Puffy coat-wearing New Englanders flocked to Sunday River in Maine this past Saturday night. Conditions were stellar for the slopes, but for many of the mountain travelers, skiing wasn't on the agenda.
They were there to see Rustic Overtones, a Maine band that plays a blend of jazz and funk.
Sunday River says this type of tourism is common for the resort these days. While most people do visit the mountain to ski, Sunday River's special events are often good enough to draw a crowd on their own.
"A lot of folks schedule their trips based on what event is going on," said Sunday River spokesman Alex Kaufman.
This ski season, at mountains all over the region, you can amuse yourself without ever having to buy a lift ticket. Sunday River is one of the leaders when it comes to off-slope entertainment. During the next few months, the Bethel attraction will host a Children's Festival with fireworks and games from Jan. 14 to 18, a Lenny Clarke benefit for the Genesis Fund from Jan. 24 to 26, and a performance by Big Head Todd and the Monsters on Feb. 23.
Kaufman estimates that about half of the people who attend those events, specifically the music shows, will have no interest in skiing.
Wachusett Mountain Ski Area offers similar extracurricular activities. The resort hosts special ski races to increase its tourism, but it also relies on a season-long roster of music, including shows put together by 92.9 WBOS. Tomorrow night in the Coppertop lounge, it's comedian-musician Bruce Jacques, who performs as everyone from Britney Spears to Eminem.
And on Jan. 27, Wachusett will host Men Who Cook, a benefit that has the Wachusett Mountain Race Team dads cooking up recipes that you can sample.
Tom Meyers, a spokesman for Wachusett, said some of the mountain's most popular events are hosted by radio stations. WFNX hosts a party for singles on Jan. 18, and on Feb. 1 WZLX hosts a football game with DJs in the snow to preview the Super Bowl. Some of the spectators ski after the events and some don't.
There's no admission to Wachusett if you don't plan to ski, so most of these events are free.
"We're easy access," Meyers said. "Sometimes people come in just to watch bands."
It's not just the big resorts that plan a season of off-mountain entertainment. Even Ski Bradford, in Haverhill, has a lineup of programs for visitors. Like Wachusett, Bradford uses radio station events to draw the masses.
"We've had really good luck with Radio Disney," Ski Bradford's Chris Garland said of the Miley Cyrus-loving station, which visits on Jan. 19.
"They come and they put on a really good show," Garland said. "The radio station sets up on the deck. They have tents and tables."
Also visiting Bradford this season will be
Al Fletcher, whose NashobaValley ski resort will draw the masses tomorrow with a special event featuring former US Ski Team members, says visitors have come to expect these types of special programs. And Kaufman, at Sunday River, agreed. The mountain will always be the main attraction, but the expectation is that patrons will be entertained off the slopes, especially if the weather isn't cooperating.
"Not everyone wants to ski," Kaufman said. "And everybody wants something to do at night."
For information about local ski resorts and the latest conditions, visit boston.com/ski.
Meredith Goldstein can be reached at mgoldstein@globe.com.
