There’s an old saying “familiarity breeds contempt.”  In this case, familiarity breeds forgetfulness.  Shawnee Peak is a mountain that sits in the middle of a number of populated areas…yet if you talk to skiers from around the area, many of them say “oh, I’ve never skied there,” or “gee, I haven’t been there for years!

That leads to an atmosphere that is…relaxed. I skied Shawnee (for the first time in a decade!), and had roughly the same conversation with three different people from Massachusetts three different times up the lift. It basically went “you know, it’s easy to get to, there’s lots to do around the area, and it’s NEVER busy!” I can vouch for that…I went on a gorgeous Sunday, and never waited more than 2 minutes in a lift line. Other friends were at bigger name mountains…and they all faced huge crowds.

So…why is Shawnee so forgotten? Well…they don’t advertise a lot, they aren’t at a destination, and it’s not a “big” mountain.  Now, here’s the good news…the skiing was great! Conditions and grooming were excellent, particularly considering that we’d had rain and then a hard freeze the evening before.  As for the trails…I was pleasantly surprised. There are over 40 trails, and a good range of steeps, bumps, twisties, and wide groomers. No, you don’t have 3000 feet of vertical…but you get onto a chair at the main lodge, and it deposits you at the top, allowing you to take full advantage of the vertical without a lot of work to get there.  With 98% snowmaking, more of the terrain is open than on many larger mountains, so you get the best use of the trails that are there.  I had a blast, and wasn’t bored in the slightest.

Now, when you take a mountain that’s been around forever (the longest operating area in Maine), with modest services and little money spent on advertising, and the result you get is low operating costs. Low operating costs=low ticket prices! Shawnee’s highest ticket price is $52 for weekends…WAY below most mountains. And, it’s almost impossible to NOT find a discount deal. For instance, Sunday afternoons are $25.  How about night skiing (19 trails, well lit, a total blast) during the week for $23 (and only $25 on Saturday)? Maybe you’ve got something to do during the day on Saturday…well, show up for a $55 pass that allows you to ski from 4-10 Saturday AND 8:30-4:30 on Sunday!  There are discounts on other days, as well…go to www.shawneepeak.com for the details!  Put in your information on what you’re looking for, and they’ll email you back with the best deal. Heck, even the food in the cafeteria is below the usual price at ski areas.

For a fun/dollar ratio at a ski area that’s easy to reach, is within range of shopping areas like Portland and North Conway, doesn’t make you wait forever in lift lines, and has some great trails, Shawnee Peak is hard to beat. Enjoy it while it’s still “the forgotten mountain”!