Ski Mount Abram Explained

Mt. Abram
Location:Greenwood, Maine, United States
Nearest City:Bethel, Maine
Coordinates:44.3792°N 70.7069°W
Base Elevation:  
Skiable Area: trail
total
Number Trails:44
Nightskiing:No
Liftsystem:5
Terrainparks:No

Ski Mount Abram is a small family ski area and mountain bike park in Greenwood, Maine, located a few miles outside of nearby Bethel, Maine. Since its founding in 1960, Mount Abram has steadily grown from a single t-bar serviced area to a modest mountain, with over of vertical drop, four lifts servicing 10 easy, 21 Intermediate, and 13 expert trails.[1] [2] The lift serviced mountain bike park opened to the public in the spring of 2020 and is one of three lift-serviced mountain bike parks in state of Maine.

On July 1st 2024, Mount Abram re-joined the Indy Pass, giving pass holders two days at the ski area with no blackouts.[3] Mt Abram was previously on the Indy Pass, but left in 2017 due to new management.

Trails and lifts

Mt. Abram can be broken up into two distinct areas, which are the main mountain and West Side. West Side is the beginner area which has one Double Chairlift and a magic carpet. Most lessons are taught in this area. The main part of the mountain is serviced by The Way Back Machine, a double chair built in 1970. The main mountain consists of many Black Diamonds and Blue Square trails.[1] Most trails at "Mt. A" (a nickname given by the local community) are named after the Rocky & Bullwinkle T.V show from the late 50's. Some names include Dudley Do Right, Boris Badenov, and Natasha's Niche.[2]

As far as lift service goes,[4] Mt. Abram has a reliable, low-capacity lift system. All chairlifts and surface lifts at Mt. Abram are under 1,000 riders per hour, in order to prevent trail congestion and high skier traffic across the mountain.

Name Type Builder Year Built Vertical
Length
Ride Time Notes
The Way Back Machine 1970 1037 4121 8.2
Skyline 1988 461 3300 8.4 Relocated from Pico, Vermont.
Maine 1960 First lift at Mt. Abram.
Mini 1965 300 1800 4.2 Rebuilt for the 2021 - 2022 ski season.
Sawicki Magic Carpet 2011Runs near the Westside lodge.

Mountain Bike Park

Mt. Abram began building their lift service mountain bike park in 2019 and it opened to the public in the spring of 2020. The Bike Park operates out of the Westside of the mountain and typically runs from Memorial Day through mid October. Over the years they have added more trails and in 2022 they debuted a trail system from the summit with advanced and expert terrain that can be accessed by the Way Back Machine chairlift.[5]

Current trails as of 2023:

!Trail Name!Level!Location!Description!Year Built
Super ChickenGreenWestsideWide machine built flow trail2019
George's JungleGreenWestsideWide machine built flow trail2019
Grease SlapperBlueWestsideWide machine built flow trail with larger berms and tabletops2019
WhiplashBlueWestsideWide machine built flow trail featuring larger berms, tabletops, jumps and spines2020
Pinball WizardBlueWestsideHand built technical trail featuring rock gardens, roll downs and switchbacks2019
Yellow JacketBlackWestsideHand built technical trail featuring rock gardens, roll downs, drops and bridges2020
Rock BottomBlackWestsideHand built technical trail featuring advanced rock gardens, bridges and roll downs2020
GhosterBlackMainsideHand built technical trail featuring rock gardens, roll downs & off camber turns2021
BedrockerDouble BlackMainsideHand built technical trail featuring rock gardens, roll downs & long rock slabs2022
PB & CDouble BlackMainsideHand built technical trail featuring rock gardens, roll downs, drops and wooden berms. (This trail ends at the Main Side)2022

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://skimaine.com/areas/mtabram Ski Maine Association
  2. http://www.mtabram.com/ Mt Abram Ski Area
  3. Web site: Our Resorts: Mt Abram . 1 July 2024 .
  4. Web site: Mt. Abram, ME . 4 May 2023 .
  5. Web site: 2021-11-03 . Trail Map – Bike Park - Mt. Abram . 2024-02-18 . en-US.