Hermon, Maine — Over the past week, cold weather has allowed ski areas across the Northeast to make a lot of snow. This was the case for New Hermon Mountain in Maine, the closest ski area to Bangor. This was until something terrible happened.
On late Monday evening, a fire destroyed a large portion of New Hermon Mountain’s snowmaking pumphouse. This building is a critical part of the snowmaking process, connecting the water to a ski area’s snowmaking network. The fire destroyed the walls, roof, pump and motor in the building. However, it was not a complete loss, as the concrete was undamaged.
On Wednesday, WABI 5 caught up with Bill Whitcomb, who’s the owner of New Hermon Mountain. Bill described when he know that something was awry:
“I was down here at probably quarter to 12, checking everything which we do about every 20 minutes… I got back up to the lodge and one of our pumps showed it had an issue. They have strobe light on them to tell you something was wrong.”
He said that it’s possible that the fire was caused by a motor failure, but what sparked it is still under investigation.
Following this news report, it appears that New Hermon Mountain got the needed permits to begin building a new pumphouse. The crew is making fast progress, with the walls and roof currently being built. Despite this pumphouse setback, New Hermon Mountain expects to open for the 2024-25 season.
Image/Video Credits: New Hermon Mountain, WABI 5
