We’ve reached the point in the 2012-13 season when we’re able to assess just how good it has been, both from the standpoint of skiers and boarders and the ski area operators.

With some areas closing down, setting closing dates in the near future, or curtailing and limiting operations, the end is in sight … although we could be looking at another month or more of fun on the slopes, probably until Easter and beyond.

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Back in the day, there were two types of skiing — on-piste and backcountry. You were either skiing on lift-serviced trails at a resort, or you were hiking for your own turns on unpatrolled, often unmaintained slopes. In recent years a third option — sidecountry, or “slackcountry” — has been growing in popularity.

Generally speaking, sidecountry and slackcountry are defined as backcountry-type terrain (ungroomed natural snow, often in gladed areas) that you can reach via a ski area’s lift system. Even though the skiing isn’t necessarily any easier or safer than true backcountry descents, it’s a heck of a lot easier to get to.

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GREENVILLE – With a good 20 alpine areas across the state, Maine doesn’t need another lift-access ski mountain.

Tell that to the people of Greenville.

When Big Squaw Mountain Ski Area opened again for business Feb. 12, it proved a small-scale operation by Maine skiing standards. With just one lift on the lower mountain, a small lodge, modest snack bar, no snow making and an ad-hoc, snowmobile-club grooming effort, this place is no Vail.

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When chatting with folks on the lifts, especially at our Maine ski areas, I’m always gratified to hear how many of them remark that what impresses them most, even beyond the terrain, facilities and conditions, is the friendliness of the staff and their eagerness to welcome and assist visitors.

Whether it’s the jovial lifties at Sugarloaf recognizing and calling customers by name, to the locals joking with skiers and boarders while checking tickets at the Camden Snow Bowl, to Saddleback’s personable ambassadors helping folks unload their gear, there’s a palpable and pervasive welcoming feeling that resonates throughout the entire facility.

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Snowfall along coastal Maine has provided cross country skiing along many beaches and throughout Acadia National Park. According to Greg Sweetser, executive director of the Ski Maine Association, “the value of snow along the coastline is that no one can deny that winter is here. Skiers and snowboarders, in every corner of the state, are really excited with all of the snow. The truth is that when there is snow in everyone’s backyard, it benefits all winter sports in Maine.”

Maine’s cross-country centers are fully open for skiing and snowshoeing. Nordic trails are groomed with excellent track set conditions, and full skating lanes for all ability levels.

February and March are historically the two snowiest months of the season and Maine is on track to see more than 200 inches of snowfall accumulating this winter.

Entering March with all downhill and cross-country areas open is important for the winter economy in Maine’s ski country. Canadian school vacations occur during each of the first three weeks in March bringing some of the biggest weekly crowds to Maine slopes. Add longer days, weekend events, and college spring breaks, and we will see a very strong month on the slopes.

There’s no question that most skiers and snowboarders are big fans of beer. Blame it on the sport’s European heritage. Or blame it on the relaxing qualities of imbibing after hours in the cold fueled only by adrenaline, or even on the legendary social nature of skiers and snowboarders. Whatever the reason, ski areas from Maine to California have brew pubs by their base lodges. Here in Maine, we’ve got two that are practically on-hill — the Bag and Kettle and the Sunday River Brew Pub — and others that could make an argument for being skier’s brau.

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After a long day on the slopes, there’s nothing like curling up in front of the fire with a good book. And a good book about the sport we love makes it about as good as it gets.

While there are lots of books about the history of the winter sports business in general, and about particular ski areas, as well as more primers on technique improvement than you’d ever want to read, we’re fortunate that there are a couple of Maine authors who have put together stories that I’ve found fascinating and can recommend without equivocation for an enjoyable read.

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The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer and we’re inching ever closer to spring. For many skiers, this all signals a reprieve from the harsh conditions of the middle of winter.

For Maine families, these changes are a sign of something else — February vacation is almost here.

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Many of us who love the sport of skiing have despaired over the past few decades about two interrelated phenomena: The decline in the number of available ski areas, especially the smaller, locally focused facilities; and the upward spiraling cost to participate as the remaining larger resorts compete with each other and attempt to make economic sense of a business model that has proven itself to be difficult to sustain.

For those of us who not only revel in the sheer joy that sliding down the side of a snow-covered mountain can provide, but have also had in our past some experience operating ski areas, there’s a shared concern about where the sport and the business are headed.

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Today like never before, the ski and snowboard industry continues to improve and alter ski equipment technology. But sometimes nothing beats the old-school approach.

While Alpine touring skiers, or “hill climbers,” constitute a small number of downhill skiers today, their enthusiasm is changing policy across the state and even the nation.

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