Big Rock (ski resort)
Encyclopedia
Bigrock Ski Area is located in Mars Hill, Maine
, on the western face of Mars Hill
. It is one of the larger ski resort
s in the State of Maine with 2 chairlifts, 26 trails, 80% snowmaking
, night skiing
, and almost 1000 ft of continuous vertical drop.
chairlift. The mountain is also serviced by a poma
. The beginner area is serviced by the South Star Triple Chair. Of the trails, 58% are intermediate, while 30% are advance trails, and 18% beginner trails.
-based Libra Foundation.
MWSC added Cross-country and snowshoe trails as well as a snow-tube park. Bigrock's lodge has been expanded to include a new cafe.
is the site of Maine's first wind farm
. In the fall of 2006, 28 General Electric
1.5 megawatt wind turbine
s were installed along the top and northern section of the mountain, which overlooks Canada
.
Mars Hill, Maine
Mars Hill is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,480 at the 2000 census.-History:The town is named for Hezekiah Mars, who camped for three years at the base of Mars Hill Mountain. In 1834, the first industry was cutting timber, particularly trees for masts....
, on the western face of Mars Hill
Mars Hill (Maine)
Mars Hill is a mountain located in Mars Hill, Maine, and gave the town its name.The mountain plays an important role in the Mars Hill community. It not only provides a dramatic backdrop for photographs, but also magnificent views from atop its peak. It overlooks the Saint John Valley, in which Mars...
. It is one of the larger ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s in the State of Maine with 2 chairlifts, 26 trails, 80% snowmaking
Snowmaking
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun" or "snow cannon", on ski slopes. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliability of their snow cover and to extend their ski...
, night skiing
Night skiing
Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski resorts and mountains. There are usually electric lights along the piste which allow for better visibility...
, and almost 1000 ft of continuous vertical drop.
Terrain
Most of the terrain at Bigrock is intermediate ski trails, serviced by the North Star Double Chair, a modified MuellerGMD Mueller
GMD Mueller Lifts AG was a Swiss aerial lift manufacturing firm.GMD stands for Gerhard Mueller Dietlikon.Founded in 1947 by engineer Gerhard Mueller, who is credited with the invention of the modern detachable chairlift in the late 1940s, it was one of the most prolific and respected aerial lift...
chairlift. The mountain is also serviced by a poma
Poma
Poma, also known as Pomagalski S.A. is a French company, specialising in construction of cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people movers, and surface lifts. Poma has installed more than 7800 devices on five continents,...
. The beginner area is serviced by the South Star Triple Chair. Of the trails, 58% are intermediate, while 30% are advance trails, and 18% beginner trails.
History
Established in the 1960s, Bigrock Ski Area was purchased in 2000 by the Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) through grants available from the PortlandPortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
-based Libra Foundation.
MWSC added Cross-country and snowshoe trails as well as a snow-tube park. Bigrock's lodge has been expanded to include a new cafe.
Wind farm
Mars HillMars Hill, Maine
Mars Hill is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,480 at the 2000 census.-History:The town is named for Hezekiah Mars, who camped for three years at the base of Mars Hill Mountain. In 1834, the first industry was cutting timber, particularly trees for masts....
is the site of Maine's first wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
. In the fall of 2006, 28 General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
1.5 megawatt wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s were installed along the top and northern section of the mountain, which overlooks Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.