![]() ![]() Along the way, there are six gladed downhill zones that offer a variety of skiing through ecologically unique red pine forests and diverse ecosystems. and embark on an 8-mile point-to-point tour. Now, users can access this remote terrain via a “backcountry gate” - common at many resorts in the western U.S. When the cutting was completed over a two-day period by volunteers in October 2019, the new trail and gladed zones became the first in Maine to be cut on publicly accessible land. “We conserve land to benefit natural communities, and there’s nothing I can think of better for protecting these communities than a backcountry glading system that will bring folks to the area who will enjoy, respect and take care of the land. “We were really excited about it because GBA and the Mahoosuc Land Trust have a lot in common,” says Kirk Siegel, founder of the Mahoosuc Land Trust. Both parties expressed interest, and the project began to take shape. Ray began conversations with the Mahoosuc Land Trust and Black Mountain - both owners of land where cutting would occur - to discuss this vision of creating a human-powered ski zone connecting the two areas. ![]() And with minimal summit-to-summit ridge skiing available in New England, touring between the two peaks wasn’t much more than a pipe dream.īut when Marcoux began talking to Tyler Ray, founder of North Conway-based Granite Backcountry Alliance, it looked like his dream of accessing Whitecap from Black Mountain could become reality. The summit snowfields have been skied by die-hard New England skiers looking to venture into Maine’s backcountry for years, but the dense second-growth forests made exiting the snowfields a challenge. The terrain is steep, avalanche-prone and offers exhilarating skiing for a mountain of its size. But then you realize, it’s a long distance, with not a lot of support if something goes wrong.”Īt 2,214 feet, Whitecap Mountain has an exposed, slab-covered dome summit that offers panoramic views and 360 degrees of skiing. The resort is in the town of Anderson, not far from Hurley, which has been dubbed the "snow capital" of Wisconsin.“I’m over at Black, poking around up there, looking over toward Whitecap, and it’s just this dome peak with many different facets to ski off of,” recalls Marcoux. The Red Cross and several local businesses and citizens provided food for the first responders. "We're open for business, so come on out."įirefighters from Anderson, Montreal, Hurley, Kimball, Oma, Mellen, Saxon/Gurney, Ironwood and Bessemer responded to the scene, as well as the Iron County Sheriff's Office, Iron County Highway Department, Iron County Forestry Department, Beacon Ambulance and Bayfield Electric Company. "We really appreciate everyone's support and kind words and offers for assistance," WhiteEagle said. WhiteEagle said the resort was still packed Saturday morning, despite the fire. Just before midnight, the resort posted that continental breakfast would be served Saturday morning and the ski lifts would be open. ![]() "Thank you for all the kind words of support! We will rebuild! #whitecapstrong," the resort wrote in its Facebook post. RELATED: Hurley, the Snow Capital of Wisconsin, gets 16 feet of snow per year ![]()
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