Pleasant Mountain is a

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

resort located in

Bridgton, Maine Bridgton is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,418 at the 2020 census. A resort area in Maine's Lakes Region, Bridgton is home to Bridgton Academy, a private preparatory school, and the Four on the Fourth ...

, in

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberl ...

. Located on the northern end of Pleasant Mountain, the resort features two base areas and 245 skiable acres. Pleasant Mountain first opened on January 23, 1938 and is the oldest major ski area in Maine. From 1988 until 2022, the area was known as Shawnee Peak.

History

The first trails on Pleasant Mountain were developed by local community groups in 1935. Two years later with assistance from the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

, the town added a

rope tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher ...

, which opened to the public in January 1938. In 1988, the ski area was acquired by the owners of

Shawnee Mountain Ski Area Shawnee Mountain is a family owned, operated, and oriented ski resort in eastern Pennsylvania located right outside East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, off of I-80, exit 309, next to the Delaware River in the easternmost portion of the Poconos. S ...

in Pennsylvania. Pleasant Mountain was subsequently renamed Shawnee Peak to mirror the name of its sister property. After Shawnee Mountain Corporation sold the resort in the early 1990s, new owners considered restoring the original name but ultimately decided against it. On October 21, 2021, Shawnee Peak was purchased by

Boyne Resorts Boyne Resorts is an owner and operator of ski and golf resorts in North America. The company employs over 10,000 full-time and seasonal staff. It operates 12 resort properties including 10 ski resorts, an adventure park, and 12 golf courses. T ...

, with the purchase finalized on October 22. Shawnee Peak joins

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, ...

, Sunday River, and Loon Mountain as Boyne's fourth resort in New England, and third property in Maine. Boyne restored the resort's original name, Pleasant Mountain, on September 14, 2022.

Terrain and lifts

Serving mainly intermediate and Advanced trails, Pleasant Mountain is split up into 3 distinct areas. Those areas (from left to right) are the Sunnyside Area, the front face, and the Pine beginner area. Most of trails on the mountain can be accessed by taking the Summit Triple. The trails ''Sunset Boulavard'', ''Haggetts'', ''Jack Spratt'', and ''Pine Slope'' all start from the top of the Summit Triple and bring you over to the beginners area, while ''Appalachian'', ''Roosevelt'', ''Yee Haw'', and ''Upper Kanc'' trails can bring you over to the Sunnyside area. In March of 2024, Pleasant Mountain announced that the Summit Express triple would be replaced with a used high-speed detachable quad, which came from Sunday River, another Boyne Resort. The new lift called "The Summit Express", will have a vertical rise of 1,200 vertical feet and an uphill capacity of 2,400 riders per hour. Pleasant Mountain has 4 chairlifts, and 2 magic carpets. Former lifts:

Night skiing

Pleasant Mountain has 19 trails for all abilities lit for

night skiing Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski areas. There are floodlights – with metal halide, LED or magnetic induction lamps – along the piste which allow for better visibility. The night ski ...

Photos

File:Pinequad-2007-0406b.jpg, The Pine Quad at Pleasant Mountain, then known as Shawnee Peak. File:Shawnee Peak Stevage.jpg, Seen across Moose Pond, Spring 2009.

References

External links

Shawnee Peak
– Official site Ski areas and resorts in Maine Buildings and structures in Bridgton, Maine Tourist attractions in Cumberland County, Maine {{Maine-sports-venue-stub