Skiing Cochran's Ski Area (Day 25)

Skiing Cochran's Ski Area

Friday, February 20th, 2026

Runs: 5

Distance: 1.85 miles

Elevation: 1,942 feet

Max Speed: 32.3 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.7 mph

Moving Time: 9 minutes, 1 second

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes, 39 seconds

After a mandatory day of rest (not very restful, but I did not hike or ski!), I was back at it! I met Emma, Patrol Sarah, Snowboard Emma, and Elizabeth at our beloved Cochran's Ski Area for $5 Friday! We met up in the parking lot, and it was snowing! The plan was some silly skiing and then parking lot hot dogs. We booted up at the car and walked up to get started!

Runs 1-3

Run 1: T-Bar - Allison's Alley - The Elbow - Ginny's Way

[0.52 mi; 2:18; 410 ft; 24.4 mph max; 13.6 mph avg]

Run 2: T-Bar - Allison's Alley - The Face

[0.41 mi; 1:26; 407 ft; 28.2 mph max; 17.1 mph avg]

Run 3: T-Bar - I-89

[0.19 mi; 1:25; 410 ft; 30.2 mph max; 8.0 mph avg]

We lapped the T-Bar for four out of our five runs. Our first run was down Allison's Alley, The Elbow, and Ginny's Way - the widest way down. The trail was hard and fast with a inch of fresh snow on top. They had Ginny's Way lit this year, too! Last year it was pitch black. The hill was reasonably busy with never more than few minutes' wait. There was a higher half of Ginny's Way that was surprisingly bumpy - not with moguls, but the world's most aggressive mini-rollers.

Run #2 was down The Face, which was simply a delight with a little steep pitch near the middle. Run #3 was down I-89 (a name in which I adore), which was really fantastic with 2" of fresh snow (it was COMING DOWN). Snowboard Emma had never ridden a T-Bar before, so she was riding up solo, while the other four of us kept rotating who was with who. 

Runs 4-5

Run 4: T-Bar - The Race Trail

[0.38 mi; 1:24; 404 ft; 32.3 mph max; 16.3 mph avg]

Run 5: Rope Tow - The Race Trail

[0.35 mi; 2:28; 312 ft; 25.4 mph max; 8.6 mph avg]

Run #4 was up the T-Bar and then we turned left to hit The Race Trail. The Race Trail was in the best shape with the fresh snow and solid grade. Naturally, we HAD to run the Rope Tow for our final run. Team Snowboard skipped it this time (lame). I had my leather gloves on this year, and I was LAUNCHED up the hill - it's comically fast! We finished with another lap of The Race Trail, took a break at the porta potties, and then skied and walked back to the car for hot dogs. 

We did taste test of Oscar Meyer 100% Beef and Oscar Meyer 100% Tasty... the beef won, and unfortuantely they were double the price. The snow was absolutely dumping, which would have been fun to ski in, but it was definitely time to get home. The drive started as dicey and then got ridiculous - we were only guided by the rumble strip in the middle of the road (sometimes) and hopes/prayers. We did eventually make it home safely, and I picked up a pizza I had ordered on the drive. We chit chatted and had a drink before a relatively early bed time - back to Jay tomorrow!

Map of Cochran's Ski Area

Skiing Lost Valley Ski Area (Day 24/Indy Day 21/Vacation Day 6b)

Skiing Lost Valley Ski Area

Wednesday, February 18th, 2026

Runs: 14

Distance: 3.75 miles

Elevation: 3,261 feet

Max Speed: 29.8 mph

Avg. Speed: 11.2 mph

Moving Time: 20 minutes, 30 seconds

Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes, 39 seconds

We had a super easy 1-ish hour drive from Black Mountain of Maine to Lost Valley, and we were delighted to see that the parking lot was by no means full. We landed around 2:00pm, but we weren't feeling pressed for time since they have night skiing (or so we thought!). We got our Indy redemptions (we learned they do different colors for different days of the week - last year we came on Friday and it was red, this year it was on a Wednesday and it was orange) and booted up in the basement downstairs. I also took my hardest fall of the trip here... in the bathroom. Concrete bathroom flooring is a crazy decision! I slammed my hip into the ground - a man in the bathroom saw it happen and said "I hope the only thing that's bruised is your ego!" - not helpful! Either way, we were booted up and made our way to Chair #1 just before 2:30pm!

Runs 1-5

Run 1: Chair #1 - Logging Trail

[0.34 mi; 2:29; 246 ft; 27.2 mph max; 8.2 mph avg]

Run 2: Chair #3 - Logging Trail - Raccoon - Logging Trail

[0.19 mi; 1:08; 233 ft; 22.5 mph max; 10.3 mph avg]

Run 3: Chair #3 - Logging Trail - Lynx - Logging Trail

[0.19 mi; 1:06; 240 ft; 27.5 mph max; 10.3 mph avg]

Run 4: Chair #3 - Coyote

[0.11 mi; 1:02; 243 ft; 17.1 mph max; 6.6 mph avg]

Run 5: Chair #3 - Coyote - Coyote Crosscut

[0.19 mi; 1:21; 217 ft; 23.3 mph max; 8.5 mph avg]

We had basically the same goal as last time - ski the whole ski area! We were going to go from looker's left to right, more or less. Run #1 was up Chair #1 and down Logging Trail, which was a little scrapey but fun! All these trails are comically short, so after a (very) short skate, we were at Chair #3 and on our way back up!

And then right back on our way down again! Run #2 was down Raccoon, which was spicy. Basically a narrow ice luge where you Tokyo Drift the whole way down. Run #3 was down Lynx, which was in a slightly better mood, but not a great one, and Run #4 was down Coyote, which was at least wider? Gen had a spill and slide on this one, but she was undamaged! We talked about edge angle, but I also told her that I'm not skiing it well either. Run #5 required us to hit Coyote again to get to Coyote Crosscut, so we both had a slight redemption run!

Runs 6-8

Run 6: Chair #1 - Bull Moose

[0.25 mi; 1:14; 240 ft; 28.0 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Run 7: Chair #1 - Pine Grove - Big Buck

[0.30 mi; 2:13; 236 ft; 26.3 mph max; 8.0 mph avg]

Run 8: Chair #1 - Pine Grove - Deer Run - Bobcat

[0.41 mi; 1:47; 233 ft; 26.1 mph max; 13.7 mph avg]

We were both glad that we got those trails out of the way right away, beacuse everything else was truly wonderful! Run #6 was down the final black in this pod, Bull Moose, and it was in similar shape as Coyote, but we were both skiing it better. Our favorite route was on Run #7 - Pine Grove to Big Buck. We joked about ripping the trees and turning around the pines that were spaced ~20 feet apart. Big Buck was a great (short), wide race slope that skied wonderfully. Run #8 brought us through Pine Grove and continued onto Deer Run to Bobcat, all of which were still wonderful and fun. 

Runs 9-12

Run 9: Chair #2 - Fisher - Porcupine

[0.21 mi; 1:00; 230 ft; 26.8 mph max; 12.5 mph avg]

Run 10: Chair #2 - Chipmunk - Foxhole - Porcupine

[0.35 mi; 1:32; 213 ft; 23.4 mph max; 13.8 mph avg]

Run 11: Chair #2 - Skunk - Lower Foxhole

[0.31 mi; 1:44; 233 ft; 20.3 mph max; 10.7 mph avg]

Run 12: Chair #2 - Beaver - Porcupine

[0.24 mi; 1:11; 230 ft; 25.6 mph max; 12.2 mph avg]

We pivoted to Chair #2 for the final pod of trails on looker's right. First, we ripped the (short) liftline, down Fisher and Porcupine (which was signed as Lower Fisher on the hill). Run #10 was down Chipmunk to Foxhole to Porcupine, which was nice and gentle. Runs #11 and #12 were both favorites (along with #9). First we took Skunk to Lower Foxhole and then Beaver to Porcupine. Both Skunk and Beaver were nice "blues" that were short but had a nice little pitch (also I just love the name Skunk). 

Runs 13-14

Run 13: Chair #2 - Squirrel Run

[0.39 mi; 1:26; 233 ft; 29.8 mph mas; 16.3 mph avg]

Run 14: Chair #1 - Pine Grove - Big Buck

[0.26 mi; 1:14; 240 ft; 24.8 mph max; 12.8 mph avg]

When we got back to Chair #2 we were told this was our last run on this chair since it was closing. Strange, becuase last year all three chairs were open during night skiing, but okay! We followed Squirrel Run down, completing our map sans the park runs. With Chair #2 closed, we skated across to Chair #1 and did a wonderful repeat of Pine Grove to Big Buck to wrap up our vacation. 

We did a quick change in the lodge's basement and drove about an hour to get some Taco Bell (and go to REI as a treat). I dropped Gen off at home, and made it home around 8/9pm. This was such a wonderful Maine trip full of friends, beautiful weather, fun memories, and a LOT of progress. I was coming out of this trip feeling exponentially more confident in skiing difficult runs, including bumps and trees, and I was feeling really excited to get back to Jay Peak to ski some more "new-to-me" trails.

Map of Lost Valley Ski Area

Skiing Black Mountain of Maine (Day 24/Vacation Day 6a)

Skiing Black Mountain of Maine

Wednesday, February 18th, 2026

Runs: 7

Distance: 6.93 miles

Elevation: 7,871 feet

Max Speed: 43.2 mph

Avg. Speed: 13.0 mph

Moving Time: 37 minutes, 6 seconds

Total Time: 2 hours, 52 minutes, 2 seconds

Last day of Vacation! We had a 7:30am wake up to clean up the AirBnb before checking out and heading (to Dunkin first) to Black Mountain of Maine for a morning of skiing! It was their Free Ski Day, so we expected crowds, but were excited nonetheless! It was another beautiful day (6 days a row of beautiful weather and relatively comfortable temperatures) with sunshine and a light breeze! Gen and I decided we'd ski a half day, drive for a bit, and then redeem our Indy Passes at Lost Valley for a bit of afternoon skiing since we weren't using the Indy at Black. 

The parking lot was already filling up at 8:30am, and the ticked window was simply handing out printed tickets. Vibes were busy and fantastic! The lodge was slammed, but everyone was so kind and just happy to be there! None of us were particularly in a rush, so we slowly got ready and mosied out onto the snow. There was surprisingly no line at 9:00am and hardly one at 9:30am!

Mountain Report

Free Skiing & More

Wednesday, February 18th 9am-4pm

Poland Spring Natural Spring Water & Mahoosuc Land Trust have teamed up to highlight their shared commitment to caring for the forest that ensures clean drinking water & providing recreational opportunities we all love--from our ski slopes to the backcountry glades & trails on MLT's Rumford Whitecap Preserve. And to celebreate, they're giving you a FULL DAY of FREE winter fun! That's a pretty great partnership.

The lifts will be spinning and the tubing park will be open from 9am-4pm*& our friends from Poland Spring & Mahoosuc Land Trust will be on site with stickers, samples & more!

FREE Lift Tickets simply pick up your FREE lift tickets at the ticket window. This includes nordic and snowshoeing tickets. Tubing tickets are available online beginning February 9th.

$35+tax Alpien ski & snowboard rentals *does not include uphill rentals. Online ski rentals are sold out. A limited number of ski rentals will be available on-site on the day of the event, on a first come first served basis. We still have a limited number of snowboard rentals available online. Once those are gone, all rentals will be first come, first served. Quantities are limited. The rental shop will open at 7:30am to service those who have prebooked online & will then open up to the general public at 8am. Save time at the rental window by filling out this waiver & bringing it with you. Please DO NOT email the waiver, we will not be able to check email that day. Waivers are available onside as well.

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Summit Lift - Androscoggin

[0.80 mi; 2:35; 1,115 ft; 40.5 mph max; 18.5 mph avg]

Run 2: Summit Lift - Sticky - Upper Rapid - Kennebec - Lower Androcoggin

[0.80 mi; 2:22; 1,115 ft; 43.2 mph max; 20.3 mph avg]

Our first two runs had all five us skiing together - Sarah, Andre, Mom, Gen, and I! Run #1 was the whole of Androscoggin and Run #2 was v2 with Sticky, Upper Rapid, Kennebec, and Lower Androscoggin. These runs were hard and FAST. I broke my all-time speed record on Monday here at Black Mountain of Maine, and managed to break it again today on Run #1, and then again on Run #2! When these groomers are uncrowded, they are simply FUN. That being said, I still want to get better at carving on steeper pitches and at high speeds. 

Runs 3-4

Run 3: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Allagash Woods 3 - Allagash - Songo

[1.11 mi; 5:15; 1,109 ft; 33.5 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Run 4: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Allagash Woods 4 - Allagash - Sandy - Lower Rapid

[1.18 mi; 6:07; 1,125 ft; 35.0 mph max; 11.5 mph avg]

Andre went off on his own after the second run, which is something that he's mentioned he enjoys doing. The lift line was also getting a little beefy, so we started riding the single's line, and never had to wait for more than a few minutes. I was glad I was able to finally calm down and have a more realxing day skiing! My goal for the was to hit the remaining Allagash Woods, since I skied 1 and 2 on Monday. 

Run #3 was down Upper Allagash and into Allagash Woods 3, which had two entrances not far from one another. The snow was soft and almost spring-like and FUN! These woods were such a blast and right at my skill level. Gen positioned herself right at the exit and got photos of us on the way out. We wrapped this one up with the rest of Allagash and then Songo.

Run #4 started the same, but we hit Allagash Woods 4, which was the shorest and seemed to be the steepest of the four Allagash Woods (on a similar note, I had recently noticed there's a "new" Allagash Woods 5 on skier's right of Allagash, guess we have to do that too...). I had also officially found all four signs, too, which was fun! This run was a bit more challenging because of the pitch, but we made it out fine. We finished the run with Sandy and the rollers on Lower Rapid. 

Run 5

Run 5: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Pocwok Woods - Kennebago - Songo

[0.86 mi; 8:29; 1,152 ft; 30.1 mph max; 6.0 mph avg]

Run #5 was a surprise adventure run for Sarah, Mom, and I. Gen was off doing her own thing now and we jumped in the woods after Piscataquis, not really knowing anything. After maybe 100 yards of skiing, we found the sign - Pocwock Glade! I remembered seeing this on last year's map. The run started similar to Allagash Woods - soft snow and nicely spaced trees. Further on, the glade narrowed with a steep drop on skier's right. We continued on and came to a more manageable drop that we did ski down (it looked like you could continue straight for an even easier one). The glade mellowed out, ultimately flattening soon after the drop. I was skiing... moderately at best. The interesting thing about my skiing is that when I'm feeling cautious, I find myself leaning back and skiing wildly poorly. Things to work on! The final bit of the trail was a long run out that was just narrow and steep enough where both Mom and I were struggling to ski it properly, but we survived! This dropped us out onto the end of Kennebago, and we followed Songo back to the lift.

Run 6-7

Run 6: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Allagash Woods 5 - Allagash - Lazy River

[1.11 mi; 7:06; 1,132 ft; 27.2 mph max; 9.3 mph avg]

Run 7: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Allagash Woods 2 - Allagash - Sandy - Lower Rapid

[1.09 mi; 5:12; 1,122 ft; 34.0 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Run #6 brought us into Allagash Woods 5, which was open and delightful with more soft, playful snow. We decided to punish ourselves afterwards by exploring Lazy River, a new-to-me trail this trip, and it was... fine. It would actually have been fun if it had enough snow, but it was super bony and rocky. A steep, narrow trail with a sharp turn and skate at the end. We all kind of moped around the bumps trying to not destroy our skis, and were more than happy to be back on the lift line.

We had a redemption run with our seventh run. Sarah wanted to hit Allagash 2 to complete her map, and I happy obliged! I was back to skiing well and it was a really fun way to wrap up this phase of vacation! I gave hugs goodbye to Sarah and Mom at the end of the run, collected Gen from the lodge, waved to the spirit of Andre (we had no idea where he was), and headed back to the car! Gen pulled her ice cream out of a snowbank that she purposefully placed (genuis), and we started off towards Lost Valley!

I will say, I was feeling very medium about coming back to Black Mountain this year. I felt like I had basically done it all last year, but getting into more advanced terrain, including the trees and Moxie, has me NEEDING to come back and explore every last inch of this place!

Map of Black Mountain of Maine (2025-2026)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Day 23/Indy Day 20/Vacation Day 5)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Tuesday, February 17th, 2026

Runs: 25

Distance: 25.35 miles

Elevation: 27,421 feet

Max Speed: 35.1 mph

Avg. Speed: 9.4 mph

Moving Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes, 26 seconds

Total Time: 6 hours, 47 minutes, 28 seconds

Back to Saddleback! We basically had a carbon-copy routine as Sunday's voyage, and we were ready with Mom in tow! Gen and I drove my car, Alec went home in his and Sarah's car, and Mom, Sarah, and Andre were in Mom's car. The drive to Rangeley was completely painless (a rare treat!), we got settled in, we got our breakfast, and we were on snow just after lifts started spinning! Mom was running a few minutes behind, so she told us to go get a run in and she'd find us. It was going to be a cloudy day, but a warm day (low 30s!). 

One thing to note is that  my watch misbehaved, said I got 35 runs in, but also undershot my mileage and elevation for the day, so most of my data is from Google Earth estimates and a few runs that were accurately tracked. 

Daily Report

Tuesday, February 16, 2026.

Morning Report 6:56AM

We've got snowflakes coming down! Happy Second Day of February Vacation Week. Or maybe it's Day 3 if you count Sunday. However you count it, you can count on Saddleback to make it crazy-good, because we have yet another day of all lifts operating, all trails open, and a perfect weather forecast. And if you're the type that wants to lay down first tracks, the gates at every single lift we own and operate (there's six of 'em) open at 8:30 AM. Even the Molly Chunkamunk. Please note there was no particular reason to single out the Molly Chunkamunk. We just picked it cuz it's the funnest one to say.

The skiing has been tremendous, and we will be enjoying highs in the low 30s today. As an added bonus, we'll be dishing out snow showers. Just because we can. So get up here, and then, since it's February vacation, feel free to act like you're a kid again. You remember how to do that, right? Maybe we can help... let's think... maybe stick your tongue out and catch a snowfkae? Just make sure nobody's looking.

Please ski in control and respect posted signage when on the mountain. Hazards do exist in natural terrain. Ski with a buddy or two in the trees and look before you leap in the parks.

Tonight, Saddleback will be hosting Kid's Movie Night! Drop your kids off (who doesn't love doing that?) in the Snowsports Room downstairs in the lodge for a cozy movie night from 5:30-7:30pm. While they're doing that, treat yourself to a kids-free evening in the Pub! Kids can wear pajamas, bring a blanket or a stuffed animal, and enjoy a family-friendly movie with snacks provided. Cost is $20 per child.

The NEST and Sneaky Pete's open at 10am every day this week, and the Pub stays open til 8pm!

Enjoy!

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Green Weaver

[1.17 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 2: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Royal Coachman

[0.95 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 3: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 610 ft]

Run 4: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Silver Doctor

[1.48 mi; 5:09; 1,637 ft; 29.3 mph max; 17.3 mph avg]

Run 5: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.90 mi; 3:12; 1,188 ft; 31.5 mph max; 16.8 mph avg]

The four of us rode up the Rangeley, all giddy with excitement for the day to come. The summit was socked in, so we kept to the Rangeley for our first few runs. We got to the top, decided to hit the full Green Weaver run, and heard "WAITTTT" - Mom ended up being only a few chairs behind us! We got our pole pictures, helmet potato pictures, and we were off! I'll maintain, Green Weaver is a fun trail! It's just a bummer that it gets so scraped off so quickly. 

Run #2 was up the Rangeley and down the Royal Coachman which was fast and FUN! Gen stuck to Grey Ghost, even though Coachman was barely steeper than Grey Ghost and she totally could have handled it. 

There were delightfully no crowds at all, so we skied right back on for our next run! Andre and I tragically rode up on Chair #70 with the other three behind us. We were getting ready to head to the Kennebago for our first America run of the day! Green Weaver was holding up nicely, and soon we were on the Kennebago!

Sarah, Andre, and Gen rode up on Chair #68, and Mom and I got Chair #69! It was a vacation miracle! The clouds were DENSE up top, which made America delightfully spooky. From America, we hit Hudson Highway and then the Silver Doctor (we originally planned on Blue Devil, but we remembered how scrapey Silver Doctor got on Sunday, so we wanted to hit that one first). 

We wrapped up our series of delightful groomers with the Grey Ghost. All of the blue runs on this mountain are just fun! I think Red Devil is my favorite, then Blue Devil, Royal Coachman, Silver Doctor, and then Grey Ghost, but all are so much fun!

Runs 6-9

Run 6: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - The Pass

[0.40 mi; 4:01; 597 ft; 19.4 mpjh max; 6.0 mph avg]

Run 7: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca Chute #2 - Casablanca Glades 1-4 - Nymph

[0.84 mi; 9:21; 991 ft; 19.3 mph max; 5.4 mph avg]

Run 8: Kennebago Quad - Tri-Color - Firefly - Dark Wizard Glades

[0.62 mi; 7:24; 984 ft; 19.9 mph max; 5.0 mph avg]

Run 9: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Lower Tight Line

[1.42 mi; 5:13; 1,627 ft; 35.1 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

We had one more group ride on the Rangeley, and then Sarah, Mom, and I broke off to do some adventure runs. To mix things up, Run #6 was down Peachy's Peril to The Pass. A fun surprise was that Peachy's was no longer the soft-snow bump haven it was on Sunday, but instead it was full of giant, car-sized lumps of hard snow and ice! Made for a bit of a challenge, but we made it down unscathed (Mom and I each went down once). 

We planned to get our Tight Line run in for Run #7, but the headwall was fully socked in and there were MANY people standing around talking about this being their first time on Tight Line, which simply did not interest us. We opted to continue on towards Casablanca, unsure of which to hit. Instead of taking the side cut from Black Beauty, we adventured over to Casablanca Chute #2. The snow was hard with some stumps to dodge, but overall it wasn't too bad! Once we were in Casablanca proper, we had a hard time deciding where we wanted to go. We thought we'd follow the "2" signs, but there didn't appear to be any? A mystery! Sarah had a small boot crisis - they've been running tight since she got her new boots for this season, and her feet were numb. Somehow I then became the line leader and just kept traversing over to Casablanca #4, which was a bit silly, but I guess fun to technically ski all four! The upper stretch was still crusty but it soon filled in with wonderfully soft snow. By the bottom we were back to giggling with every turn! Partway down, Mom took a selfie and said "MATT GET IN!" so I squatted down to fit the frame and she said "you look like you're taking a poop in your purple poopy pants!" and continued to cackle the whole way down. I then managed to get myself into a deep pocket of powder in a flat spot, so I tired to waddle my way out and knocked snow off of a tree onto myself. Mom was making fun of me, and then hit a "massive tree" (a 6" branch) and spun out, too. We were a mess! The ride out on Nymph was great, and we teehee'd all the way back to the Kennebago.

Our next run was aimed at the Dark Wizard Glade (GREAT name). We checked out the top entrance, which looked skiable but unpleasant, so we turned right off of the lift, skied down Tri-Color just a bit, and then made a sharp right onto Firefly and skied over to the lower entrance. These woods were tight and steep and the snow was a DREAM. Only complaint was that they were busier than Casablanca, which I guess made sense considering how massive and hard to get to Casablanca is. The snow was just delightful in Dark Wizard, and of course we pretended to cast Harry Potter spells on each other! Mom and I each took a few silly falls into the soft snow. This one was definitely a favorite!

Run #9 was back to the Tight Line, which was equally as socked in but with significantly fewer people this time. It skied scrapier than Sunday, but still good! There were a few kids down on the side near Firefly, but I was going too fast to stop to check on them in time. Thankfully, Sarah and Mom stopped to check on them. I notice at the bottom there was a snowboarder just... walking around? I would later learn that the snowboarder was the kids' brother, and his snowboard popped off while strapping in at the headwall, flew down the run, and landed somewhere in the woods... Kid was toast. I'm just glad that nobody got hurt! We followed Lower Tight Line from there, which was an absolute dream. Mom and Sarah were going in for a bathroom break, and I was in the zone so I was going to get another run in in the meantime. I could have gone all the way down, but I didn't want to sit on the South Branch Quad...

Runs 10-12

Run 10: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Professor - Lower Professor - Lower Jane Craig

[0.98 mi; 6:11; 1,224 ft; 22.1 mph max; 9.5 mph avg]

Run 11: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Upper Jane Craig - The Pass

[0.47 mi; 567 ft]

Run 12: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Wooly Bugger Glades - Hudson Highway

[1.73 mi; 1,567 ft]

Run #10 was by myself and I followed Professor all the way down (then into Lower Jane Craig - a loose goal of mine for the day was to connect all these trails that are split up by The Pass). Upper professor was soft and bumpy and fun! Sarah warned me that were was a little cliff section that could be skipped in the woods on the side. I made it to the cliff, stared at it, and SENT IT. By send it, I mean carefully chose a line with a little bit of snow and turned the second I landed, swore, and "stomped" it! I giggled and took a photo for posterity. Lower Professor was fun, mellower, and surprisingly bumpy. Lower Lower Jane Craig had some smaller bumps and was just as fun. I love this mountain!

I reunited with Sarah and Mom back at the Rangeley and we followed Upper Jane Craig. Upper Jane Craig has a similar headwall to the "cliff" on Professor, but just holds snow better. Run #12 was up the Kennebago (BACK on Chair #69!) and down America to Hudson Highway. We initially thought we'd ski all of Hudson Highway, but then the Wolly Bugger Glades caught out eye. They were... an adventure! The upper stretch was flat and tight. Then it started to steepen with just a few lines to choose from. Then it would open up. Then it would hit a little cliff. Then it could get narrow again. Then it got flat again. Then it got steep again with just a few lines. Eventually the woods nicely opened up (still tight, but many lines to choose from)! Somewhere in the lower 2/3rds we found Sasquach, too! How fun! We were quite relieved to exit these woods. They weren't bad, they were just more than we all emotionally signed up for at the time. We were all ready for a redemption run, so we skied just over to the T-Bar.

Runs 13-14

Run 13: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Blue Devil 

[0.56 mi; 648 ft]

Run 14: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Parmanchene Belle (L) - Gnat - Hudson Highway

[0.87 mi; 870 ft]

I got an introverted T-Bar ride up with Sarah and Mom ahead of me - we got a nice run on Blue Devil! Mom was ready for some food, so from there she skied back to the lodge, but Sarah and I were still going strong, so we hopped back on the T-Bar!

From there, we hit the Parmanchene Belle and hit the left side of the split (since I did the right side on Sunday). It was fun! Medium sized bumps. It was steeper up top but then mellowed out and the snow was holding pretty nicely. It was also nice to hot be hitting this run super late in the day. We hit the connector trail "Gnat" on the way back to the Rangeley, which was just fun to hit something new.

Runs 15-17

Run 15: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 567 ft]

Run 16: Kennebago Quad - Tri-Color - Intimiador Glades - The Pass

[0.69 mi; 959 ft]

Run 17: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca O - Black Beauty - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet

[2.02 mi; 1,567 ft]

Sarah and I had a few more adventures in us, so Run #15 was back down Green Weaver to the Kennebago and then #16 brought us down Tri-Color to the Intimiador Glades, which were just wonderful! Similar to Dark Wizard, tight and steep up top and wonderfully manageably challenging down low. These are the glades where Mom found her "inner aloha" (she came up a few years ago and met these kids in their early 20s who were have the time of their lives after MANY beers. They skied the run together, and when they parted ways they shouted "find your inner aloha, Mary!") - Sarah and I found ours, too! Once we were out, we hopped back on The Pass to get back to the Kennebago.

Run #17 was our grand adventure du jour. We wanted to ski the upper portion of Black Beauty. Since Firefly didn't even legally get us to Frost Bite on Sunday, we figured we'd ski on Dazzler to the Casablanca entrance and cut over on skier's left. I skied the entrance to Casablanca much better this time around and the first few turns in Casablanca 1 were solid! The trees were definitely tighter on this side. We kept to skiers left, but weren't noticing many tracks cutting over to Black Beauty (we really only noticed one set higher up than we wanted). We continued down, hugging skier's left, eventually finding ourselves in a relatively untracked area that was tight and steep. I am not good at tight trees, and the deep, relatively untracked snow made it more challenging for me! Mostly becuase I usually make a couple turns and stop, but this snow was not forgiving to stopping. At one point I did manage to get myself wedged between two small trees and had my knee in a precarious position - Sarah had to pop me out of my binding so I could adjust - not too fun! We continued on and we could see Black Beauty about 30 feet away at a few spots, but it would be essentially a bushwhack through deep snow which neither of us wanted. EVENTUALLY we made our way back to Casablanca 1, found the "0" sign, and popped onto Black Beauty from the same spot we did on Sunday... it was a nice try! We decided to call the run we did "Casablanca 0." I later checked the Strava Global Heat Map and it looks like people do ski the line we skied, but NOT many!

We both were ready for a groomer after that adventure, so we followed Lower Green Weaver to Green Hornet, which were like a reward after that challenge!

Runs 18-19

Run 18: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 567 ft]

Run 19: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[2.05 mi; 1,567 ft]

After this run, Sarah said she was ready for some hot chocolate, so she headed inside and I was back on my own! I took the Rangeley to Green Weaver for Run #18 and #19 was a nice cruiser run down America (still in the clouds), Hudson Highway, and Red Devil (I made sure to hit the other side of the split than what I took on Sunday!).

Daily Report

Tuesday, February 16, 2026.

Afternoon Update: 2:19PM

Today's Soft turns and warm temps have resulted in smiles all around. Tuesday has been a blast up here. The corduroy is skiing exactly how we like it to be when the temperatures get above 30. The natural terrain remains challenigng, exciting, and rewarding. This afternoon we've got Rob Fowler busting out the tunes in The Pub from 3:00 to 6:00pm. We've also got Kid's Movie Night in the Snowsports room tonight at 5:30pm.

There's still time to grab a reservation for tomorrow's Taqueria Night at the NEST. Time slots are filling up so be sure to act fast if you want to join in on an unforgettable evening at 3,620 feet of elevation.

Friday's Feb Fest has a lineup full of top-notch activities from start to finish. Online registration is available for skiers and riders ages 14 and under who would like to lay down their best lineup in the 3rd Annual Gee Whiz Grom Slopestyle Open. Check-in starts at 8:00am, practice runs at 9:00am, and first runs kick off at 10:00am!

All fun, all week! Saddleback is the place to be.

Runs 20-22

Run 20: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - Lower Peachy's Peril

[1.13 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 21: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Jane Craig - Lower Jane Craig (R)

[1.01 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 22: Ragneley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.90 mi; 1,175 ft]

Continuing on my solo journey and my loose side quest to connect all of Peachy's, Professor, and Jane Craig, Run #20 brought me up the Rangeley and all the way down Peachy's Peril. The big bumps on my exhausted legs led to some less-than-glamorous skiing, but I made it down with only a couple tumbles! Lower Peachy's Peril was reasonably bumpy and super fun, even on my tired legs.

While the bumps were softer and smaller, Jane Craig felt a bit more challenging than Peachy's, mostly because of the drop at the end. I did NOT do a great job, and managed to fall right into The Pass. Thankfully I was fine and I only nudged someone who was standing on The Pass (I apologized, he was unbothered). Lower Jane was much more challenging than Lower Peachy's - with endless bumps. Would have been an absolute blast earlier in the day! This trail splits twice - I followed the right side both times. My legs were jell-o!

Once back on the Rangeley, I got the text that Sarah and Mom were ready to head back out, so I zoomed down Grey Ghost to meet them. I had to go slower than I wanted to because the trail conditions were super scrapey, but I was happy to be back with friends! I like these days where I get some time with friends and some solo time, too.

Runs 23-25

Run 23: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Hudson Highway - Red Devil

[1.38 mi; 1,175 ft]

Run 24: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Tight Line - Garrison Glades - Hummer - Royal Tiger

[1.44 mi; 1,459 ft]

Run 25: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost - Jitterbug - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - T-Bar Line- Squirrel

[1.01 mi; 4:07; 1,198 ft; 25.1 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

Mom only wanted to do "two more skip the last," so we followed her lead going down Grey Ghost, Jitterbug, Hudson Highway, and then Red Devil, which was holding up nicely!

Sarah and I were both wrapping up for the day, but it was also almost 4:00pm, so we decided to just push until last chair and then skip the last. Run #24 was up the Rangeley, down Green Weaver and Lower Tight Line (a DELIGHT), and then we checked out the Garrison Glades! They were fun with 1-2 lines per section, but had a ton of trail crossings. I think out of the two beginner glades, I like Mrs. Duley more. I also wish they had more lines to choose from so beginners could practice making actual turns instead of following tracks, but it was still nice!

We talked about how to wrap up, and I mentioned to Sarah that I overheard a local saying that they allow skiing on the T-Bar line once lifts close at 3:50-3:55. We went back and forth, and then decided we might as well give it a shot, and worst case get another lap on one of the Devils. To make it fun, we wiggled down on Grey Ghost, Jitter Bug, Sneaky Pete, and The Pass. There were ~3 kids and ~2 adults waiting at the top of the T-Bar Line. We waited for a few minutes until the lift officially closed, the lifty at the top shack came out and said "you're good to go!," the kids skied down first, and then Sarah and I had a WONDERFUL run. We giggled the whole way back! It was SO NICE to ski on fresh corduroy at 4:00pm, especially after skiing like poop for the back half of the day! This might become a new tradition of ours!

We wrapped up in the lodge and visited the gift shop. Sarah, Mom, and Andre went to the grocery store for pasta and meatballs for dinner, and then we had a wonderful night of food and chit chats back at the AirBnb. Only one more day of vacation left!

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Black Mountain of Maine (Day 22/Indy Day 19/Vacation Day 4)

Skiing Black Mountain of Maine

Monday, February 16th, 2026

Runs: 13

Distance: 13.59 miles

Elevation: 14,826 feet

Max Speed: 39.8 mph

Avg. Speed: 14.6 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 1 minute, 6 seconds

Total Time: 5 hours, 5 minutes, 45 seconds

Legs were TIRED from a big day at Saddleback yesterday, but naturally it was time to get going again! I was telling myself that I'd take it easy on our BMoM day, which I guess rang slightly true? The lift is slow, so I had to go slower than yesterday! We woke up before our alarms (yay!) and had a nice slow morning with a stop at Dunkin in Rumford. The lodge was basically deserted when we arrived at 8:30am, which was a treat! We got our beloved wicket tickets and slowly booted up, getting ready to ski just after 9:00am!

Mountain Report

Feb 16th 6:00am

School Break is On & we're open all week long with special events and live music. Check out the full schedule. We're skiing and riding on 38 trails and the mountain is in fantastic shape. Today's forecast is calling for a few flurries this monring with the possibility of the sun peeking out this afternoon and temperatures in the upper 20s. Expect fresh corduroy on groomed trails and skier packed poweder on ungroomed surfaces. There's still plenty of pow if you know where to look and you've got a little Moxie... hint hint.

Just be sure you know the policy before venturing out. Our free live music series continues in the Last Run Pub this weekend. Saturday it's the return of Kitty and JT from 2pm-5pm and Sunday we welcome father daughter duo Chad and Nora from 1pm-4pm. All ages and admission is FREE!

Runs 1-4

Run 1: Summit Lift - Allagash - Songo

[1.16 mi; 3:56; 1,096 ft; 30.4 mph max; 17.6 mph avg]

Run 2: Summit Lift - Allagash - St. John - Allagash - Sandy - Lower Rapid

[1.06 mi; 3:13; 1,066 ft; 36.1 mph max; 19.8 mph avg]

Run 3: Summit Lift - Androscoggin

[0.81 mi; 2:28; 1,119 ft; 39.8 mph max; 19.7 mph avg]

Run 4: Summit Lift - Upper Androscoggin - Kenduskeag - Androscoggin - Upper Sunday - Big Eddy Glades - Arostook

[0.78 mi; 3:42; 1,102 ft; 28.7 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Sarah, Gen, Andre, and I spent the first few laps all together exploring the groomers that the mountain has to offer. I forget how fast this mountain skis! Our first rus was down our beloved Allagash, which was a dream first thing in the morning. It really is a perfect wide blue cruiser, and the penultimate headwall is a nice challenge for a newer skier without too much consequence. I followed Songo on the way out, which was full of death cookies!

Run #2 was similar, but we altered the route by hitting St. John (one of Gen's favorites) and exiting via Sandy and Lower Rapid, the ladder of which had some nice fun rollers! We were really enjoying our quiet morning, which was full of tee's and hee's. Truly our only complaint of the day was that there was no wind (which is a crazy complaint) - the paper factory in town had quite the smell, and it had made it's way over to the mountain. Alec was getting ready for his snowboard lesson ($100 for a ticket, lesson, and rentals!) and asked about the smell, and the instructor told him it only gets like this on no-wind days.

Run #3 was fun because we got to cheer Alec on during his lesson as we rode the lift! We skied Androscoggin all the way down, which was just in spectacular shape. I was glad the mountain basically had nobody becuase 1) no lines but also 2) I didn't feel bad practicing my giant S-turns all the way down. Turns out this was my fastest run (mph-wise) ever! My speed record for last season was also at Black Mountain of Maine, so that added up.

Run #4 was our final variation on the groomers. We followed Upper Androscoggin to Kenduskeag, which had some dirt showing! We got back on the main part of Androscoggin and then took Upper Sunday (fresh cords!) to the Big Eddy "glades," where Gen got some practice making turns around widely-spaced trees! She was killing it, especially for having no poles!

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Summit Lift - Moxie - Upper Bagaduce - St. George - Upper Saco - Lower Saco - Lower Sunday

[1.54 mi; 10:12; 1,309 ft; 23.4 mph max; 9.0 mph avg]

Run 6: Summit Lift - Piscataquis - Peobscot - Lower Rapid

[0.83 mi; 3:23; 1,106 ft; 25.5 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

Run 7: Summit Lift - Swift - Upper Rapid - Kenebec - Sticky

[0.82 mi; 3:58; 1,102 ft; 27.8 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

Our next three runs featured just Sarah and I - Gen and Andre went in for a break and then some practice rounds, which I think turned into the two of them doing their own things. Run #5 brought Sarah and I up the Summit Lift and then a steep little 5-minute hike up Moxie. I really had two goals for this Maine trip: explore Casablanca at Saddleback, and do at least one of the Moxie runs at BMoM! The hike really wasn't bad, minus a few minutes of huffing and puffing. The view from the top of Moxie was the best, I'm pretty sure we could see Mt. Abram! Our run brought us down Upper Bagaduce, which was surprisingly groomed (and therefore a little hard-packed). We then kept going wide onto St. George, which was all-natural and fun! Not wildly deep snow, but just enough to ski without hitting any sharks. These trails just felt more rugged than the main ones, I think partly becuase of the "logged in the past 10 years" characteristic of it. We also caught a little tree view to Saddleback (we think)! From there, we hit Upper Saco, which was a dream! Lower Saco was less of a dream, and basically an long ice chute down to Lower Sunday. It was a fun adventure!

Run #6 had us stopped on the chair for a few minutes, so naturally we started to practice our solfege skills to the Star Spangled Banner. As was the case with Black Mountain in New Hampshire, the chair started moving once we finished the first phrase! Very nerdy, very silly. We went to check out the blacks off the Summit Lift - Piscataquis to Penobscot to Lower Rapid. Piscataquis was scrapey up top but with some fun bumps towards its end, and Penobscot and Lower Rapid were hard and fast and fun!

Run #7 basically served as an excuse to fill in our map for the day. We followed Swift (the upper lift line), which was a little scrapey to Upper Rapid, which was fun, to Kenebec, which was more fun, to Sticky, which was different fun! Sticky was a bump run under the lower bit of the lift. Thankfully, the bumps were soft! Gen saw us bumping our way down and got a video - I didn't look too horrible! We quickly got back on the lift and I gave Gen a "WAIT FOR MEEEEEEE." She did!

Runs 8-10

Run 8: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Allagash Woods 1 - St. John - Allagash - Sandy - Lower Rapid

[0.85 mi; 4:21; 1,204 ft; 29.2 mph max; 11.7 mph avg]

Run 9: Summit Lift - Upper Androscoggin - Kenduskeag - Androscoggin - Upper Sunday - Magalloway

[0.99 mi; 3:31; 1,096 ft; 30.4 mph max; 16.8 mph avg]

Run 10: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Allagash Woods 2 - Allagash - Alley Loop - Allagash - Sandy - Lower Rapid

[1.11 mi; 7:43; 1,099 ft; 34.2 mph max; 8.6 mph avg]

Run #8 was with Sarah, Gen, and I. Sarah and I went into Allagash Woods 1 (entrance right at the junction with Allagash and St. John, and it was nice! It was right up my alley in terms of "not overly challenging but I still need to work hard." This spat us out on St. John, and we met Gen where Allagash and St. John came back together! From there we followed Allagash, Sandy, and Lower Rapid out.

Run #9 was a repeat of #4 per Gen's request, with a slight alteration of hitting Magalloway instead of Big Eddy after Upper Sunday - it was still a DELIGHT. After this run, Sarah went in to rent a snowboard to join Alec for a bit, Andre was having some lunch, and Gen and I got right back to it!

Run #10 was a semi-friend semi-adventure run for me. We went down Upper Allagash and I jumped into the woods for Allagash Woods 2, which I think was my favorite of the two I had done - snow was a little nicer, woods a bit more open, and the run was a bit longer. Gen waited for me at the exit (I'm impressed she landed at the right one!) and managed to get a great photo of me LAUNCHING out of the woods against my will. We continued down, and I went into the Alley Loop woods, which were pretty boney and less-than-pleasant. The exit was tight, steep, and just awkward to navigate (which in fairness could have been a me-problem. I met up with her at the Allagash/Lazy River junction, and we skied Sandy to Lower Rapid back to the chair.

Runs 11-13

Run 11: Summit Lift - Moxie - Bagaduce - Lower Sunday - The Bean

[1.44 mi; 6:35; 1,329 ft; 26.5 mph max; 13.1 mph avg]

Run 12: Summit Lift - Scrog - Androscoggin - Upper Sunday - Aroostook

[1.01 mi; 1,096 ft; 30.7 mph max; 13.6 mph avg]

Run 13: Summit Lift - Allagash - Sandy - Lower Rapid

[1.21 mi; 3:35; 1,102 ft; 31.4 mph max; 20.3 mph avg]

Gen went inside for a snack, Andre was off doing his own thing, and Sarah and Alec were snowboarding - I was back riding solo! I decided this would be my second Moxie run. The skiing the first time wasn't great, but it was like an old mosquito bite that you accidentally itch, I had to explore more! I rode the lift and hiked up solo and decided I'd follow Bagaduce all the way down. The sun had warmed up the snow at this point in the afternoon, so the snow was soft and almost creamy in the sun! There was one headwall that was exceptionally wonderful. The last bit towards Lower Sunday was similar to Lower Saco, but more forgiving. I wrapped this run up with The Bean, and then I found Gen again! She was ready for her "two more skip the last," so I happily joined her.

We decided to hit Upper Androscoggin to Androscoggin to Upper Sunday to Arostook. I hit Scrog (the woods between Swift and Upper Androscoggin, which were easy but I managed to fall attempting a tighter-than-necessary turn - all good! The mountain was still skiing great at 2:30pm! When we hit the beginner area we heard "MATT, GEN!" from the lift, and it was Sarah! We cheered her on as she stumbled off the lift and got some action shots of her SHREDDING (slowly) down Aroostook. Gen stayed with Sarah for action shots, and I headed back to the lift to get my "two more skip the last" before some apres at the Last Run Pub.

My last run was just a wonderful cruiser down Allagash, Sandy, and finally Lower Rapid. I was feeling good! Albeit tired, but good!

We all wrapped up just after 3:00pm and headed up to the Last Run Pub for a few apres drinks and to play a card game "Trailmaster" that I got off of Etsy - it was fun, even though the rules weren't super clear. We'll probably just stick to Rummy, but it was fun to try something new!

We made our way back to the AirBnb to rest a bit before dinner, which was going to be breakfast! Sarah brought her waffle iron, so we had that, eggs, bacon, tater tots, and lots of giggles! Sarah's mom also joined us! The rest of the night was chill and we had an earlier bed time because we were heading back to Saddleback tomorrow!

Map of Black Mountain of Maine (2025-2026)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain (Day 21/Indy Day 18/Vacation Day 3)

Skiing Saddleback Mountain

Sunday, February 17th, 2026

Runs: 21

Distance: 21.41 miles

Elevation: 23,264 feet

Max Speed: 36.6 mph

Avg. Speed: 12.4 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes, 14 seconds

Total Time: 6 hours, 42 minutes, 56 seconds

It's time!!! The grand return to Saddleback Mountain. This is the third year that Gen and I were visiting this wonderful mountain, and it's been fun to bring more friends every year! Each time we come we reflect on our first visit where we BARELY left the South Branch area. The first day we went we barely made up the Rangeley and down Hudson Highway, and the second day we DID make it to the Kennebago, but only made it down America (which was spectacular). Last year we definitely leveled up - I ended up skiing just about every blue on the mountain minus some bump runs, and I even did my first black/double black on the mountain with Tight Line! My big goal this year was woods, specifically Casablanca, and Sarah was super excited to take me over there! We had an early wake up (5:45am) and Gen, Sarah, Andre, and I piled into my car for a 6:15am departure! Our drive took a little over 1.5 hours due to ME-17 having a recent dusting of snow, which makes for some rough roads near the height of land all the way to the junction with ME-16 - I was STRESSED but we made it totally fine. The rest of the drive was great! We got to the lodge around 7:50am, soon got breakfast at 8:00am, and were all booted up and ready to go just after first chair at 8:30am!

Daily Report

Sunday February 15, 2026. 6:20 AM

Sunday Funday! Anyone up for some skiing and snowboarding?

It's an all-you-can-eat type of day up here at Saddleback; everything is good. 68 trails of trees, tricks, and incredibly inviting corduroy. 8:30am gets us going on all 6 of our lifts. Another inch of snow overnight and packed powder as far as the eye can see with an alarming amount of untouched powder still hanging around in the trees. The sun will be gracing in the mountain today adding more warmth to the mountain and bringing temperatures into the upper 20s by noontime

With this much snow it can be easy for your eyes to be bigger than your stomach. Always ski in contol and respect posted signage across the mountain. When venturing into the trees and other natural terrain, please be aware that natural hazards do exist. Always enter natural terrain with a buddy or two, as we like to say, "Threes in trees." not only is skiing with a crew the safest way to go about our natural terrain, it's also the best way to get photo evidence of those thigh-high stashes you'll be finding.

Plenty of events and activities on the docket for today and throughout the week. Brunch at The NEST today, DJ starts spinning the tunes as 12:00pm. Once you make your way into The Pub for the evening, our Apres Music Series will be underway from 3:00pm to 6:00pm, featuring the musical stylings of Barney Martin. A full lineup of this week's events is available online as well as registration to join in on Friday night's Torchlight Parade prior to the fireworks.

Stay safe and have a blast!

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Royal Coachman

[0.95 mi; 2:56; 1,319 ft 36.6 mph max; 19.4 mph avg]

Run 2: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost

[0.91 mi; 3:01; 1,273 ft; 34.7 mph max; 18.1 mph avg]

We piled onto the Rangeley with almost no wait and were off! I will say, it was nice to be on a hi-speed quad after being at Mt. Abram and Camden Snow Bowl the past couple of days! We could help but gawk at the corduroy underneath us, so Sarah and I decided to hit the Royal Coachman first thing. Gen and Andre opted for the blue that runs mostly parallel, Grey Ghost. It was NICE. It was cold, but NICE. I am eternally working on carving on steeper runs, but it was still NICE. We met back up at the Rangeley for out next run, which was a four-person lap down Grey Ghost (Sarah and I always giggle on this one because the mascot for the school we teach marching band at is the Grey Ghost) - I forgot how fun this pod of blue runs is! Definitely on the steeper side, which makes for some great turns before it gets scraped off!

Runs 3-4

Run 3: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.48 mi; 2:04; 633 ft; 26.5 mph max; 14.1 mph avg]

Run 4: Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway - Red Devil - Hudson Highway

[1.77 mi; 7:05; 1,699 ft; 35.2 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

It was officially time for our first America run of vacation! Run #3 was down Green Weaver, which really is a great trail before the sharp left turn to the Kennebago gets scraped off. From the Kennebago, we took a few pictures at the top (NO CLOUDS!) and truly giggled the whole way down America! The cords were to die for and the views were just spectacular, especially over towards the Presidentials. From there, we followed the Hudson Highway headwall disaster area to the Red Devil before finishing out on Hudson Highway back to the Rangeley. We were truly in the best of moods and so happy to be back.

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Professor - Jane Craig - The Pass

[0.47 mi; 4:27; 643 ft; 18.8 mph max; 6.4 mph avg]

Run 6: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Lower Tight Line - Lower Green Hornet - Dusty Miller

[1.88 mi; 6:53; 2,024 ft; 34.3 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

Run 7: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - Col. Bates - Thrombosis Glades (R) - Lower Peachy's Peril

[0.94 mi; 6:26; 1,273 ft; 23.7 mph max; 8.7 mph avg]

Sarah and I were getting ready for our adventure runs, but naturally we all wanted to keep riding the lift together. Run #5 brought us back up the Rangeley. Gen and Andre continued on Green Weaver to the Kennebago, while Sarah and I went down Professor to Jane Craig to get to the Pass before hitting the Kennebago. Professor had some big bumps, Jane was a bit more mellow. Jane did have an impressive headwall, though! I'd say I navigated them decently! 

Run #6 was up the Kennebago - it was time! We said "goodbye for now" to Gen and Andre, who went off on their own for a while, and Sarah and I hopped onto Dazzler to the infamous Tight Line. I forget how ridiculously steep the headwall is! It was also pretty wind-scoured, which was less than ideal, but also completely fine. We (I) too a deep breath and reminded myself that the first turn is the heardest mentally, and once that first turn is over the rest is literally fine, and I was correct! It definitely was a little scrapey (I also have not tuned  my skies in a while...), but I made it down pretty decently! I was ahead of Sarah, and I enjoyed looking behind and seeing just a cloud of white smoke from everyone skiing down. From there, we followed Lower Tight Line, which was a DREAM. Legally ungroomed, it skied super fun with just a few small bumps here and there. We didn't plan to go all the way to the tippy bottom (mostly because the South Branch Quad is dreadfully slow), but then we saw the untouched Lower Green Weaver and simply had to - we giggled the whole way down! Our run ended with Dusty Miller, and then we had a nice relaxing on the South Branch Quad, which is comically noted as being for "beginners, terminal intermediates, and tired folks."

We went back onto the Rangeley for Run #7! We were going to start dipping into some trees, but I wanted to start with some lower on the mountain to get my feet wet before going into Casablanca (joke was on me - this next run was much harder than the Casablanca glades). We bumped our way down Peachy's Peril, which had larger bumps than Professor and Jane Craig, and then turned onto Col. Bates before dipping into the Thrombosis Glades (we picked it for the fun-to-say name, mostly). The upper stretch of them were definitely the tightest and some of the steepest glades I had ever skied, but I handled them well (I think)! They opened up after crossing The Pass, and were super fun! We got spat out onto Lower Peachy's Peril, which was a mellower bump run (truly the best kind of run for me to practice on). I was feeling good!

Runs 8-11

Run 8: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Peachy's Peril - The Pass

[0.40 mi; 4:01; 597 ft; 19.4 mph max; 6.0 mph avg]

Run 9: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca #1 - Black Beauty

[0.90 mi; 9:22; 1,060 ft; 25.6 mph max; 5.7 mph avg]

Run 10: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Casablanca #4 - Nymph

[0.88 mi; 9:56; 1,040 ft; 22.4 mph max; 5.3 mph avg]

Run 11: Kennebago Quad - Dazzler - Tight Line - Firefly - Frostbite - Lower Green Weaver - Lower Peachy's Peril

[1.38 mi; 7:12; 1,680 ft; 25.8 mph max; 11.5 mph avg]

Now we were getting ready for the main adventure! We took a long ride up the South Branch Quad followed by a nice, fast one up the Rangeley. Lines were prominent at this point in the day, so we started riding the singles line, which moved quickly. In an attempt to avoid Green Weaver at it's worst, we followed Peachy's Peril to The Pass to get to the Kennebago. Bumps were big, but soft! I think I make my turns too tight on these larger bumps, which causes me to slide and slam into the troughs... Just a thought.

Run #9 was the big one for me - my innaugural trip into Casablanca! We skied down Dazzler to Tight Line, and then Sarah coached me for what's to come next - basically get speed on any down hills and then lots of side stepping for the uphills. There was a small conga line of people making their ways across, but I wouldn't call it busy. There was an older couple that was struggling on the side stepping that held us up, but Sarah and I were both relatively unbothered (the people behind us felt differently). After some more skiing up and down, we eventually made it to the signs for the Casablanca Glades! We followed the little entry side-cut off of Black Beauty, which brought us to the fabled winter wonderland I had heard so much about!

It was BEAUTIFUL in there and felt borderline other-worldly, especially on a bluebird day. It was steeper up top and the trees trended a little tight, but nothing was out of my comfort zone. I even linked a few turns! We took a ton of photos, continually gawking at how pretty it was. The snow got better and better the lower we got. The glades are roughly marked with numbered signs on trees (1, 3, and 4, but we never found a #2?). We followed the 1s basically the whole way down until we found a #0 sign, which we think marked the exit to Black Beauty. I felt really proud of myself for not just surviving, but also skiing medium decently! Black Beauty was a natural-snow bump run that didn't have many big bumps to contend with, which made it a FUN bouncy cruiser. We were hooting and hollering all the way down back to the Kennebago!

We went a little more adventerous for Run #10. We were simply curious what it was like out near Muleskinner, so we hiked all the way, with the goal being Casablanca #4. We learned that the entrance for our last run was just for the "Casablanca Glades," and that there were seperate entrances each for Casablanca "Chutes" 1-4. The ski/hike out was a tiring, but still beautiful. We eventually accidentally skied past Chute #4 and came to Muleskinner, where ~7 people were hanging out, likely catching their breaths. There wasn't a clear entrance to Casablanca 4 from here, but we asked the folks and they said there's plenty on the left side of Muleskinner, so we went for it!

Casablanca 4 is otherworldly looking - wide open and just WHITE. The upper stretch was a bit... the word I would use bony but not the usual bony. Lots of small treetops it seemed scattered between the larger trees. A bunch of stumps, too. Thankfully, no rocks! Just very hard snow. The skiing wasn't hard but the thinking was! Thankfully, the wide open views made up for it. We were initially under the impression that the glades got harder 1-4, but it turns out #4 was the easiest - no complaints from me! 

The snow was deep down low and we eventually exited onto Nymph, which was a fun cruiser with just a few bumps. We found ourselves thinking about how much fun Black Beauty was, so our next goal would be to find our way there, but higher up. The main entrance off of Dazzler was closed, but on the map it looked like we could take Tight Line to Firefly over to Frost Bite, which seemed to be identical to Black Beauty. Back to the Kennebago!

The Tight Line headwall was rougher than before, and we had to really hit the breaks to stop in time to hit Firefly. Firefly was naturally ungroomed and pretty narrow, but plenty easy to follow. We were soon on Warden's Worry, which was hard and crusty with exposed stumps. We could have descended from here, but we wanted Frost Bite! Firefly seemed to evaporate after Warden's Worry, though. Two kids got ahead of us and continued on, so we assumed we could follow? This was basically a single-track near-bushwhack traverse. Our skis were getting caught between trees and it was overall not a glamorous journey, but thankfully we were rewarded with... more stumps! When we came out of the remnants of Firefly (on the paper map the trail does go to Frost Bite, but on the interactive map online it appears to stop at Warden's Worry) we flew onto more hard, crunchy, stumpy, branchy, nonsense. At this point, I accepted fate and made a few turns down, ultimately landing in some spectacular natural snow. Sarah took the gentler approach. Eventually, we were both in the land of the goods and had a super fun run down. We continued past the Kennebago and went down Lower Green Weaver to Lower Peachy's Peril, which was a fun way to wrap up this adventure run. Afterwards, Sarah went in for a snack break and I started a bit of a solo adventure.

Runs 12-14

Run 12: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Kennebago Quad - America - Hudson Highway

[1.52 mi; 5:45; 1,040 ft; 26.0 mph max; 15.9 mph avg]

Run 13: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Blue Devil 

[0.56 mi; 2:32; 682 ft; 22.6 mph max; 13.2 mph avg]

Run 14: Cupsuptic T-Bar - The Pass

[0.38 mi; 1:50; 279 ft; 19.8 mph max; 12.4 mph avg]

Something that was fun about this day was that I kept trading friends! Sarah went away, but I almost immediately ran into Gen! She was getting ready to wrap up her day, so I joined her! Run #12 was all the way up and down America and Hudson Highway. America was perfect as usual and I hadn't skied ALL of Hudson Highway since last year. I thought "wow, this is great!" until I got to the flats, which were actually uphill... Oh well! It was still a lovely cruiser. 

We stopped at the T-Bar, where she was thinking about calling two or three more to skip the last. We got a nice run down Blue Devil before hopping back on. She wanted to ski Lower Tight Line (or Lower Green Weaver, unclear which she meant...) for her final run, but I proposed we go to the tippy top and get a tippy bottom run in to put a bow on her day - she was in! Run #14 was up the T-Bar and over The Pass to the Kennebago (ALERT: some uphill side stepping/aggressive skating was required). 

Daily Report

Sunday February 15, 2026.

Afternoon Update: 1:01 PM

We're kicking the week off in style here at Saddleback. After a long spell of skiing in multiple layers, we have hit the sweet spot for all you February Vacationers. We've got MOUNTAIN (get it?) of family-fun activities every day all week long with a tasty mix of sunny days and snowy days. Take your pick, it's a WIN either way!

Runs 15-18

Run 15: Kennebago Quad - America - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Tight Line - Little Inky Boy - Hummer

[2.46 mi; 11:02; 1,969 ft; 28.6 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

Run 16: South Branch Quad - Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Grey Ghost - The Pass - Silver Doctor

[0.66 mi; 2:32; 955 ft; 27.2 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]

Run 17: Cupsuptic T-Bar - Parmachene Belle (R)

[0.49 mi; 5:16; 666 ft; 18.5 mph max; 6.9 mph avg]

Run 18: Cupsuptic T-Bar - The Pass - Golden Smelt - Lower Royal Coachman

[0.80 mi; 5:35; 896 ft; 23.1 mph max; 8.6 mph avg]

Gen's final run was an absolute delight! America, Sneaky Pete, The Pass all the way to Lower Tight Line, then Lower Inky Boy and Hummer to wrap things up. Truly my favorite part about this run was just skiing with Gen again! Her season basically ended this week last year due to some family troubles, so it was so nice to have her back. Our super slow ride up the South Branch Quad was also lovely. We roasted in the cold sun and just talked about how much we love Saddleback.

On the spirit of trading friends, I said "goodbye" to Gen (who went to get a waffle and sit outside listening to the DJ they had playing) and "hello" to Sarah and Andre! The three of us hopped onto the Rangeley, which had a much smaller line now, and checked out Silver Doctor, which was relatively unpleasant in terms of both people and snow conditions. We got back to the T-Bar where they rode together and I got some introvert time in behind them. They went down Blue Devil and I checked out Parmanchene Bell (the right side at the split) which was... fine. Narrow, bumpy, would be a hoot and holler on a pow day! It was mostly hard bumps on tired legs.

We all got back on the T-Bar for Run #18. Andre was calling his two more skip the last and Sarah had to pee. I was juicing for more! I told Sarah I'll get a quick lap of the Rangeley in while she uses the bathroom and then I'll meet her at the bottom so we can get a few more runs in together.

Runs 19-21

Run 19: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver - Lower Green Weaver

[1.17 mi; 4:01; 1,253 ft; 25.8 mph max; 17.4 mph avg]

Run 20: Rangeley Hi-Speed Quad - Green Weaver

[0.45 mi; 1:50; 610 ft; 21.6 mph max; 14.8 mph avg]

Run 21: Kennebago Quad - America - Sneaky Pete - The Pass - Lower Green Weaver - Green Hornet

[2.07 mi; 8:07; 1,640 ft; 30.3 mph max; 15.3 mph avg]

My solo lap was mostly lovely! I took the Rangeley to Green Weaver, which was scrapey in the expected area, and then I continued onto Lower Green Weaver to connect the two dots. The Lower Green Weaver was still in EXCELLENT shape and just a delightful cruiser. When I got to the bottom I saw a text from Sarah that she got on the Rangeley (rude), so I got right back on, assuming I'd meet her at the top (which I texted to her). She was no where to be found! I waited for about five minutes for a text, phone call, or just an apperance, but nothing. I was feeling a bit let down/ghosted, but I decided to move on with my day and finish up my runs. I took Green Weaver over to the Kennebago and then from the top I followed America, Sneaky Pete, The Pass, Lower Green Weaver, and Green Hornet (first and last two of which were wonderful). I did get COLD on this last run, so I called it there. I definitely could have squeezed in one more, maybe even two off the Rangeley, but my legs were cooked and the groomers were rough.

I met up with everyone inside by the fireplace and told Sarah how HURT I was (she missed the part where we agreed to meet at the bottom of the Rangeley) and then we all went upstairs for dinner/apres at The Pub! The view of the mountain was exceptionally beautiful as it changed colors with the sunset. 

The drive home was remarkably easier than the drive there, and once we were all cozy we watched the classic "Hot Dog... The Movie"! It was Andre's first time watching it. I forget how spectacular it is every time!

Map of Saddleback Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Mt. Abram (Day 20/Indy Day 17/Vacation Day 2)

Skiing Mt. Abram

Saturday, February 14th, 2026

Runs: 17

Distance: 15.90 miles

Elevation: 14,281 feet

Max Speed: 35.7 mph

Avg. Speed: 13.0 mph

Moving Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, 39 seconds

Total Time: 6 hours, 41 minutes, 58 seconds

Day #2 of vacation! We were out the door at a luxurious 8:00am headed towards the one and only Yogi-Bear-themed Mt. Abram! Sarah and Alec were going to take snowboarding lessons, so we all parked on the Westside (which we hadn't done before!). The Westside has a small parking lot and very cute little lodge with a basic cafeteria (where you can also buy some beer). It's there the snow school and rental shop is located, which was perfect! The drive from the AirBnb was just under 30 minutes (or just over if you include a stop at Dunkin Donuts...), and we were blessed with princess parking! Gen and I were running slightly ahead of the other car, which would become the trend for the trip (which is completely fine, Gen and I are both folks who get ready super quickly at home and can take time in the lodge). The other car arrived 10-15 minutes after, and Gen, Andre, and I went out to the Skyline Chairlift right when it opened at 9:00am!

Current Conditions

February 14th, 2026

Good morning Mt. Abram and happy Saturday!

Love is in the air and so are bluebird skies. It's a crisp start to this Valentine's Day, but sunshine will warm things up quickly and we'll see balmy temps in the low 30's. A dreamy mid-February day to spend with your favorite people on the slopes.

Our grooming team laid down a fresh round of corduroy overnight, and with 100% of terrain open, the mountain is yours to explore. There's something special about February snow under bright sunshine, and yes, there are still fresh tracks waiting in a few hidden pockets if you know where to look.

We're thrilled to have RideSource helping with shuttle service between Mainside and Westside today. Westside parking fills up fast, so park at Mainshide, hop on the shuttle, and making your way over with east. It's all part of keeping the day smooth and stress-free.

Feeling festive? Take a romantic spin up one of our double chairs and soak in those mountain views together. Or spice things up with a ride on the T-Bar, spinning at 10am and ready for anyone looking to keep things interesting.

And when the lifts stop turning, keep the spark alive at the Loose Boots Lounge. Toby McAllister & the Sierra SOunds kick things off at 6:30pm for a lively apres scene that feels just right.
Have a lovely day out there!

Runs 1-2

Run 1: Skyline Chairlift - Egomaineah

[0.56 mi; 2:25; 456 ft; 29.1 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]

Run 2: Skyline Chairlift - Mahoosuc Meadow - Hay Road - Skyline Drive

[0.78 mi; 3:53; 459 ft; 20.0 mph max; 12.1 mph avg]

The three of us decided we'd get a couple runs in before Sarah and Alec went off to the Snowboard lessons (naturally, we HAD to take first day of school photos!). We got our skis on and Gen asked where he poles were, which was confusing because they were right next to mine? Or at least they used to be? They were GONE. We think someone took them by accident, becuase why would you only steal a pair of ratty poles? Poor Gen wasn't even using poles for skiing - just for lift lines - and she couldn't even use the one with her bad wrist, she planned to hold it just to build strength! She ended up skiing the rest of the day, and the rest of the trip, without poles.

The first run was down the lift line - a fun blue called Egomaineah. The corduroy was super soft and vibes were excellent! Our second run was down the looker's right side of the area, following Mahoosuc Meadow, Hay Road, and Skyline Drive, which was more or less a condo run, which is more or less my FAVORITE type of run! Skyline Drive did get FLAT at the end, snowboarders be warned.

After our two runs we found Alec and Sarah, who just got their rentals all squared away. We took photos for their first day of school and then the three of us decided to head over to the Mainside. I was especially excited to check out The Way Back Machine (their double summit lift), since last time I only rode the T-Bar!

Runs 3-4 

Run 3: Skyline Chairlift - Easy Rider

[0.73 mi; 2:56; 486 ft; 26.8 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]

Run 4: The Way Back Machine - Sweeper - Lallypalooza - Sweeper - Dudley Do Right

[1.16 mi; 5:07; 1,115 ft; 32.0 mph max; 13.6 mph avg]

Run #3 was down Easy Rider - a nice cruiser with great snow. Run #4 was up The Way Back Machine and we followed a nice winding route down via Sweeper and Dudley Do Right. I opted for the little chute called Lallypalooza - I had skied it last year very poorly, so I wanted to redeem myself! I did a medium job... I'll try again later. Sweeper was fun, and Dudley Do Right was a perfect blue. Wide with just enough to pitch to get some speed and wide turns in without being a menace. 

Runs 5-7

Run 5: Maine T-Bar - Sweeper - Fearless Leader - Round a-Bout - One Today

[1.27 mi; 5:20; 997 ft; 35.7 mph max; 14.3 mph avg]

Run 6: Maine T-Bar - Sweeper - Lallypalooza - Fearless Leader - Round a-Bout - Upper Rocky's Run - Lower Rocky's Run - Round a-Bout - One Today

[0.60 mi; 5:16; 978 ft; 19.8 mph max; 6.9 mph avg]

Run 7: The Way Back Machine - Rough Rider - Taylor's Treat - Egomaineah

[1.24 mi; 6:23; 1,073 ft; 27.6 mph max; 11.6 mph avg]

The line for The Way Back Machine was getting pretty congested, and I noticed that the T-Bar had no line! They had some signage clearly indicating to not ride this T-Bar if it's your first, but I said "no day but today!" Gen was inside for a bathroom and water break, and I successfully coached Andre through his first T-Bar ride (which moved just a little faster than the chair) - he did great! He went his own way down and I took Fearless Leader to Round a-Bout, which is a super fun trail. From there, I went down One Today to get back to the lift, where Andre decided to head inside for a snack.

I traded Andre for Gen for Run #6, or at least the T-Bar ride. This was also Gen's first T-Bar since her wrist surgery - she also did great! I wanted to start hitting some more challenging trails that I missed last year, so Gen and I split up and I went back down Lallypalooza with marginally more success, and then I wiggled my way to Rocky's Run. The upper section was labeled as black and the lower was double black with a bail-out option. The whole run was ungroomed with soft bumps - it was actually wonderful! I ended up sticking with Rocky's Run and slowly bounced my way down the steep headwall, only scraping a few rocks on the way - I might have even linked a few turns!

We waited for Andre for a bit but did not see him, so Gen and I got onto The Way Back Machine and started our journey back to the Westside for some lunch. We followed Rough Rider, which was... appropriately named. The snow was natural and not great. The trail was very crowded with beginners and bombers, and it also doubled as the uphill route. Not great! Once we had survived, we realized that it was almost at the end of Sarah and Alec's lesson, so we FLEW down Taylor's Treat and Egomaineah. I cut through near the end of the trail and nearly ran Sarah over! They were both having a fantastic time with their lesson.

Gen and I started our lunch break first, and Sarah and Alec were maybe 15-20 minutes behind us. I'm bad at "hanging out" mid-ski day, so I got a beer once my food (which was car pizza) was done to hold me down. Andre eventually reappeared and we had a good 10-15 minutes all together! 

Runs 8-9

Run 8: Skyline Chairlift - Easy Rider

[0.74 mi; 3:52; 486 ft; 25.7 mph max; 11.4 mph avg]

Run 9: The Way Back Machine - Frostbite Falls - Bullwinkle - Easy Rider

[1.27 mi; 4:38; 1,109 ft; 27.7 mph max; 16.4 mph avg]

Sarah and Alec wanted to take a longer break and keep snowboarding post-lesson, so Gen, Andre, and I started our return trip back to the Mainside. I rode the Skyline Chairlit with a mom from Hingham, MA, who has two kids that had my friend, Melissa, as a much teacher - small world! Easy Rider was a dream and then we politely suffered through the ~5 minute lift line for The Way Back Machine.

Andre split with us for Run #9 - Gen and I had our sights set on Bullwinkle, which was... fine. Entirely scraped off, so it was more of an ice-skating adventure than anything, but we were glad we did it! We followed Easy Rider back afterwards got back to work on the T-Bar.

Runs 10-13

Run 10: Maine T-Bar - Sweeper - Lower Fractured Fairy Tales

[0.77 mi; 6:16; 994 ft; 20.3 mph max; 7.3 mph avg]

Run 11: Maine T-Bar - Boris Badenov

[0.69 mi; 2:49; 984 ft; 31.7 mph max; 14.7 mph avg]

Run 12: Maine T-Bar - Sweeper - Dudley Do Right - Taylor's Treat - Mahoosuc Meadow - Skyline

[1.21 mi; 6:21; 948 ft; 25.5 mph max; 11.5 mph avg]

Gen ran back inside to use the bathroom, so I hopped back on the T-Bar to tackle Lower Fractured Fairy Tales, aka the bumpy lift line! It was totally fine. I took it slow and focused on choosing my line and connecting a few turns at a time. I was so happy that the snow was soft! I found the worst part of skiing a lift line is the first few turns, but it's easy to forget about the audience once you're in it. 

I caught Gen again for Run #11 where we revisited our good friend, Boris Badenov (our favorite from last year). The snow on Boris was GOOD - I had a nice bomber run down it. Gen was responsible and took her time. We found Andre again, who was waiting for us at the T-Bar with skis off? Guess it was a comfort thing! I put the two of them together since he was new to the T-Bar and she only had one working wrist and I got a solo ride up.

We decided to make our way back to the Westside to hopefully find Sarah and Alec snowboarding, since she said they were getting ready to wrap up for the day. We followed Sweeper to Dudley Do Right to Taylor's Treat, and then we took a gamble on Mahoosuc Meadow to Skyline, and we were correct! They were both giggling on the ground, so we all joined them! We took some silly photos and then skied away (I should have warned them about how flat it got...). 

Runs 13-14

Run 13: Skyline Chairlift - Mahoosuc Meadow

[0.61 mi; 2:32; 446 ft; 25.1 mph max; 14.4 mph avg]

Run 14: Skyline Chairlift - Easy Rider

[0.72 mi; 2:33; 489 ft; 30.4 mph max; 17.0 mph avg]

After this, Gen was ready to be done, so I proposed we get one more lap in of only Mahoosuc Meadow, since that's the one green trail we hadn't done yet. It was lovely! Even with a long lift line...

Sarah and Alec were making it back right as Gen and I finished our lap. Sarah said she wanted to put her skis on and get a power hour in, and I was more than happy to oblige! I didn't want to wait too long, though, and the Skyline Chairlift line was still long, so I said I'd meet her back on the Mainside. I rode up with someone who was a true Day #1 beginner that maybe shouldn't have been on the chairlift, but we made it, and I had a lovely Easy Ride(r) back to the Mainside.

Runs 15-17

Run 15: The Way Back Machine - Rough Rider - Snowfields - Rough Rider - Easy Rider

[1.39 mi; 6:14; 1,099 ft; 27.7 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]

Run 16: The Way Back Machine - Sweeper - Fearless Leader - One Today

[0.87 mi; 4:03; 1,099 ft; 27.2 mph max; 12.8 mph avg]

Run 17: The Way Back Machine - Sweeper - Bullwinkle's Other Horn - Frostbite Falls - Sweeper - Taylor's Treat - Egomaineah

[1.29 mi; 5:01; 1,063 ft; 28.6 mph max; 15.4 mph avg]

Run #15 was up The Way Back Machine, since they closed the T-Bar at 3:00pm (boo!), but I used this as an oppotunity to check out Snowfields, which was slightly uphill, but had a beautiful view of the Presidential Range. Rough Rider down was still rough, and Easy Rider was still Easy!

Sarah and I met at the bottom and rode up together and finally had a chance to debrief the day, which was just a delight all-around! It sounded like Andre was having a good time and was totally fine doing his own thing sometimes (like the rest of us), which was great! We skied down Fearless Leader, which was a fun bomber run, and got back to the chair around 3:40. We wanted to hit Boris Badenov, but didn't want to risk getting stuck on the Mainside. We got to the top around 3:50, and decided the responsible thing to do is go to back to the Westside, so we opted to ski like maniacs all the way down, and MAYBE get a "two more skip the last" in once back on the Westside. We flew down Sweeper to Bullwinkle's Other Horn (a favorite trail name of the day) to Frostbite Falls to Sweeper to Taylor's Treat and finally to Egomaineah. We were within 100 yards of the chair when we saw the lifties call last chair - so close!

We all packed up together in the adorable lodge that was quickly thinning out. Our first stop of the evening was to the grocery store in Bethel for ice cream and other snacks, and then we unsuccessfully tried to get dinner in town, but everything was packed! Instead, we hopped back in the car(s) and drove the Sunday River Brewing Co. for a wonderfully average apres dinner. Back at the AirBnb, we reflected on our day, got cozy, and watched GNAR before bed. 

Map of Mt. Abram (2025-2026)