The ancient Norse god Ullr and the 20th-century American King of Rock-n-Roll are both heading to Shawnee Peak over the next week or so.

The ancient Norse god Ullr is depicted while hunting on skis in this reproduction from an 18th-century Icelandic manuscript.
IMAGE FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Let's take a quick look at some of the upcoming Shawnee happenings as "Maine's longest-running ski area" heads toward its 70th birthday on January 23.

For starters, night skiing starts tonight. And to start your after-dark ski season right, night tix are only $12!

Ullr Fest is celebrated on Thursday with a live DJ, live music, fireworks, bonfires and a torchlight parade. Pete Finkle plays apres-ski in Blizzard's Pub starting at 5:30 p.m. and the pyrotechnics ignite about 7 p.m. And speaking of hot stuff, the ceremonical Ullr bonfires will be the toastiest places on the mountain tomorrow night.

Bonfires in decorated drums will be dedicated to the ancient Norse god Ullr tomorrow at Shawnee Peak.
SHAWNEE PEAK PHOTO BY JOSH HARRINGTON

And speaking of singers, Bill Cameron, who bills himself as "Maine's best rock-n-roll one-man show," will be in Blizzards twice over the next few days. He'll play apres-ski on Saturday, then he'll return for the Blizzard's annual New Year's Eve party on Monday.

Bill Cameron, who bills himself as "Maine's best rock-n-roll one-man show," will play Blizzard's Pub at Shawnee Peak twice within the next week.
COURTESY BILL CAMERON

And speaking of rock-n-roll, betcha didn't know that Elvis, aka "The King," skis Shawnee Peak on his birthday, January 5. It's actually MichaEL VISelli, a prominent Boston-area Elvis impersonator. The Ski Bum headed up to Shawnee's inaugural Elvis Day last years, and this guy's good!

Elvis sings in Blizzard's Pub last year at Shawnee Peak.
SHAWNEE PEAK PHOTO BY JOSH HARRINGTON

Elvis and the Ski Bum pose last year at Shawnee Peak.
SHAWNEE PEAK PHOTO BY JOSH HARRINGTON

Expect a look-alike contest, a lip-synch contest and a special Blizzard's concert by Elvis/MichaEL VISelli late in the afternoon.

Elvis was famous for his swiveling hips, but I'm not sure he can gyrate on skis or on a snowboard. But for those who can make sick moves in a halfpipe, Shawnee marketing director Melissa Rock tells me that Shawnee's should open sometime during the vacation week. It's Maine's only lit halfpipe, I believe.

As the start of Maine Handicapped Skiing's 2008 season quickly approaches, the volunteer training program also accelerates. Each volunteer instructor is required to take two days of on-snow training: one on "Principles of Skiing," which covers the basics that pertain to all, plus one on "Adaptive Ski Techniques."

Yesterday five groups -- four doing "Principles" and one for "Adaptive" -- were on the hill at Sunday River. Although I've already completed my training, I drove up with a friend who needed to complete hers.

Nearly all were returning volunteers, with an average tenure of about seven years. I shadowed one group for an hour and took some pictures.

Our group's leader was Buzz Hollander, better known perhaps as a mainstay of the ski school at nearby Mt. Abram. He's one of several MHS trainers -- "clinician" is the current buzz word in the skiing world -- who hails from the neighborly slopes of Mt. Abram.

Buzz Hollander gives some skiing advice to Beverley Healy yesterday at Maine Handicapped Skiing's volunteer training session at Sunday River.
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Beverley Healy listens.
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Buzz has been around the ski scene for many decades! He fondly recalls riding the Snow Trains from Boston to North Conway back in the 1940s. He's also earned the highest level of certification from the Professional Ski Instructors of America. Many MHS volunteer instructors -- including myself -- have some level of PSIA certification, but only a few have achieved the top tier like Buzz.

After riding the South Ridge Quad, Buzz started with stretching exercises. After that, we continued to work on the basic concepts of balance, edging, pressure and rotation that underlie all skiing -- including adaptive schussers.

Stretching exercises before taking our first run. Another MHS training group is in the background.
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Buzz demonstrates the basics.
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Pat Gregoire had a group working on "Adaptive Ski Techniques," where all sorts of devices and specialized contraptions are used to help physically disabled people experience the freedom and exhilaration of skiing down snow-covered slopes.

Indoors at the MHS slopeside lodge, clinician Pat Gregoire demonstrates the use of ski outriggers and points to a variety of ski tip retention devices as part of yesterday's training on "Adaptive Ski Techniques."
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The MHS office staff was equally busy yesterday, processing all the needed paperwork -- medical certificates, etc. -- from the 250-plus students who will start lessons the first week of 2008.

I should also remind Ski Bum blog readers that all MHS teaching is free to all students -- and always has been since the organization was founded by former Sunday River owner Les Otten and Dr. "Chip" Crothers, an orthopedic surgeon from Portland.

It's due to the dedication of 300-plus volunteer instructors and the continuing fund-raising success of the MHS Ski-a-Thon, held each March.

That's the buzz on Maine Handicapped Skiing for yesterday.

A bluebird sky and packed powder were yesterday's twin highlights at Sugarloaf, where the Ski Bum was joined by five members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club.

Five members of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club joined the Ski Bum yesterday at Sugarloaf.
SCOTT ANDREWS PHOTO

SuperQuad and both sides of the Spillway chairs were the principal lifts open yesterday. (Plus of course, a bunch of lower mountain chairs.)

Tote Road, King's Landing and Sluice were the principal blue-square trails that were open, while Narrow Gauge, Skidder and Hayburner were the principal blacks. Without question, we were enjoying the best early-season conditions in years, but the mountain didn't seem especially crowded for a Sunday.

The Ski Bum took a run through Ram Pasture Glade. Fun for sure, but needs more cover to be really good.

Considering the superb early-season conditions, Sugarloaf didn't seem especially crowded yesterday.
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At lunch in the lodge, we met Ski Museum of Maine president John Christie, author of the recently published history of Sugarloaf.

Three of our MOAC skiers had histories of their own. Cherie Perkins had been a Sugarloafer from 1958, while Anne Tarbell had been a ski bum in Stowe, Vermont, in the mid-1950s. As a child, Anne Schaffner had taken ski lessons at Mt. Cranmore from legends Hannes Schneider and Toni Matt.

John Christie, president of the Ski Museum of Maine, and Anne Schaffner, a former student of Hannes Schneider and Toni Matt.
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Marc Hills was rejoining MOAC after an absence of several years, while Kristin Feindel was a new member on her first outing with the club.

Kristin Feindel takes a break yesterday in the Sugarloaf base lodge.
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Monday's snowstorm translates into the season's first big weekend for nordic buffs, with many ski centers opening in Maine and New Hampshire.

A reminder: Cross-country snow conditions can be accessed via two statewide websites. Ski Maine started working with the nordic centers last year, and its site cross-links to SnoCountry.com's omnibus online reporting service.

Ski New Hampshire compiles its own trail reports, which can be viewed online or accessed in two levels of detail (brief state summary recorded by the Ski NH staff) or in considerably expanded form (recorded by people at the centers) by calling 800-88-SKINH.

In other news...

Yesterday I spoke with Dave and Anne Carter, the personable couple who run Carter's X-C Ski Centers in Oxford and Bethel. Dave reported that he spent much of the summer cutting new ski routes on the Farwell Mountain side of his Bethel trail system.

A number of cross-country activities were announced at Wednesday's meeting of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club.

Carolyn Arcand, who hopes to organize a Portland-based, adult-oriented nordic racing club -- to be known as the Portland Lobsters -- is still seeking contact with like-minded folks. Email her at maineskibum@gmail.com.

Carolyn also reports that she took the Ski Bum's advice, given at her first organizational meeting: She's joined the Coastal Nordic Ski Club, a very energetic Cumberland-based bunch of racing enthusiasts.

I'm including a few photos I shot last season in Maine and New Hampshire; all were taken at ski centers and touring trails that will definitely be open this weekend.

My selection doesn't represent a complete list of what's open this weekend -- just some appealing pix I like.

A group from the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club poses at Sunday River Cross Country Ski Center.
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Jesse Hill, son in law of Dave and Anne Carter, helps skiers in their Bethel shop.
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Portland's Riverside Golf Course has about three miles of well-groomed nordic trails, and it's a popular after-work workout for skiers with headlamps.
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Maine Outdoor Adventure Club group at the covered bridge over the Ellis River at Jackson Ski Touring in New Hampshire.
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Skiing through spectacular scenery is one of the big reasons to visit Great Glen Trails in New Hampshire.
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A Ski Bum's business is never done, but at least it's fun. Yesterday I started taking care of business with a telephone interview with nordic ski pioneer and 1960 Squaw Valley Olympian Joe Pete Wilson, owner of the Bark Eater Inn near Lake Placid.

Joe Pete Wilson, owner of the Bark Eater Inn in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, is a nordic skiing pioneer and a 1960 Olympic competitor.
COURTESY JOE PETE WILSON

Then I helped out a bit with an upcoming fund-raiser for the Ski Museum of Maine. Picture a 17-mountain odyssey -- all the areas covered by Ski Maine -- and it's scheduled for the upcoming Martin Luther King weekend.

Next I motored up to the Sports Haus in Bridgton to pick up my new skis, and continued to Sunday River where I tested them out and picked up some more lift tickets for my upcoming "pop quiz" giveaway at the Dec. 5 meeting of the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club.

Conditions were superb at Sunday River, with four lifts running from four of the resort's eight summits. And judging by the number of snow guns going, the trail counts will increase this weekend. Should be at least another two lifts running.

Note that Santa Sunday is scheduled for Dec. 2.

Leaving the mountain, I stopped by Sunday River Inn and Cross Country Ski Center and chatted with owner Steve Wight about a nordic project I'm doing for several publications -- plus pick up some XC trail passes for the Dec. 5 MOAC show.

Finally I rolled into the Ski Museum of Maine's open house, where I chatted with a number of people, including Joe and Lee Bujold of Farmington. Joe worked many years for G.H. Bass & Company, the Wilton-based maker of fine ski boots half a century ago. In 1965, Joe and Lee were the first couple to marry in the Sugarloaf base lodge.

Joe and Lee Bujold of Farmington check out a pair of Sno-Wings, a children's ski made in Auburn during the 1930s.
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SMOM treasurer Tom Hanson and I discussed a project regarding the Penobscot Valley Ski Club, of which he's a leading member.

He and Megan Roberts, SMOM's consulting curator, talked about some of the historic ski gear and apparel the museum has acquired. Items included Galen Sayward's 1988 Olympic parka and the boots worn by 1968 Olympic jumper Tom Upham. Both men still live within a few miles of the museum.

Tom Hanson and Megan Roberts check out Galen Sayward's 1988 Olympic parka.
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Megan holds a boot worn by Olympic ski jumper Tom Upham. Upham lives in Wilton, and the boot was made in Wilton by G.H. Bass & Company.
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G.H. Bass & Company of Wilton was a major manufacturer of ski boots between the 1930s and into the 1960s.
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By the way, note that the open house continues Saturday, Dec. 1, which is also Chester Greenwood Day in Farmington, an event which honors the memory of the native son who invented the ear muff.

The museum plans a float in the 11 a.m. parade; the open house runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located at 109 Church St., just a snowball's throw from Main St. (Route 4). Call SMOM at 491-5481.

Finally it was back to Portland for some blogging.