Andrew "Bud" Titcomb skiing in 1942. (Photo courtesy Farmington Ski Club) RANGELEY — Maine's skiing history goes back farther than any other New England state. A Mainer wrote America's first book on skiing. A Maine company built the world's tallest ski jump and the first chairlift in the East. Two Maine manufacturers were leading producers of skis in the mid-20th century. Two dozen Maine skiers have competed or coached at the Olympics. Maine has hosted five ski, snowboard and biathlon competitions at the World Championship and World Cup level.

These are a few facets of a narrated digital slideshow recently produced by the Ski Museum of Maine. The show, titled "Down-Mountain and Cross-Country: 140 Years of Skiing in Maine," will be presented at Saddleback Maine, Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.

Approximately 130 photos —some more than a century old— have been assembled from the Farmingtonbased museum's collections and more than 40 other sources.

Photos to be presented cover the entire span of skiing in Maine, from the founding of Aroostook County's Swedish Settlement in 1870 to present-day happenings in Rangeley and all over the state. Locations that were historically important to the development of Maine skiing include Aroostook County, Auburn, Bethel, Bridgton, Carrabassett Valley, Farmington, Fryeburg, Lovell, Poland, Portland and Rangeley. Competition subjects include ski jumping, cross-country, alpine, freestyle and biathlon.

The narrator will be Scott Andrews, a Portland-based ski journalist and museum director who assembled the photos and performed much of the research.

This event is part of Saddleback Maine's John Christie Day celebration.