BRIDGTON, Maine — Snow business is big business in Maine.
The catastrophic rain and wind storm on Dec. 18 washed out a lot of hard work at ski resorts, including Pleasant Mountain.
"[We had] killer snow to start off the season with," Pleasant Mountain Spokesperson Rachael Wilkinson exclaimed. "It felt really good. Everything was gonna be great. Then we had some rain."
Western Maine felt the brunt of the December storm, leaving four people dead as flood waters quickly rose to levels not seen in decades. The town of Bethel remained without power for multiple days, and mountain roads were washed out in nearby Newry, home of the Sunday River ski resort. There, the only access road to the resort's Grand Summit Hotel was left with a valley at its base—cutting off guests and employees until Sunday River hired a local business to build a temporary bridge.
The resort closed for multiple days, as did Saddleback in Rangeley. Farther south, Pleasant Mountain Ski Area closed for four days after the storm. But, Wilkinson said, the snow base laid by the mountain operations crew held firm.
"Because the base has always been here when it’s wet, it’s actually warm," she said. "So, the snow is kind of like spring skiing. For anyone that’s come out, it’s been good."
Impacts had been felt beyond the mountains. Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook maintains popular cross-country ski trails and posted on Facebook this morning that it relies on those visitors to get through the winter and that those at the farm appreciated anyone who stopped by the nearby café and shopped anyway.
As of Wednesday evening, a forecasted weekend had the potential to raise snowbanks and spirits, among many eager Maine towns.