Can Maine cities and towns rekindle some of the excitement and community involvement that the winter carnivals of decades ago generated?
Deirdre Fleming
Deirdre Fleming covers the outdoors for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, and has been a newspaper reporter in Maine for 25 years - and an outdoor writer for the past 20. During that time, she’s seen biologists trap 500-pound bear, watched fishermen land high-jumping makos, camped on Moosehead Lake in the winter, and retraced Gov. Percival Baxter’s first trip to Mt. Katahdin. She is often asked, but still does not know her favorite wildland in Maine. A graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Missouri, she lives with her husband in Buxton near the Saco River, where they both fly fish.
Posted inOutdoors
Would your family rather be skiing? Tell us why (in a funny way)
Want to learn to ski or snowboard for free? Make us laugh. It’s that simple. To welcome winter and celebrate January as Learn to Ski Month, The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram has joined forces with the Ski Maine Association for a contest that last year sent six families to the slopes for free. We […]
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Posted inLife & Culture, Outdoors
Upward Bound
Climbing a mountain on skis before descending — also known as randonnee skiing or Alpine touring — gains converts in Maine.
Posted inNews
Mechanics tried to fix cable before chairlift derailed
Mechanics at the Sugarloaf Mountain Resort were trying to realign a chairlift cable Tuesday when it derailed and dropped five chairs carrying skiers into the snow 25 to 30 feet below, resort officials said Wednesday.
The announcement came as state inspectors ended their first full day investigating the accident, which sent eight people to hospitals and stranded dozens of skiers on the Spillway East lift for as long as an hour and 44 minutes.
Posted inNews
Update: Wind was factor in Sugarloaf accident
3:13 p.m. A spokesman at Sugarloaf ski resort confirmed this afternoon that a ski lift mechanic was working on one of the poles when the lift derailed yesterday, sending several skiers plummeting to the ground. There had been reports from eyewitnesses of a worker on the pole, but this was the first confirmation from the […]
Posted inSports
They’re riding high
Payson Park’s terrain park could be renamed Good Will Hill.
For the past two years Mainers and recreation groups have given to the small hill in the city park. Now area youth can learn aerial tricks there for free.
First came the free terrain park features that were donated in 2008 by Maine’s ski mountains.
Posted inOutdoors
Getting to the top is just half the fun
As word spreads that the full moon hikes up Mt. Abram are a good time, skiers and snowboarders join in the spirited monthly outing.
Posted inSports
Here’s the lowdown on Showdown
Portland’s winter festival, with skiers and snowboarders in Monument Square, will take place, but the date is uncertain.
Posted inSports
The Wonders of Winter: Many Mainers just make it happen
From the snow belt to coastal communities, enthusiasts are adding to what Mother Nature already provides.
Posted inLife & Culture, Outdoors
Off to a flying start
The ‘impressive’ new skatepark in Portland attracts crowds of riders, who say they love it, but will still take to the streets.