music in the Pub and Saddleback is jointly sponsoring horse drawn sleigh rides down in Rangeley. Rangeley is just a short drive away from the base lodge and this idyllic lakeside town has many great shops, restaurants and outdoor activities. Check out the Rangeley Chamber of Commerce website to learn more.

The Nest - Elevation 3,620'

For those looking to dine & après at the highest elevation restaurant in Maine check out The Nest at the top of the Rangeley high speed quad chair! Congratulations to the entire Saddleback team and Chef Coco on their opening weekend. 

Learn More about Saddleback

Check out our other MaineSkiFamily blog pages to help you get the most out of your visit to Saddleback!

• First-Timer's Guide to Saddleback
• MaineSkiFamily Saddleback Mountain Report
• Saddleback Ski Map Trail Guide

We hope everyone has a fantastic holiday week and a very happy New Year! See you on the slopes!