Best family skiing in Maine?

[iisemily]

Hi all,
I just accepted a new job in Bangor, ME, and I was wondering what are some of the best places to take little kids to learn. Our oldest will be 3 this winter and we'd like to get him hooked when he's young. I know there is Sugarloaf about 2hrs from Bangor and a small local place about 10 minutes away. Any others to recommend or warn against?

Also, a cultural question: Skiing in Montana, you see parents with infants bundled up in backpacks as they go down the hill. This is normal in Montana. My family in the NY and DC areas think this is criminal. Any ideas about how people in Maine view this practice? Would we get child services called on us if we brought our youngest in a backpack while skiing with our 3 yr old for an hour or two?

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[nopoleskier]

I have ski patrol parents that ski w/babies in back packs or front packs. I'm in upstate Ny. yes many cringe. but most of our kids are on skis at 18mo or sooner! we make some good skiers at Royal Mt. Sorry not much help on ski areas in Maine Except Sunday river was still making snow last week and says they'll be open until May!!.. Sugarloaf is great. but cold and most trails on the dark side.. I'm sure the Maine skiers can be more help! welcome back to the East Coast!

 

[ski diva]

Yeah, I think I'm one of those who cringe about seeing babies in backpacks. It just worries the heck out of me, no matter how strong the skier is. Then again, I'm an Eastern skier, and it's not something you see around here. I don't even know if the ski areas permit it. You may have to check.

As for skiing near Bangor, there's a tiny little ski area not far from there called Hermon Mountain. And Camden Snow Bowl in Camden (which, btw, is a beautiful town) is about an hour away. I think Sunday River is 2-1/2 hours away, and Sugarloaf around 2. You might want to check out SkiMaine.com for info about areas throughout the state. I'm sure someone here will chime in with recommendations, too.

 

[ellae]

Mainer, here! Sorry to be so late to the party - I sank into a deep depression over the state of our winter and only just came out of my cave. Sigh.

Sugarloaf is my favorite mountain in Maine, and I don't suggest taking little little ones there. As Nopoleskier said, trails are dark and weather is cold. Sugarloaf is most well-known for it's inhospitable weather, and "Sugarloaf breezes" (which are, in reality, 50 mph gusts ). Don't get me wrong - It's an awesome mountain with fun, technical terrain, it just isn't a great place to teach kids to love the winter.

There are a lot of family mountains in Maine: Hermon Mountain, as ski diva said, is great, as well as the Camden Snow Bowl. If you don't mind a bit of a drive (2 and 1/2 hrs from Bangor), Mt. Abram is great. Black Mountain (2 and 1/2 hrs from Bangor) is a good mountain for your money. Lost Valley (2 hrs from Bangor) in Auburn is VERY small and you could find cheap, affordable lodging (also, I don't think anyone would think twice about you having a baby in a backpack there), If Saddleback (2 and 1/2 hrs from Bangor) ever opens back up then that would be a nice spot, too. Baker Mountain in Moscow is another good option, and that's only an hour and a half from you.

Sunday River and Sugarloaf are our two big mountains. Sunday River offers free lift tickets for children under 4, or a Gold pass (which is also good for Sugarloaf and Loon, in New Hampshire) for $30 if they're under 5. There is also a day care there - I could see the lift operators barring you from the lift with a baby in a backpack.

I hope that helps!

 

[marzNC]

A good blog about skiing in Maine is this one:

A Family Skiing In Maine

Has pictures and reviews of all the smaller places in Maine. They were Saddleback season pass holders.

 

[iisemily]

Thanks for all the replies! Saw Hermon Mountain on a house hunting trip. How often does it get enough snow to be ski-able?