Taking care of ski bummery business was yesterday's theme. Fortunately, some of that business was happening at Attitash, in Bartlett, N.H.

Motoring northwest with my ski buddy Anne Tarbell of South Portland, I took care of some journalistic business at The Mountain Ear newspaper in Conway before heading over to Attitash. We skied the east side of the two-peak area and picked up some lift tickets that I'll give away at the next meeting of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club on Dec. 5.

Anne Tarbell sets out near the Attitash base lodge yesterday.
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Four chairlifts were running on two peaks yesterday at Attitash.
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Skiing into the Flying Yankee high-speed quad yesterday at Attitash.
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Communications director Krissy Fraser noted that the favorable snowmaking weather was forecast to continue, and she projected bigger trail counts for the upcoming weekend.

We also had a nice chat regarding the improvements and business philosophy of the new owners, Peak Resorts.

Snowmaking was in full force yesterday and the forecast is optimistic for the next few days.
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On the way home, we took care of Anne's supply of Burger King two-fer coupons, pigging out on a fireside feast and splitting the total bill of $10.36.

Isn't that honest-to-goodness ski bummery?

Continuing back to Portland, Anne acquired some raw materials for her handicrafts hobby/business and I dropped off my new skis for binding adjustment at Sports Haus in Bridgton.

Black Friday's shopping madness in the malls equated to quiet time at Attitash yesterday, with a few hundred post-Turkey day schussers showing up for top-to-bottom skiing at the most popular resort in the Mount Washington Valley.

It's the first season that Attitash has been under the ownership of Peak Resorts, and their corporate signature -- heavy, heavy use of large fan guns for snowmaking -- was very noticeable. "Ski the Big Guns" is their advertising slogan.

Back in April, Missouri-based Peaks purchased Attitash plus Mount Snow in Vermont from the now-defunct American Skiing Company.

They're certainly making a statement early in the season. Four chairlifts served all 1,750 vertical feet from two summits: Attitash on the east and Bear Peak on the west.

Four lifts were running yesterday at Attitash, serving all 1,750 vertical feet. Above, two start out on the summit triple.
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I recalled back to 1984, when snowmaking was fairly new at Attitash. On the day after Thanksgiving of that year, one lift served about 200 vertical feet -- Thad's Choice from the midway station. And we thought we had it good!

I visit Attitash quite often. At 65 miles from Portland, it's closer than Sunday River, and the Mount Washington Valley's vibrant ski scene is unique in New England.

Among yesterday's skiers were five-year-old Miles Woodbury and his dad Dave. They were mostly doing the quick-like-a-bunny routine on the bunny slope.

Quick like a bunny! Five-year-old Miles Woodbury cruises the bunny slope at Attitash yesterday.
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Miles gets some advice from his dad, Dave.
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Cruising into the lift area near the Attitash base lodge.
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With a very cold night forecast, I expect that the Big Guns of Attitash will be roaring, pouring out the white stuff.

Forget "Black Friday." Think white. The 46th annual Down East Ski Sale is happening tomorrow, and for hundreds of downhill and cross-country enthusiasts -- and snowboarders too! -- it's the big event of the shopping season.

It's especially popular with budget-minded families.

The Gervais family arrives at last year's Down East Ski Sale. The sale has been a fixture of Maine ski culture since 1962.
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The sale runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday only at the Portland Expo on Park Avenue, near the ballpark. Expect about 10,000 items for sale. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of the items are new -- mostly unsold inventory from the '06-'07 season offered at huge discounts. Most of the top ski shops bring truckloads of gear for sale; they also send experienced sales reps to help out.

About 10,000 items of ski gear and apparel will be offered at the Portland Expo on Saturday.
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To be sure, there's still lots of used gear offered by private parties; this was how the sale began back in 1962. It's still run by the Down East Ski Club, which has been a mainstay of the Maine ski scene since 1948.

Also contrary to the popular notion, waiting lines have been minimal since the DESC moved the sale to the Expo.

In addition to new and used gear, many stop by the info displays set up by organizations such as Ski Maine and resorts such as Saddleback and Black Mountain of Maine. Get good deals on ski passes and vacation planning.

When you go to the Down East Ski Sale on Saturday, be sure to check out info displays such as Ski Maine's. Above, Joanne Taylor of Saddleback and Bo Bigelow of Ski Maine.
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The Ski Bum is a big fan of the sale; he's bought lots of stuff, most recently a complete set of nordic gear in 2006. He was assisted by Sarah Carter, daughter of David and Anne Carter, of Carter's Ski Shops and X-C centers in Oxford and Bethel.

Sarah Carter helped the Ski Bum purchase a new set of nordic gear at the 2006 Down East Ski Sale.
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Nordic skiers can give thanks for an early opening of the cross-country season, thanks to recent snowfall at Bretton Woods touring center.

A total of 20 km are currently open, with 10.3 km groomed for classical and skating.

Bretton Woods, New Hampshire's biggest ski resort, is located near the base of Mount Washington, the loftiest peak in the northeast. Here are a couple of pix taken on Sunday.

Crossing the Ammonoosuc River with Mount Washington in the background. Bretton Woods Nordic Ski Center opened this past weekend, with 20 km open, 10.3 km groomed for classical and skate.
PHOTO COURTESY BRETTON WOODS RESORT

The famous 1903 Mount Washington Hotel is the centerpiece of Bretton Woods ski touring center.
PHOTO COURTESY BRETTON WOODS RESORT

Spokeswoman Irene Donnell reports that cross-country buffs from Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts have arrived for their first tracks of the season.

This is the first official opening of a nordic center in New England for the 07-08 season, although some friends in Aroostook report that they've been messing around on a few inches of snow for the past week.

Brettons Woods' nearby alpine ski area has been open since Nov. 10 and currently reports 11 (of 101) trails from three chairlifts.

For that, give thanks to Bretton Woods' army of snowmakers.

Yesterday's snowfall in Portland reminded me that it's time for serious planning for a ski vacation this winter and Charlie Leocha's superlative annual guidebook is a principal resource I'll consult.

Charlie Leocha's annual book, Ski Snowboard America, is the bible of resorts across North America.
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The essential guidebook for planning a ski (or snowboard) vacation. Period.

Big Sky in Montana offers special deals to Maine Pass holders, and thus makes an especially attractive travel option. Let's look at some of the Big Sky info contained in this big guidebook. (Quotes in italic typeface.)

Big Sky in Montana offers specials for Maine Pass holders, and it rates seven pages in Charlie Leocha's Ski Snowboard America guidebook.
PHOTO COURTESY BIG SKY

Big Sky, with its impressive Matterhorn-shaped peak scraping the heavens at 11,166 feet, is a serious skier’s mountain from the summit, yet it has excellent cruisers closer to the base. Indeed, the intermediate groomers are such a delight that experts who wear themselves out on the tougher terrain still have plenty to grin about as they swoop down the lower trails with friends and family.

But Ski Snowboard America also addresses the needs of beginners:

Though not physically isolated from the rest of the terrain, the learning area, at Lone Mountain’s base, is away from high traffic until the end of the day. A moving carpet transports you up the slope to learn your first turns. For the youngest ones, a smaller moving carpet is in a fenced-off area in the base area used children’s ski school.

Amenities are extensively covered as well. About half of each resort's total space is devoted to matters of accommodations, dining, nightlife and overall gestalt. The Carabiner in the Summit Hotel rates high marks.

Ski Snowboard America gives good marks to the Carabiner in the Summit Hotel.
PHOTO COURTESY BIG SKY

The list price for this 544-page paperback volume is $24.95. Although Ski Snowboard America is sold in bookstores, Charlie also recommends Amazon.com, which offers a substantial discount.

Much the same info on all the resorts covered can also be obtained online at Charlie's companion website, www.skisnowboard.com.

Also note: Although Charlie is the top dog at Ski Snowboard America, most of the material on specific resorts is gathered, verified and reported by professional journalists who have been hired for this purpose.

In order to assure editorial independence, there are no ads in the book.

Also note: There are no photos. The pix on this blog page came directly by Big Sky.

My friend Cherie Perkins has been an avid skier since the 1950s, but she never started a season before Thanksgiving -- until yesterday when we went to Sunday River.

Cherie's one of several ski buddies I've met through the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club.

The sun was shining and the snowguns were howling as we hit the open terrain, mainly a cluster of popular trails on Barker Mountain and Locke Mountain.

Cherie Perkins poses at the top of Barker Mountain, with snowguns in the background.
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Unloading the Barker Mountain quad at Sunday River yesterday.
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The best skiing was off the Locke Mountain triple. The T2-Cascades route has always been a favorite with me.

A small terrain park was set up near the bottom of T2. Lots of activity, but nobody seemed quite ready for "Playground," the latest Warren Miller movie.

Group gets ready to head down Upper Sunday Punch after unloading the Locke Mountain triple chairlift.
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Snowboarder joyfully descends Cascades at Sunday River yesterday.
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Cherie Perkins stops for a break midway down Cascades.
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Yesterday's snowmaking activity was concentrated west of Barker, on the Spruce and South Ridge areas. They're obviously preparing for the Thanksgiving long weekend. Planned activities include Sunday River's annual Demo Days on Saturday and Sunday, where skiers and riders can try out the newest gear for a nominal fee. Also scheduled is an open rail jam on Saturday. Click here for details.

The 2007 Boston Globe Ski and Snowboard Expo opened last night with enthusiastic crowds pouring into the big building during a pouring rain.

They were getting tons of gear from Ski Market and getting info and advice from dozens of resorts and other companies.

The Ski Market sales area was busy last night at the Bayside Expo in South Boston.
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Boots anyone? Check out the Technica display and info area.
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All three of the ski area trade associations in northern New England were represented: Ski Maine, Ski New Hampshire and Ski Vermont.

And most of the bigger resorts in each state sent their own reps and set up info and sales booths.

Joanne Taylor, marketing director at Saddleback, represents this up-and-coming destination resort.
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Eric Schoenholz sits on one of the old single chairs at Mad River Glen. The funky skier-owned resort spent $1.6 million this past summer to rebuild its iconic one-seater.
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I stopped by Peak Resorts, which is the owner of two New Hampshire ski areas: Attitash in Bartlett and Crotched Mountain, in Bennington. The Missouri-based ski area chain is hugely into snowmaking and especially embraces fan guns.

Craig Messa, of Crotched Mountain, explains the workings of the new fan guns, the latest rage in snowmaking.
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Krissy Fraser, of Attitash, and Greg Sweetser, of Ski Maine, have an animated conversation on the floor of Bayside Expo.
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I picked up a copy of Ski and Snowboard America, the annual publication published by Charlie Leocha. It's considered the gold standard of ski travel guides. I plan to do a review within the week, but let's note for the moment that I chatted with Charlie, who added that virtually all the info contained in his 544-page paperback can also be obtained online at www.skisnowboard.com.

Charlie Leocha's annual book, Ski and Snowboard America, is the bible of resorts across North America.
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Stein Eriksen, one of the two or three most famous skiers on the planet, reminisces about teaching during the 1960s at Sugarbush.
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The Boston Globe Ski and Snowboard Expo runs through Sunday. For hours, directions, discount coupons and other info, click here to get to the Ski Market home page where you'll find it all.

Nothing in ski season is quite as dependable as the annual Warren Miller movie. "Playground," his 58th film, will be shown at Merrill Auditorium twice this Friday evening.

The Warren Miller formula changes a bit each year. Nowadays it's mostly radical freestylers, extreme skiers and snowboarders who visit gorgeous locations around the world to huck off monster cliffs and perform sick tricks.

The photography is spectacular; ditto the skiers and snowboarders. Please enjoy a few still pix from the film with this blog entry.

The formula for the annual Warren Miller movie involves filming in gorgeous locations around the world.
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Also let me reproduce some excerpts from their press release on "Playground."

Warren Miller’s 2007 feature showcases stunning global destinations from Sweden to Canada, Alaska to Japan, and several others. Warren Miller’s "Playground" also exposes the most unlikely winter sports destination, a resort found directly within the Arabian Desert called Ski Dubai. Olympic Gold Medalist, skiing innovator and pop icon, Jonny Moseley, adds a new title to his resume as he serves as the film’s narrator.

This year’s invigorating action display includes: a rare and insightful segment on ski racing king and perceived industry bad boy, Bode Miller; a trip to Alaska’s untouched Chugach Range with X-Games Gold Medalists, and brothers, Zach and Reggie Crist; unbelievably deep powder in Utah and British Columbia; and astonishing aerial acrobatics from Sweden, and so much more.

"Playground" also highlights the future of snowboarding in a segment featuring the youth-infused Burton Smalls Team in which these young prodigies teach us that size truly isn’t everything.

The current Warren Miller formula involves incredible skiers hucking themselves off sick cliffs.
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This year’s film is complimented with a high-energy soundtrack delivered on a state-of-the-art digital sound system and includes world renowned bands like the Beastie Boys, Maroon 5, Queens of the Stone Age and several other A-list recording artists.

Multiple exposure shot of freestyle skier performing inverted trick with grab.
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When asked about the inspiration for "Playground," the film’s director and producer Max Bervy avowed, “The playground is a place where authority figures cease to exist, where fun and challenge are the only goals and creativity and freedom the only rules."

Two screenings: 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday. at Merrill Auditorium. Giveaways include lift tix to Sunday River, Sugarloaf and Smugglers Notch (northern Vermont).

(Some strings are usually attached to the freebie tix, and I don't know exactly what they are this year.)

Southern Maine has a new nordic ski club. Maybe. And then again, maybe not.

The prospective Portland Lobsters held an organizational meeting last night, attended by 10 people, including this Ski Bum, to discuss a range of possibilities.

The sparkplug is Carolyn Arcand, a Portland resident who has great enthusiasm but zero experience in these sorts of things. Carolyn envisions a nordic racing club that will hold group workouts and travel to races together. And maybe organize races. Think Lobster Loppet!

Several attendees are members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club, which has nordic activities, but zero racing.

At least one attendee represented the Coastal Nordic Ski Club, the most dynamic bunch of this sort in Maine. Coastal Nordic has a whole spectrum of activities from junior racing to masters racing, and it's also the driving force that created the skiing facilties at Twin Brook in Cumberland. The club also hosted an important race for the New England Nordic Ski Association last January.

Among the possibilities discussed: Everybody interested could simply join Coastal Nordic.

There was clearly some interest in organizing group trips to races at somewhat distant venues, such as the Craftsbury Marathon in northern Vermont.

Nothing was decided, except that there seemed to be enough collective enthusiasm to continue to explore possiblities.

Anybody interested should email Carolyn at maineskibum@gmail.com to be informed about the next step.

To contribute to the spirit of things, I'm including some pictures I took last January at Coastal Nordic's race at Pineland Farms. It's also a reminder that hosting races is an enormous task for a small club, which needs to marshall myriad items ranging from portable toilets to hand-held bullhorns. Plus refreshments!

Masters racing at Pineland Farms last January, hosted by Coastal Nordic Ski Club.
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John Brodhead, in his mid-sixties, is a formidible masters racer who has won medals in international competition. He's also the organizer of the Craftsbury Marathon.
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The finish line at last January's race.
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The logistics of running a race include the refreshments table.
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Will the Lobster Loppet serve cross-country crustaceans as post-race refreshments?
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The sun was shining, the snowguns were blowing and hundreds of skiers and snowboarders were having a good time yesterday when I visited Sunday River.

Two lifts were turning: the Locke Mountain triple and the Barker Mountain quad.

Two lifts were turning yesterday at Sunday River, including the Locke Mountain triple.
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Lift lines were short and the Locke Mountain triple was also loading at the midpoint.
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Best skiing was on Locke Mountain on the T2 expert trail.

Best skiing yesterday was on Locke Mountain on the T2 trail.
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Young lady skis on T2 yesterday.
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T2 was also the site of a small jib park, which attracted lots of attention.

Guys check out the action on the small jib park set up near the bottom of T2.
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Most of the people on the hill yesterday were season pass holders. Most of the one-day ticket buyers took advantage of a discount in return for a donation of three cans for local food banks. It's part of the statewide Tin Mountain Round Up.

Check the dates for this worthwhile promotion for other areas at the Ski Maine Association website.

It was all treats and no tricks yesterday when Sunday River became the first ski mountain in the East to spin its lifts. Make that one lift, the Locke Mountain triple.

Treat! A bag of M&Ms was included with each ticket sold at Sunday River yesterday.
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A hundred or so fellow schussing enthusiasts joined the Ski Bum for a day of cycling the T2 trail, loading at the midstation and down-loading from there to the base area.

Participants were encouraged to wear Halloween garb, and quite a few did. Among the costumed characters: a telemarking tiger and 'boarding Bozo.

The telemarking tiger and friend on Sunday River's Locke Mountain triple yesterday.
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The telemarking tiger poses for the Ski Bum's camera at the top of T2 yesterday at Sunday River.
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A 'boarding Bozo the Clown negotiates T2 at Sunday River yesterday.
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Prison break! Must be a politician or celebrity!
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The young ladies in costume showed up after lunch, unfortunately after I'd left my camera back in the lodge. My favorites were a 'boarding ballerina and a happy hamburger.

Two news notes worth mentioning:

First, the base-landing area around the Barker Mountain Lodge and the Barker Mountain Quad lift is being completely reworked. There was a big washout back in July. And rather than simply restore the prior state of affairs, the whole area is being improved.

The entire landing area around the Barker Mountain Quad is being reconstructed and improved, a response to the floods that swept through this area in July.
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Second, Halloween was a one-day special opening. The official season-opening is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 9.

And finally, let's take note that Sunday River used yesterday's opening to make a statement that it has returned to a policy of aggressively pushing an early opening -- a point which carries an implicit, but strong, statement about its snowmaking capabilities and policies.