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‘It’s a vibe’: This New England ski resort just ranked the best in the East by Ski magazine readers
The resort reopened five years ago.
A 65 year-old ski resort in Maine was just named the best in the East, five years after its reopening.
Ski magazine released a list of top 20 resorts in the East for 2026 on Tuesday, part of its annual Reader Resort Survey, and Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, Maine ranked No. 1. Last year, it ranked No. 2 on the list.
The publication called Saddleback in western Maine, located about 110 miles from Portland overlooking Rangeley Lake, an “independent-minded ski area that values the local community and prioritizes the on-slope ski experience.”
The 2025-26 winter season will mark the resort’s 65th anniversary.
For the survey, sent to readers in the spring, respondents were asked to rank ski resorts in 18 different categories that range from snow and lifts to apres ski and overall satisfaction.
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Saddleback ranked No. 1 for parking and did well in the categories of snow, terrain variety, challenge, lifts, grooming, and value, while its weaknesses are access and lodging, according to the publication.
“Survey respondents dig this place not for any one specific reason,” wrote Ski magazine. “It’s a vibe, a spot where rad terrain—2,000 vertical and 600 skiable acres—coexists with an authentic community feel that comes with being an independently owned mountain. Saddleback lures skiers the honest way, by staying affordable and making inroads with the local community; the resort makes visitors feel seen and valued, and you can’t put a price on that.”
The family who owned Saddleback closed it in 2015 after a loan fell through and potential investors pulled out, reported The Boston Globe, and it reopened in 2020 with upgrades after it was bought by Boston-based Arctaris Impact Investors — a story that “reads like a small-town fairytale.”
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Officials wrote on the resort’s website that they are “thrilled” about the ranking.
“This new ranking affirms that skiers, snowboarders and vacationers value the authentic, independent ski vibe over the commercialism increasingly taking over the industry,” said Jonathan Tower, founder and CEO of Arctaris, in a statement. “For a mountain that sat closed for five years before we acquired and reopened it in 2020, I’m especially pleased with how fast our amazing team went from zero to 100 to deliver a premier ski experience.”
Improvements under Arctaris leadership include three new chairlifts, a new high elevation lodge, ski-in/out workforce housing, and a solar farm that produces double the electricity that the mountain uses, noted Tower.
The resort is planning several promotions this ski season in celebration of its anniversary, including a New Year’s Eve birthday bash.
Check out Ski magazine’s list of top 20 resorts in the East for 2026.
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