By Marty Basch

Time travel is possible.

First, consider the ticket. It comes with a metal wicket. A skier or snowboarder then peels the adhesive back off the lift ticket, slips the wicket through the eye of a zipper on pants or jacket and then securely fastens the ticket to the wicket. Look at that ticket again. The date is scrawled in by hand with a retro black Magic Marker.

With the pass, it is time for the lift ride. As the dreamy classic rock band Pink Floyd sang on its' epic "Dark Side of the Moon" record, "Welcome to the Machine." The snug double chairlift is also a throwback as it takes its time up the face of the 44-trail mountain with its glorious western Maine vistas. It is aptly named "The Way Back Machine," an intentional reference to the time machine used by bespectacled cartoon characters Mr. Peabody (a white dog) and Sherman (his youthful boy companion) in "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show."

Back in time

Greenwood's 50-year-old Mt. Abram oozes nostalgia with an unassuming air. There are narrow winding trails linking spacious groomers. No high speed lifts are found, but a t-bar is. The trails are named after those cartoon characters: Bullwinkle, Dudley Do Right, Boris Badenov, etc.

But Mt. Abram is also a very realistic and somewhat progressive place. Kind of a fearless leader. Except during holiday periods, it operates on a Thursday through Sunday schedule—a nod to the fact that non-holiday early midweek is a quiet time in the snow business. Olympian Julie Parisien and long-time high school and college coach Tim LaVallee (Telstar High saw four Maine state championships under his tutelage way back in the '70s) are leading a race program at the mountain.

The sequestered Westside area with its three ways down is a welcome respite for lower skilled skiers and riders looking to learn in a welcoming neighborhood. On the other end of the spectrum, if you see it you can ski it as the hill has a boundary to boundary policy for those who like to venture beyond corduroy of the family-centric ski area. And on Wednesdays, free-heelers can skin up select portions of the mountain for free.

Some kick

There's more to the 1150 vertical-drop mountain than what is apparent. Both black diamond Fearless Leader and Boris have respectable steep pitches while Dudley's sports a wide open section before handing off to the terrain park. Mellow out by combining Upper and Lower Easy Rider but pick it up for the short but sweet alley-like expert Lallypalooza off Sweeper.

Plus the lift tickets are reasonably priced at $49. Mt. Abram also has a healthy assortment of options and deals. Thursdays are two-for-one and Fridays are $75 a carload. It's free if you're new (5 and under) or well-seasoned (80-plus). The $30 Westside only pass is a boon for those wanting to take it easy.

Mt. Abram might not appeal to those who need buffed super highways of snow or fast-flying high-speed detachable lift service. When the snow's blissful, the sun's shining and the sky's a brilliant blue, who wants to ride a slow lift? A high speed at Mt. Abram is probably a waste of money anyway. It doesn't need it.

Kids though, no matter the age, will find a home at Mt. Abram. The small base lodge with cafeteria food service and a retail shop also contains the Loose Boots Lounge with live music on the weekends and friendly folks from both home and away.

After all, why travel if you're not going to have a good time.