Small Maine downhill ski areas. Quoggy Jo Ski Center Presque Isle Maine is one in Aroostook County.
Family friendly, low cost Maine ski areas turn winter snow into outdoor fun. Skiing in Maine does not have to be expensive or limited when stepping into the downhill boards.
This blog post about small Maine downhill ski areas.
The visit to Quoggy Jo ski center in Presque Isle Maine this past Sunday made me think about small downhill trail facilities.
The small Maine mountains need lots of volunteers because the volume of skiers is smaller just like the lift ticket price.
And throw in a couple no show snow Maine winter weather droughts. When zip for consistent supplies from up above of new fresh powder snow. And well, then your small friendly area ski area in Maine can find itself reeling on the ropes.
Too cold, no snow, any pull back on local financing help. Or the loss of volunteers who pitch in while their families are young, etc. There is a lot stacked against the small Maine downhill ski areas. Insurance liability is one of the biggest expenses. Combined with power to run the mountain ski lifts, a profit for payroll, to keep the lights and heat on in the base lodge.
Quoggy Jo started as a registered non profit ski area in December 27th, 1957.
The history of the Quoggy Jo ski center . Dating back to back to 1932, today the downhill area is owned and operated by the Quoggy Jo Ski Club. Through fundraising, corporate business partners and generous donations from local Maine community members, Quoggy Jo operates 11AM to 4PM. That’s providing there’s plenty of snow and no hazardous weather conditions. The ski center provides rural Maine families with an affordable outdoor winter downhill recreation experience.
You can’t beat the $10 lift tickets, $12 rental packages, and FREE lessons small Maine downhill ski areas provide.
Quoggy Jo Ski Center offers a full service snack bar, ski rentals and if you don’t have fun, it’s your own fault. Patrons and those working at Quoggy Jo all try to make sure everyone enjoys their small Maine downhill ski area experience. To get them to keep coming back for more skiing on the groomed Maine ski slopes.
The Quoggy Jo downhill ski area offers beginner skiers a vertical drop of 215′. Slow and gradual, no blistering speeds tucked in and racing down this small Maine downhill trail slopes. No one is training for the Olympic speed trials at Quoggy Jo. There is one ski lift, a double t-bar. No snow making, just what ever Mother Nature supplies to trail groom and maintain. There is night ski riding and terrain parks with some mild jumps. The phone number of Quoggy Jo Ski Center is 207-764-3248. Quoggy Jo’s small Maine downhill ski area located at 420 Fort Road, Presque Isle ME 04769 in Aroostook County. This is close to home for Aroostook County and New Brunswick Canadian residents.
When Loring Air Force Base in Limestone was operational, many of the stationed families took advantage of Quoggy Jo’s Maine downhill skiing facilities.
Affordable, everyone in the family had fun and something to do besides ice skating, sliding or ice fishing. Winters in Maine are not spent on the couch hibernating. Snowmobiling is another big recreational pursuit. Snow sledding really jump starts the Maine winter tourism economy along with skiing.
There is no better atmosphere to learn to ski than a small Maine family friendly local downhill mountain or hillside operation.
Close to home, lift tickets and ski equipment rentals won’t break the bank. Everyone’s love for their small Maine ski area is great. Because all pitch in to support it from fund raisers, blog grant writing and taking turns with other parents to man the stations. The fire in their belly passionate ski volunteers are on fire invested so kids get introduced to beginner level down hill alpine memory making.
There’s Marge working the snack shack with your cousin, her granddaughter. Your Dad is helping a beginner figure out the best length of skis for their skill level. Your brother is hot dogging and showing off for his teenage friends on the small hill’s steepest run called the Bomber.
There is nothing like riding up the t-bar being pulled along with music, laughter, under the light night skiing too.
When you are a kid, looking back as an adult increases your appreciation of all the volunteers that keep the small Maine ski area mountain open for another downhill season.
In college at the University of Maine at Orono, winter downhill night skiing at Hermon Mountain was one low cost close by option.
Sure planning a trip and pooling the resources to head over to Sugarloaf USA was an downhill ski slope adventure too. But small local Maine ski areas to get your fix of downhill fun and exercise hit the spot quick and easy. Something more personal and home grown happens in the small Maine downhill ski areas. Maybe it’s because your visit is more appreciated by those volunteering at the slope or due to many visits to downhill ski. Not just once a year or less due to the distance away or high cost to subsidize mountain operations. Small Maine mountain ski areas are popular places and so low cost, so nearby to visit for another perfect winter day.
In my small Houlton Maine home town, Hovey Hill had a rope tow.
Lots of runs down the slope and just as much time spent pulled up the hill and gliding down it. Out in Colorado, when you ski in the Rockies you get lifts up to the top of several peaks with a series of gondolas and lift lines. On a small Hovey Hill ski area, a re-purposed Maine farm tractor jacked up with the big rear tire removed and the engine running the continuous rope tow. The Hovey Hill small Maine ski operation long gone run by the local parks and rec department. The downhill trail slope was near Houlton International airport’s glide path from the southern runway approach on dead end Hovey Hill’s elevation very handy to the Canadian US international boundary line.
No double and triple black diamonds and all the down hill trails at a small Maine ski area are green circle safe and easy.
Ideal for beginners skiers to avoid a trip to the hospital emergency room with a broken leg or two. Way way less stressful for the parent(s) shepherding the downhill family beginner skiers. When you live in Maine, you are just glad to have a small mountain or nearby hill ski area in your own backyard. For the kids and their parents to bundle up with clothing layers to swish swish carve the snow. Your support the small Maine mountain downhill ski area anyway you can to keep it up and operational.
May Mountain in Island Falls Maine was another small family ski area that I took my four kids to when it was open.
When I brought along my oldest brother Stephen’s three kids, the volunteers at May Mountain were awesome. Taking the never skied before newbies by the hand to show them each the ABC’s of this is how you ski. Now when I ride by May Mountain on US RT 2 on the way to list or show a Maine property listing, I think about the small downhill ski area experience. The big cable wore out, the mowed slopes grew up to brush. The base ski lodge had a second floor added and is now a re-purposed single family home with one long driveway, tremendous views, a killer sized parking lot.
The kids skiing May Mountain grew up and moved on to other slopes in Maine and beyond.
Those kid’s parents were the life blood of May Mountain, Hovey Hill, other small Maine ski areas. Local small Mom and Pop businesses all pitched in their support for the love of downhill snow skiing. Just like they do to underwrite little league teams and local school musical and sporting programs.
Another small local ski area beside Quoggy Jo in Aroostook County is Big Rock in Mars Hill Maine.
Just across the border into Canada I used to book a room at the Holiday Inn in Edmunston so the kids could ski Mont Fralagne in New Brunswick Canada.
Usually the boys had a hockey team game in Plasterock or Grand Falls and we were close enough to stick around an extra day. To step into the snow skis for family fun on another small but Canadian downhill facility. The American dollar being stronger than the Canadian loonie helps subsidize the small mountain skiing fun. Lonesome Pine Trails in Fort Kent Maine is another small ski operation in Aroostook County.
Crabbe Mountain in Upper Haynesville New Brunswick Canada is another affordable family ski mountain folks in Northern Maine use.
You don’t have to race to get to Crabbe Mountain ski area either.
Open until 10 PM Canadian time meant after church, we all piled in the Jeep or Excursion to beeline for the Crabbe Mountain slopes an hour away. Lift ticket options beyond just full or half day meant you got your money’s worth downhill skiing at Crabbe Mountain.
Sugarloaf USA and Sunday River ski areas are Maine’s two biggest facilities.
Large enough to be more than just put into operation for winter downhill skiing, the condos and resort hotel rooms at the summit used for year round group meeting conventions.
I’ve had Maine REALTOR state MAR association conventions at both Sunday River and Sugarloaf USA ski resorts. Over the years MAR has rotated where the continuing credit and guest speaker sessions will be this and next year.
It’s different coming into the base lodge without any snow, not wearing ski boots when you visit A Maine ski area off season.
The Maine ski areas not just put to use when snow is on the ground. The Maine ski resort operations expanded to offer golfing, biking, hiking the green not white colored trails. Leaf peeking the brilliant fall foliage colors with chair lift and gondola rides up the larger mountain slopes. Wondering about local Maine comfort food pub style cuisine choices that go hand in hand with the vacation recreation.
An off season mountain visit causes one to wonder and dream about new snow, groomed trails and down hill winter skiing to come.
And fond memories of past time spent on the Maine ski slopes flood the gray matter. More Maine ski area information. Check out these other Maine ski area locations and try out some new slope set up beyond your personal most visit favorite downhill mountain venue location.
Do you ski and which Maine mountain slope is the closest to where you life in or outside Maine? Getting you out of the house and on a set of skis or snowboard. Hope this blog post on small Maine downhill ski areas was helpful to get you headed to one or two this winter.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker