Storm brings smiles for some, not so much for others

Heavy snow, such as on these trees on Route 142 in Freeman, along with high winds caused severe power outages throughout the state. (David Hart photo) FRANKLIN COUNTY -– A four-day late February storm brought a mix of feelings toward Mother Nature across Franklin County and the state.

The four days of precipitation has not been a significant benefit to the snowmobiling industry due to associated rain, but some riders have come out to test the “waters.” For snowmobiling, colder temps and more snow are needed to save the season, if it can be saved.

High winds and heavy snow associated with multiple storms in consecutive days has caused a hardship on some families. Central Maine Power reported over 133,000 homes without power at the peak on Friday morning with many of them losing power two times or more over the four days.

Some homes in western Franklin County lost power for two to three consecutive days. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 20,000 customers were still without power.

Still, it was good news for the higher elevations, what’s considered above the snow belt, with Sugarloaf and Saddleback reporting nearly 60 inches of new snow.

“On Thursday night when it appeared like everyone was experiencing rain, the upper terrain saw nothing but snow all night long,” said Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin.

“And it just rained for about three or four hours at the base. It’s just unbelievable up here,” he said. The entire mountain is just completely buried in snow and the snow continued late into the weekend.

Day after day brought additional amounts, accumulations that will last well into the spring.

Although skiing and riding enthusiasts were stoked at being buried, others were troubled with the outcome of the storm.

On Feb. 25 Governor John E. Baldacci issued a Declaration of Emergency that helped facilitate power crews traveling into Maine to help restore electricity service knocked out by the severe winter storm.

“By issuing this order, we will help restore power more quickly and be better prepared for expected additional outages,” Baldacci said in a statement last week.

Fresh crews arrived in Maine during the day last Friday from as far away as Missouri, Michigan and Florida, which brought the workforce to more than 1,000 field and support personnel. The company said that it has developed efficient plans for integrating outside crews, who may be unfamiliar with CMP’s system and local roads. They were teamed up with CMP employees, and supplied with parts for making repairs, extra tools, GPS units, cell phones, meals, hotel rooms, vehicle repairs, bagged lunches, and any other items or services they need to keep them safe and well supplied during their stay in Maine.

Saddleback was also reporting 48 to 52 inches of fresh snow with powdery conditions throughout the entire mountain. “The glades and natural snow trails are in the best shape that they have been all season and we are 100 percent open,” a spokesman said.

“The big news is that with all of this new snow, the upper snowfields are not just skiable but are in amazing shape,” said Saddleback marketing director Conrad Klefos last week. “They were quickly discovered today and it did not take long before you could see a very long line of skiers at the summit waiting for their turn to ski them.”

“If you can find away to play hooky,” Klefos said, “this would be a very good week to do so!”

“March and April have historically been two of our snowiest months at Sugarloaf,” Austin said in excitement over how much natural snow they received last week. “In 2006-07 we received 95 inches of new snow in April alone, so the potential is definitely there for additional big snow.”

A local patron was stopped before she entered a shop in Kingfield when her car appeared like it wouldn’t pass under a state bridge with the amount of accumulations on her roof. She said with a big smile, “It’s just incredible; we’re just buried in Carrabassett Valley!”