Maine's ski areas are going full tilt with snowmaking operations right now and their hard work is paying big skier benefits. Sunday River and Sugarloaf are open, with other ski areas soon to follow.

I was up at Sunday River again the other day, and in just one week they have more than doubled the number of top-to-bottom runs that are open. (I don't pay much attention to the number of trail "sections" open. It's the number of full-length trails that I care about). The skiing was excellent, with great cover and soft bumps to play on. And they're well on their way to opening up a lot more terrain real soon. My 'Loaf friends have returned from the mountain with reports of terrific conditions up there too.

Things are looking pretty good for all of us who want to get out there and burn up that season's pass!