Maine
Spruce Mountain Ski Area reveals updates by Maine Cabin Masters
Kids take a few extra runs Friday at Spruce Mountain Ski Area after a Maine Cabin Masters renovation reveal in Jay. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
JAY — Spruce Mountain Ski Area directors on Friday afternoon held a reveal to showcase changes made by “Maine Cabin Masters,” a company and reality TV show.
About 100 community members and town officials waited more than half an hour to walk up to the renovated lodge to tour the inside.
The lodge now features an updated sign welcoming skiers. The inside is brighter with new windows and the smell of new wood greets those entering. The ski trails are illuminated with vibrant lighting. A large granite stone is in back of the lodge.
Attendees were cautioned several times that photos or videos could not be taken or shared on social media before the episode airs. Ron Jacques, president of the ski area, said the show will air the end of February or beginning of March. A date is not known yet, he noted.
In November 2023, the ski area was undergoing a generational transition, Jacques said. More volunteers and donations were needed to maintain the ski slope, which is owned by the towns of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls.
It was announced in August that Maine Cabin Masters had agreed to help the ski area with needed renovations. The work began in September and when asked about an update on the project then, officials with the company indicated they preferred not to and wanted to wait until the reveal.
The “Maine Cabin Masters” film crew takes footage of the public Friday as they enter the Spruce Mountain Ski Area lodge for the renovation reveal in Jay. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
“This is an exciting day,” Sarah Delaney of Livermore said while walking up the roadway. “It is big news.”
“It’s pretty special,” Justin Shink, a board member from Livermore, said inside the lodge. “Having grown up skiing here, seeing the transformation, the work keeping the ski slope open for generations is awesome. My kids ski here.”
“It is beautiful, what they have done,” Terry Bergeron, a Jay selectman noted. “It is much different, much better.”
Gary Desjardins of Livermore, who is on the OTIS Federal Credit Union board that donated $10,000 toward the project, said, “I am representing the credit union. It means a lot to me, a lot to the community. OTIS needed to contribute. It’s all about the kids. They use this place. It is quite wonderful.”
“What is neat is all the old pictures of skiers,” Jim Manter of Livermore noted. “The new view with the granite stone on the back side is a nice touch of nostalgia. It touches with the history of the founders of the ski mountain, the ski slope. I last skied here in 1974. It is quite a change.”
Emma DiPompo of Jay is manager of the ski area. “I am so excited to work in a place like this,” she said. “I would have worked here anyway but it is so cool, so different. So much has been done. So many people donated. So much got done in a short amount of time. It’s like 40 years of renovations in a summer.”
“It’s really nice,” said Hannah Burhoe of Jay, who is the lift operator. “The lift will be easier to operate.”
Jeanne Chretien admires the renovated Spruce Mountain Ski Area lodge Friday during the Maine Cabin Masters reveal in Jay. Chretien says she learned how to ski there. “We were here every Wednesday night in high school, skiing under the lights.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Jeanne Chretien of Turner, who grew up in Livermore Falls, said, “I learned to ski at Spruce Mountain Ski Area.”
“I taught my kids to ski here. My great-nieces and nephews ski here now. I skied here every year in high school. I am in my 50s now. I have many great memories. I knew all the original people involved. Jimmy Morrill was in my class,” she said.
Chretien said during high school she was at the slope when it was open — every Wednesday night and on the weekends. “If you skied, this is where you were,” she explained. “There were a lot of great ski teams. I watched it grow from the bunny tow to the upper slopes. We called the lodge the hut.”
“It is beautiful,” Chretien said. “I am so happy for the younger generation to have all the amenities that they have put in. I was fortunate to grow up in a small town like this. It is so nice to come back and see people I have known all my life.”
“Maine Cabin Masters” airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. on the Magnolia Network. More information may be found on their Facebook page.
Children of members of the board of directors of the Spruce Mountain Ski Area grab a table Friday in the lodge at the Maine Cabin Masters renovation reveal in Jay. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal