Don Cross

The three Cross brothers, Don, Norton and Stuart operated a family business quite common in Maine, logging. A necessity of that business was land acquisition for a supply of timber and in the late fifties, the Cross brothers decided that the land they were logging on Mount Abram would make a good ski area.

Trail cutting started in 1959 and in 1960 a I 000 foot Hall T-bar was installed at the base of the mountain. A base lodge was built with space for a ski shop, rentals and cafeteria and a parking lot was cleared. Trail cutting was treated as a logging operation with the timber going off to saw mills or other use.

In 1961 a 3350 foot Hall T-bar was installed to the summit and over the summer trails were bulldozedand seeded. By creating the Mount Abram Ski Area in three short years, the Cross brothers proved that the skills developed through years of logging were all they needed to build a ski area. But their impact on Maine skiing came through operation of the area.

In the early sixties, grooming was a sometime thing at ski areas. New snow was packed down and various devices were tried to smooth moguls and chop up ice, but few areas made it a policy to groom every run, every day.

Using a Tucker snowcat and a magic carpet (a device made from channel iron and small teeth) Don Cross groomed in circles to smooth out moguls after each day of skiing. He recognized that the key to success would be in attracting new skiers and families. This required making skiing easy for beginners and intermediates and this dedication to the skiing surface led to a loyal following of skiers.

Don and his brother Norton continued logging operations midweek, while Stuart and his wife Jan managed the ski area. Weekends and holidays the three brothers all worked at the ski area and as their reputation for grooming grew so did the number of skiers resulting in an expansion of the base lodge.

About 1967 the idea of growing the ski business through beginners brought about another innovative step. The first "Learn to ski free" program in the state was introduced at Mount Abram. New skiers could sign up for a lesson, rental skis, boots poles and use of the beginner lift all free of charge for one day.

In 1970 a 4,300-foot chairlift was installed carrying skiers beyond the unloading point of the summit T-bar and opening up trails on upper part of the west side of the mountain. When Otto Wallingford invented the Powder Maker at Lost Valley, these devices were purchased and grooming was made easier.

In low snow years, Don Cross reverted to snow farming, bulldozing snow out of the woods to cover the trails. On at least one occasion snow banks from around the parking lots were tracked onto the mountain to add to sparse cover. It was in grooming and free skiing for beginners that Mount Abram was a leader in creating the kind of skiing we enjoy today. As the one who spent countless hours driving grooming machines Don Cross made a major contribution to Maine skiing and for this has earned his place in the Maine Ski Hall of Fame.