Rangeley, ME – When snowfall finally arrived in New England last week it released a lot of pent up demand for regional skiers and riders. And when officials at Maine’s Saddleback ski resort tallied receipts from Sunday,  they discovered that the a record number of skiers and snowboarders turned out to take advantage of the new snow cover.

“Over three feet of new snow played a big role in our record attendance,” said Saddleback General Manager, Chris Farmer.  “However, much of the record day is attributable to skiers and riders recognizing the great value and different experience that our big mountain has to offer.”

“March is the best month to ski. The sun is warmer and the snow is soft, plus we have events scheduled each weekend,” added Jim Quimby of Saddleback’s Mountain Operations department.

This Saturday, Saddleback will host its 8th Annual Telemark Invasion with demos and clinics. Part of the Telemark event is the Knee Dipping Tree Fairy Challenge, a free ride glade competition that takes place in Casablanca Glade at noon. On Sunday, the Park Shark Big Air Competition will take place in the Freerider Terrain Park at noon. This event is the second event in the Park Shark series. The final Park Shark Slopestyle event is scheduled for April 1.

Two favorite spring skiing events at Saddleback are the Cardboard Box Race on March 24 and Pond Skimming on March 31.