SAM Magazine-Portland, Me., June 22, 2007-Maine ski resorts fought off a brutal early season to post a modest gain of 1 percent on total skier visits for the 2006-07 season. The gain came in the face of a 6.7 percent downturn on the year for the Northeast region, and a 6.9 percent drop for the nation as a whole.

Late-season storms saved the state from posting similarly lackluster numbers. The storms gave Maine resorts a distinctly winter-like feel for much of April, resulting in a season tally of 1,137,365 skier visits. That figure is slightly under the state's five-year average of 1,225,895 skier days.

"Our season ended in April, a month which recorded 100 inches of snowfall in Maine's mountains," said Greg Sweetser, executive director, Ski Maine Association. Sweetser also credited extensive snowmaking at Maine resorts in battling the early-season blues. "Our early season trail counts were among the highest in the Northeast,"he noted, during a time that saw balmy fall temperatures result in late openings for many Northeast resorts. \