Back when I was at UVM, I took a course on non-profit recreation and we went to Maine for a week to travel around the state checking out some of those local community hills. The focus was on the Maine Winter Sports Center, and it was an awesome scene checking out places from Black Mountain to Big Rock in Mars Hill. Big Rock was an awesome little ski area that rips.... 1,000 verts of fall-line terrain, I remember loving that spot way up on the NE Canadian border.
It was easy to get behind their mission statement and see that there are so many organizations in Maine that are dedicated to using winter sports to promote a healthy lifestyle in the cold, dark winter months and economic stability. A big part of the MWSC then was trying to confront the childhood obesity and issues that arise when rural kids are stuck inside for multiple winter months in a row, without the economic means to get winter sports equipment and access to recreate (and therefore better themselves, in physical and mental health).
The Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit, economic development corporation, founded in April 1999 with a grant from the Libra Foundation in Portland, Maine. Our mission is to re-establish skiing as a life-style in Maine for lifestyle and economic opportunity for rural communities of the state. Our assets include world class cross country and biathlon venues in Fort Kent and Presque Isle, Big Rock Alpine area in Mars Hill and Quoggy Jo Alpine area in Presque Isle, Maine.