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The view from from Saddleback ski area in Rangeley is one of its best known features. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
RANGELEY Tracey Russell stepped away from the photo she was taking with her parents and children in front of the Saddleback lodge, their smiles obvious though hidden by face masks. And, as she stopped to reflect on this long-awaited family gathering, she choked up.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Today was the first day we’ve been able to hug my parents in a year.”
That memorable pandemic moment, Russell said, was made all the sweeter because it happened at the family’s favorite ski mountain.
"People really wanted to ski," Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin said. "They didn't want this to be one of the things the pandemic took away from them."
The ski mountain that overlooks Rangeley Lake, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) from Portland, closed before the 2015-16 winter season despite what longtime skier Lizzy Reinholt described as a loyal following that appreciated the mountain’s laid-back vibe, down-to-earth people, plentiful snow and old-school New England trails. Advertisement
“Because it’s always been family owned and hasn’t been so commercial, people forget you’re skiing on one of the biggest mountains in Maine,” Reinholt said.
It’s been a long, rocky road to reopening.
A local foundation tried unsuccessfully to reach a deal with the Berry family that owned the ski area. Then an Australian businessman promised to transform the ski area into a four-season resort. It never happened.