For further information contact: Terri Messer at tmesser@aol.com or 207-671-0715
Since this is Maine’s school vacation week, there are not many Prime Time Ski Club members around the mountain because most members have been spoiled by mid-week uncrowded slopes and lack of lift lines at Sunday River ski area. However, some club members who live in the area or have family and friends visiting are among those enjoying Sunday River’s excellent snowmaking and grooming. It doesn’t seem fair that Sunday River has received very little natural snow from the last few storms when coastal communities along the East coast who don’t necessarily want any more snow have been hit hard. The fact that Sunday River has nearly 100 trails open is a testament to the mountain’s snowmakers and groomers who have worked very hard to make this happen despite Mother Nature who refuses to appease us snow lovers.
Last week saw quite a few Prime Time club members on the slopes enjoying a few inches of new snow, early morning temps hovering in the teens and very light winds. About 35 to 40 members enjoyed a pot luck dinner and social on Thursday at The Summit Hotel owner’s room. Below zero temps and even colder chill factors moved in late week for a few days only to be replaced by temps “soaring” into the mid 40’s (a 70-degree temperature swing), bringing a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain. Mother Nature needs to give the ski industry in the Northeast a break!
All this talk about snow conditions leads to a twist on the proverbial question, is the grass really greener on the other side. Is the snow really better on the other side of the country? This year the answer is a resounding “yes” from a group of Prime Time Ski Club members who just returned from Aspen/Snowmass. Although the Colorado Rockies has not received any new snow for the past several weeks, the conditions were excellent with no sign of ice or even hard-packed snow in most cases. Seven Prime Time Ski Club members joined about 50 members of the national 70-Plus Ski Club for a memorable week, staying slopeside at Snowmass with free buses going to Aspen, Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands. What’s not to like about cool mornings that warm up to the 30’s and 40’s by noon each day, bright sunshine, clear blue skies and lots of “ego” snow underfoot.
Although these conditions aren’t always the case (the temps had been much colder the week before),those who skied there vowed to come back again. Yet the Prime Time members who ventured away from Sunday River agreed that a big part of skiing is who you ski with and therefore were happy to rejoin old friends back in Maine. You, too, can ski with Prime Time Ski Club members if you are 50 or older. Club members meet weekdays at 10 a.m. at North Peak Lodge, upper level to the right, just beyond the bar. Some members also meet at 8:30 a.m. or so in the Mahoosuc Room at South Ridge base lodge to boot up and get to the lifts as soon as they open at 9. Check out our website at www.primetimeskiclub.com and plan to join us for some runs. It may not be Aspen/Snowmass, but it will be fun!
