By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
MARS HILL — Cross-country skiing has come to the Bigrock Ski Area for the first time and if initial attendance figures are any indication, skiers around the state more than welcome the new venture.
Bigrock opened two cross-country ski trails for the Thanksgiving weekend and more than 250 skiers turned out from Tuesday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 28 to check out the trails. Skiers from around the state, including a group of 25 skiers from the Portland area, were among those enjoying the trails.
“We are officially open for cross-country skiing,” said Mark Shea, marketing manager for Bigrock. “The idea behind opening this early was to draw cross-country skiers to our area for the Thanksgiving weekend. Now our focus will shift to making snow for the Alpine trails.”
According to Shea, the decision to make snow for two cross-country trails seemed like a “no-brainer” once the group started exploring the idea.
“It fit into our normal snow-making regiment because we would normally be making snow at this time of year anyway. We shifted our focus a bit to get certain areas groomed to draw people to Bigrock.”
Opening day for Alpine skiing is Saturday, Dec. 11, barring any unforeseen weather problems.
“Long-term, this is something we will look to do next year as well, in hopes of drawing college ski teams to the area,” Shea said.
