About 25 years ago, a young skier named Casee Hart fell off the T-bar at Hermon Mountain. Bill Whitcomb, who owned the hill then, pulled her out of a tree. She told that story to the Bangor Daily News this summer, as one of the four new owners of the mountain.
That T-bar hasn't run in years. This fall the new owners said they are working to bring it back.
The T-bar story shows what this winter looks like at 441 Newburgh Road. The trails, the vertical and the lodge stay much the same. The changes are about access: more days open, a second way to the summit if the repair works out, tubing over school vacation, and a lodge kitchen that now runs all year. For families who live a few minutes from the hill, the biggest news this season is the extra time they can spend there.
Four local owners, and a summer that set up the winter
Casee and Dave Hart and Amy and Tim McClary bought Hermon Mountain for $2.1 million on April 30, 2026. Bill and Marlene Whitcomb had owned it for more than 40 years. Both couples have family history on the slopes. The McClarys have skied Hermon for about a decade, and their daughters started at ages 3 and 4. The Hart children learned to ski there too.
The owners moved quickly. Scenic Eats opened in the lodge in July with pizza, burgers, subs and salads, and an 18-hole disc golf course opened the next day. The town's September newsletter, The Hermon Connection, called the Monday Kids Nights "a big hit for many families." Each week had a new free activity and discounted kids' meals. The September calendar also listed bingo nights, weekly cribbage and cornhole, family outdoor movies and comedy nights.
The Bangor Daily News explained the reasoning behind the summer program. Bringing in paying customers in spring, summer and fall helps even out revenue in the months when the lifts sit idle. The paper noted that a shrinking number of small, family-run Maine ski areas have had to make the same bet as costs rise. Dave Hart described the goal this way:
"It's a gathering place for people in the winter, and our vision of it is for it to be a gathering place all year round for families in the community."
The summer business is meant to support the hill through the off-season. In winter, the owners are spending that effort on more hours.
Monday is the new day, and it's priced as a weekday
Dave Hart told the BDN that winter operations will mostly follow past seasons but with longer hours. The mountain will also open on Mondays, which makes it a seven-day operation for the first time.
The posted rates page shows why Monday is the most useful day to know about. The weekday pass covers Monday through Friday from open to close. A full Monday therefore costs the same as a weekend half day, which starts at 1 p.m.
| Ticket | Adult | Junior | When it's valid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-day weekend | $60 | $55 | Sat/Sun, open to close |
| Half-day weekend | $45 | $40 | Sat/Sun, 1 p.m. to close |
| Evening weekend | $35 | $35 | Sat/Sun, 4 p.m. to close |
| Weekday | $45 | $40 | Mon–Fri, open to close |
An adult who skis on Monday instead of Saturday saves $15 and gets the whole day. Before this season, a day off on a Monday meant waiting until Tuesday. Now it's the start of the cheaper part of the week.
The mountain's season pass catalog set November 1 as the date its early pass prices would increase, so the numbers some families saw this summer may not be the ones on the page today. Current pass pricing is on Hermon Mountain's website.
Ski school gets the most out of the extra day
The owners have said the added Monday should allow more ski school sessions. The lesson menu on the skiing and snowboarding page includes:
- Private lessons: $50, available daily
- Semi-private lessons: $45 per person for 1 hour 15 minutes, ages 5 and up
- Youngest skiers: children under 4 need a one-on-one private lesson
- Four-week learn-to-ski or learn-to-snowboard program: starts at $267, with one session in January and one in February
A lift ticket is required on top of the lesson price. Families who don't own gear yet can rent a full package for $37 for a half day or $42 for a full day. Skis or a board alone cost $21, boots alone $21, and poles $11.
The people running the snow guns are new to the job, but they've had a season of practice. "Dave and Tim spent a lot of time this past winter really making snow, understanding the process, so I feel like we're really well prepared for it," Amy McClary told the Bangor Daily News.
Why the T-bar matters on a busy Saturday
Hermon Mountain is about a 10-minute drive from Bangor. It has 20 trails, a 350-foot vertical drop, night skiing and a tubing park, according to Unofficial Networks. Right now the summit depends on one double chairlift.
In late October, the mountain announced it is working to get the T-bar next to that chair running again. The T-bar first opened in the 1966-67 season. Unofficial Networks reported that it would add backup for the double chair, and that there is no promise it will run this winter.
A second summit lift matters most when the double chair has a long line or stops working. If the repair is finished, Hermon will have two ways to the top for the first time in years. Casee Hart has her own memory of riding it.
Tubing is aimed at Christmas vacation
The tubing page lists the plan for the season:
- Price: $25 per person for a two-hour session
- Included: a tube and the tubing lift
- Slope: 600 feet
- Ages: 3 and up
- Target opening: Christmas vacation 2026, if weather and snow allow
Tubing tickets aren't on sale yet. The mountain says booking details will be posted on the same page. The town newsletter called the tubing park "another popular attraction" that will be back this season. For families with a mix of ages, $25 for two hours costs less than any lift ticket on the rate card, and it's open to kids too young for lessons.
Seven days a week needs more staff
Longer hours and an extra day need people. The mountain's careers page is hiring for:
- Lift attendants, rental techs, kitchen cashiers and cooks, and snowmakers, ages 18 and up
- Ski and snowboard instructors, ticket cashiers, and tubing attendants, ages 16 and up
Staff who work full-time or part-time for at least three days get a season pass for themselves or a family member. With pass prices set to rise after October, a winter job could be worth a lot for a Hermon High student who already rides the chair, or for a parent with an open weekend.
In town while the snow builds
Hermon Recreation has a few December events on the calendar before tubing season. Its fifth annual Holiday Lights Contest runs December 4 through 27. Maps will be available December 4, and winners will be announced Monday, December 28. On December 7, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., kids ages 4 to 12 can make Whimsical Christmas Ornaments at Hermon Council Chambers. The fee is $15, and an adult must attend. December Story Time is free on December 2, 9:30 to 10 a.m., in the Hermon High School Library at Entrance D-5, 2415 US-2, for children 5 and under with a caregiver.
With a Holiday Lights map in hand on a December evening, the drive can end at 441 Newburgh Road, where Scenic Eats serves pizza, burgers and subs in the lodge.
Hermon Mountain has been part of winter in town for generations, and we're glad to see local owners investing in it. If you're thinking about a home where a Monday ski day or a quick tubing trip is just down the road, The Elisha Hardy Team is happy to talk about Hermon and the communities around it. Contact us whenever you're ready.
