For more than 40 years, there has been a small slice of skiing heaven a lot closer than many people realize.
The Hart Highlands ski hill, located at Winslow drive has been providing mostly volunteer-run activity since 1968.
"A lot of people that have lived here for years and years don't even know that," said Gene Doucette, who has been with the hill for nearly 20 years after buying a membership when his children were young. He joined the executive in his second year with the Hart Highlands Winter Club and now serves as the lift supervisor.
"We've now got grandkids and whenever they come to town they use the hill," Doucette said.
With 11 runs, three surface lifts (two platter lifts and a tow rope), the Hart Highlands hill caters to families and ski and snowboard novices.
But the hill has become more than just a place to ski, it's also a community, which is what Doucette and his family have been drawn to.
"Just being involved with the families and kids. You watch kids come up on skis and snowboards having never been on one before and after 20 minutes they're going up the lift on their own," said Doucette. "It's just great fun, interacting with the kids."
According to Doucette, the Hart operation is "just like a big hill, only smaller."
There is a full complement of rental skis, snowboards and snowblades for winter enthusiasts from the age of four and up. There's also a lodge with a full-running concession serving hamburgers, hot dogs, poutine and more.
And while there isn't any snowmaking, the club has a full-sized groomer and the hill is groomed every day before opening.
As a mainly volunteer-run venture, the hill is open Monday through Friday for night skiing from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and on the weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year, the season began Dec. 3 and has only been closed for a few days due to warm weather and Christmas. Doucette said a season typically lasts from mid-December to mid-March.
"It's a little bit earlier [this year], but I'm not complaining about that," he said.
Prior to getting the foot-and-a-half of snow necessary for opening, Doucette said there's a lot of work to do to prepare the site, from general maintenance and painting to mowing the whole hill. "We cut the grass down to about two inches," he said.
While casual users can purchase season passes to the hill for $150 or less depending on the age, there's also the option of purchasing a membership to the Hart Highlands Winter Club.
"With the membership, you become a voting member of the club and we do ask members to volunteer time," Doucette explained. Those volunteer hours are what keeps the hill up and running safely, with adult supervision spots to keep order on the runs.
The non-profit organization has seen the hill go through changes over the years, as they keep up with the times.
"We used to have just a small, tiny concession, but we've expanded that 10-fold," Doucette said. The hill has also brought in more rental equipment, with more modern-shaped skis as well as purchased replacement snowmobiles and groomer.
The hill has also just started a Facebook page to keep the community informed of opening times, prices and any hill closures. For more information, search for Hart Highlands Winter Club on Facebook.
