With 560 acres, 44 trails, and 1,150 vertical feet, Mt. Abram Ski Resort is a powdery playground for skiers today. But in the 1950s, it was just another part of timber magnates Norton, Don, and Stuart Cross's extensive holdings. As Stuart told John Christie of the Portland Press Herald, “We were going to cut harvestable trees anyway, so we thought perhaps we could cut them in such a way as to open up some ski trails on the side of the mountain.” From the minute the resort's ice-gates opened in 1960, the Crosses began revolutionizing the ski industry, establishing daily trail-grooming routines, and initiating newcomers to the sport.

Mt. Abram continues to be a trendsetter in the business, particularly when it comes to sustainable practices. In 2011, the resort replaced its old fossil-fuel generator with a wood-pellet-burning boiler, which is both carbon-neutral and runs off locally produced fuel. The year before, they reduced their annual kW usage by 179 thousand kilowatts by installing low-energy snow guns and making sure they didn't leave the sun burning all night long. Their efforts have garnered some national attention, too: Mt. Abram recently earned the Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence at the NSAA convention, and was awarded a USDA REAP grant for $235,000 to launch a new solar power project.