Founded by three brothers, the Mount Abram ski area in western Maine has been delighting and entertaining families for six decades. The low-key, throwback mountain offers an alternative to New England’s major players, including Sunday River, its neighbor just down the road. The no-frills ski resort, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this winter season, draws a loyal following of families who have been skiing the mountain for generations.
“Many of my closest friends are people I’ve met skiing at Mount Abram,” says Laurie Fitch, who has been skiing the mountain since she was about 5 years old. “I see new families come to the mountain and new groups of kids find each other and repeat the cycle.”
Advertisement
The Mount Abram story began in the spring of 1960 when local logging brothers Norton, Stuart, and Donald Cross decided to develop a ski area on the northeastern slope of Mount Abram in Greenwood, Maine, on land they owned. They cleared the slopes, installed a 1,000-foot T-bar, and officially opened on Dec. 11 that year.
“The idea of do-it-yourself was unique to the Cross brothers,” says Dave Irons, author of “The History of Mt. Abram, Maine’s Family Ski Area.” “Unlike today when ski resorts hire companies to build and install lifts, the boys simply bought the lifts and erected them. Cutting the trails was natural for the loggers, and they sold the logs.”
At the same time, Sunday River was also beginning to develop their trails. “Sunday River had about a year head start,” Irons says. “But it was nowhere near the mega resort it would become in the later years.”
In fact, Mount Abram and Sunday River were comparable in size and scope for the first several years of their development, engaging in friendly competition.
In the winter season of 1970, Mount Abram installed the 4,121-foot-long Way Back Mountain double chairlift, becoming the first chairlift-served ski facility in the region, and dramatically increasing its uphill capacity and vertical drop.
Advertisement
The 1970s were good years for Mount Abram, when new trails were cut and the base lodge expanded, but the warm winters in the early 1980s were brutal. One season, they used helicopters to haul snow up to the mountain. Snowmaking was finally added in the 1985-86 season, with five miles of pipe installed, providing top-to-bottom snowmaking.
The following years, the resort went through three foreclosures and had three sets of owners. Today, Mount Abram is owned by a group of five local families. All have been skiing Mount Abram for several years and have homes in the area.
And while Sunday River expanded into one of the largest ski resorts in New England, Mount Abram continues to make modest improvements while maintaining its down-home charm. Family-friendly, low-key, affordable, this is what Mount Abram fans love most about their mountain.
“Mount Abram is unique in that it still has the feel of a small, community ski mountain,” says Will Chapman, president of the Greenwood Historical Society. Chapman has skied the mountain since he was a teenager.
Fitch agrees. “The friendly and low-key atmosphere has remained mostly unchanged through the years and people love the easy-going vibe,” she says. “It’s not a fancy resort, nor does it have the longest or steepest runs, but people can feel comfortable packing a bag lunch and parents can feel confident that their kids are safe skiing on their own.”
Advertisement
There are two distinct areas, the Main Mountain and the Westside Area, with a free shuttle operating between the two areas. The Westside Area is reserved for beginners and intermediates with wide open teaching terrain, and its own chair and base lodge.
In all, there are 36 trails, 1,150 feet of vertical, four lifts, 450 acres, and two base lodges. The variety of terrain is fairly evenly distributed, with 35 percent beginner, 42 percent intermediate, and 23 percent advanced. And who can resist the Rocky & Bullwinkle trail names, such as Boris Badenov, Rocky’s Run, Fearless Leader, and Natasha’s Niche?
We’d suggest dropping the kids off for lessons at Westside (check on COVID safety protocols), and then hitting south-facing Sweeper and Roundabout blue cruising trails to catch the morning sun. Work your way across the mountain several times, skiing the narrow and fast Rocky’s Run when your legs are still strong, and tackling the wider, black diamond Fearless Leader and Boris Badenov trails. You’ll likely find corduroy cruising on blue square runs like Bullwinkle and Maybelle’s Tail. End the day on wide and rolling Dudley-Do-Right as the sun goes down. The last time we skied the mountain was on a weekday after a small snowstorm. We spent the day solitary skiing virgin snow for one of our more peaceful, easy mountain experiences in New England.
Mount Abram, Greenwood, Maine, 207-875-5000, www.mtabram.com. Dave Irons’s just-published book, “The History of Mt. Abram, Maine’s Family Ski Area” is available on Amazon.
Advertisement
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at bairwright@gmail.com