Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley is celebrating the History of Skiing in Maine, Saturday, Jan. 31, and will also honor John Christie, president of the Ski Museum of Maine and member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame.

Christie will also be honored as a past owner of Saddleback and for his history of the mountain. He was general manager at Sugarloaf, and was responsible for overseeing the installation of the four person gondola. He came to Saddleback in 1972 until 1975. After leaving Saddleback, he moved to Mt. Snow, Vermont, where he served as Vice President and General Manager.

Fireside chat
During the festivities honoring John Christie, a fireside chat on 140 years of skiing in Maine will be presented by Scott Andrews, a board member of the Ski Museum of Maine.

There will also be a presentation by Warren Cook, current CEO and General Manager of Saddleback Mountain. Cook is himself an icon in industry of skiing in Maine.

Christie helped develop Saddleback
Christie will be on hand speaking about his ownership at Saddleback and on the task of developing the mountain. He was instrumental in cutting new trails that reflect fishing flies popular to the Rangeley area, such as Warden's Worry, Tightline and Supervisor. He will also discuss his long association of skiing and what it means to be a member of the Maine Ski Hall of Fame.

"John is a true skiing enthusiast." said Roger Page, former general manager of Saddleback and founder of the ski school at Sugarloaf, in a press release. "In fact I originally recommended him for the job of running Saddleback. He had the drive, the ideas and the follow up skills to pull it off."

Christie brought an enthusiasm and passion for making the area a destination point for skiers and built the original 20 White Birch condominiums at Saddleback. After realizing many of his plans for the mountain and bringing it to the next level, Christie decided he wanted try his hand in other industries and sold the property in 1975.

"I still have a tremendous amount of optimism for the development potential of Saddleback," Christie said. "The people who are there now seem to have the same passion for the sport that I did at the time I was there, and still do. I especially have a tremendous amount of respect and love for Warren Cook. He shares my feeling of providing the best possible experience for the customers. Combine that with (current owner) Bill Berry's desire to keep it affordable, while upholding his commitment to the plans to continuously improve it and they can't go wrong."

John Christie recently authored a book titled The Story of Sugarloaf, published by Down East Books. He was winner of the 2008 Skade Award from the International Skiing History Association.

Schedule of events
• Saturday, January 31st.: All day - Exhibit of the Ski Museum of Maine in the lobby with historical photos and memorabilia.
• Skiing with John Christie after lunch
• 2 p.m. - Down Mountain and Cross Country skiing slide show of 140 years of skiing in Maine, presented by Scott Andrews, in the Swig n' Smelt Pub. The slide show is presented by the SMOM.
• 3 p.m. Festivities begin with welcome by Warren Cook, CEO and General Manager. A panel on John Christie with open mike and remarks to be held in the Fireplace area of the base lodge.
• 4:30 p.m. -- Reception in the Fireplace area with cash bar
• 6:00 p.m. -- Pasta dinner served. ($14 p.p.)

Ski and ride safely. Use your head and wear a helmet.