The Ski Museum of Maine organization made two very notable firsts this past Saturday which we hope have broken the barrier once & for all! After sixteen years elsewhere, the 17th banquet to induct Mainers into their Hall of Fame was held at Maine’s premier mountain, Sugarloaf, with an attendance that surprised the skeptics, of over 425 who (comfortably) packed the King Pine Room in the Baselodge with cocktails before & after at the newly renovated Widowmaker upstairs (you won’t recognize the place; it’s awesome!). Even more significantly appropriate was the induction of TWO-time Olympic GOLD Medal winner Seth Wescott to their Hall of Fame. For those of us who devote our lives to, & make our living from, ‘skiing’, seeing the evolution of snowboarding was a shot in the arm of rejuvenation at a time when new skiers numbers were declining. The injection of energy into the industry & steady growth of snowboarding that followed, added to the winter sports business in a much needed way. The earlier push back from some skiers, & some entire ski areas, should be well in the rear view mirror, but when Seth alluded to the prejudice he’s experienced throughout the years, such as being spit on by skiers in the chairlift above him, that makes me angry to be reminded that some skiers would believe only they deserve the right to enjoy downhill snow, gravity sports!! So after NINE years since his last Gold Medal, after two decades of riding the most extreme mountains around the world, representing Sugarloaf, Maine & the USA with not only physical prowess above all the others, but an intellect & personality that always makes us proud, all I can say is, “It’s about time!”. Congrats Seth. We really do love you & thank you for representing us so well!! Ski & SNOWBOARDING Museum of Maine is way more representative of what we do for a living & many Mainers do for fun; let’s hope we see the name change reflecting that reality really soon!

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