Peak to Peak: No mere PR stunt
By Greg Sweetser, Executive Director, Ski Maine

The Maine Peak to Peak Challenge was a major PR initiative this winter. What started out as a promotional stunt turned into a remarkable journey which recalled the birth of modern skiing and revealed the industry from a new perspective.

The Challenge was simple in concept: take at least one run at each of 17 Ski Maine Association areas. The reality was a bit more complex: it spanned three and a half days and 1,000 miles.

It all began with a short conversation about a “crazy idea.” Maine outdoor writer Carey Kish called me in the spring of 2007. “I’d like to ski all the Maine areas in just one weekend,” he said. The idea had been simmering in his mind for years.

My immediate response was, “it had better be a long weekend.” I knew that the logistics would require several days. Still, I immediately agreed that this would be a great event for Ski Maine to support. Carey clearly had the necessary energy and excitement to turn this lark into reality. He quickly assembled half of the “team:” skier Annie O’Brien, snowboarder Janet Thurston, and tele skier Craig Hansen. Heather Atwell, formerly with Vermont Ski Areas Association would cover it for Yankee Publications. Bruce and JoAnn Mason and I completed the group.

Our support crew included Dana Thurston, photographers Skye Chalmers and Amelia Knowles, and Amelia’s videographer husband, Andrew. With all of the gear and support crew, we ended up with a five vehicle caravan.

Our first stop at Spruce Mountain in Jay set the tone. This mighty mountain (300-foot vertical) has a series of three rope tows strung from base to summit. The local ski club hosted us; they had called the media and several photographers were there. Carey landed on the front page of a major Maine daily paper the next morning in full color! It was a powerful reception, and we all felt the intense pride they had in their facility.

From that first stop through the last, we got the same intense vibes. It made no difference whether we were at busy Sunday River or Maine’s most northern and remote area, Lonesome Pine Trails.

We become very aware that we were looking back through time. The community areas were utilizing their old lifts and cozy base lodges, and hard-working ski club members continue to sustain their local ski hills. The rope tow at Spruce Mountain was nearly identical to Maine’s first, installed at Shawnee Peak 70 years ago. The T-Bar at Baker Mountain was interchangeable with the first lifts on Sugarloaf. When we closed our eyes, we felt the same mountain air, felt the same cool snowflakes, and could hear the same crunch of snow underfoot. We rediscovered the pure joy of the sport. The expansion of the sport has added lots of great lifts, terrain and activities, but the core attraction of the sport is pretty simple.

Now we want others to share our experience. Ski Maine is working on a “ski history trail” that will showcase the history of our mountains. A “mini mountain rail jam” concept is being discussed to introduce the younger generation to the smaller mountains and their great little terrain parks. The final initiative is the Ski Maine Peak to Peak Challenge. Skiers and riders can download a Challenge Card from our website and check off the Maine ski areas that they visit. At the end of the season, they enter their cards to win prizes. The Peak to Peak Challenge will promote winter sports in Maine for years to come.



Will Video Kill the Chair Ride, Too?
By Elizabeth Eren

On my last visit home I noticed gas stations have started to install flat-screen TVs above the pumps. Now you can be entertained for the whopping five minutes it takes to fill the tank. News, weather and sports on Shell TV! The TVs are probably there so you don’t keel over as the gas bill rolls ever higher. But that’s not what bugs me most about this. Heaven forbid that you actually take a few minutes to look around and take in the scenery.

Then I thought, “Jeez, I can’t wait to see which resort is first to install these puppies in gondolas.” And I wouldn’t doubt if a few of you are already planning this. Please stop. Watching a TV would have been the last thing I chose to do on my first ride up Snowbird’s tram last January.

Sure, it’s great opportunity to advertise to a captive audience. It might even break the awkward silence among strangers, who of course will talk about your video. But I mean really, is this necessary? I feel I’m among the few of my media-drenched, iPod-this, MySpace-that Gen Y cohorts who refuses to become a puppet. There’s no need to advertise the resort’s new chef or tomorrow night’s base-lodge disco party. The view itself reveals the essence of why people come, not the disco.

Riding the lift is a unique experience that allows you to silently observe the world from above. It’s not meant to be disturbed by a sales pitch. So before you jump on board with this seemingly brilliant luxury, recall the first time you rode a chairlift. You watched the mountain scroll by underneath you and realized just how small you were. It was probably one of your first humbling experiences. Or, recall your last ride. It made you appreciate being in the great outdoors, didn’t it?

If this video Apocalypse does materialize, I’ll mentally (and perhaps audibly) curse the stranger sitting across from me who dares to spark some futile conversation on the hip new amenity being advertised on the snazzy flat-screen while he ignores the picturesque hills all around us. How you could even dream of watching TV at a time like that? There are two essential truths in all of sports: there’s no crying in baseball, and you don’t go skiing to watch TV!