Sunday River

Our Take

Sunday River in Newry, Maine has the best snowmaking operation in the East -- a 10-million-gallon snowmaking pond, a 3.5-mile snowmaking pipeline, and the managerial willingness to use all of it, which means Sunday River reliably opens in early November and stays open into April regardless of what the natural sky is producing. The 870 acres spread across eight connected peaks give the resort a variety that most New England mountains can't match: you literally drive a cat track over and find different character on the next ridge. Boyne Resorts ownership has kept Sunday River as an independent-pass property, which in the current Ikon/Epic binary is either frustrating or refreshing depending on how you feel about purchasing a single-resort season pass. The terrain runs from the gentle North Peak beginner zone to the serious expert runs on Oz and the Jordan Bowl terrain, where the pitch and the snow quality on a good day rival anything in Vermont. Bethel, the nearest town, is honest Maine -- a real community with actual residents that's gradually developing infrastructure around the mountain without losing its character.

Nerd Stats

Fun Facts

• Sunday River's snowmaking pond holds 10 million gallons of water and the resort's snowmaking pipeline runs 3.5 miles across the mountain terrain.
• Eight connected peaks mean you can ski from one end of the resort to the other via cat tracks across ridgelines -- a Sunday River rite of passage.
• The resort typically opens in early November -- usually before any other major New England mountain -- because the snowmaking can manufacture conditions regardless of weather.
• Sunday River's Jordan Bowl opened in 1995 and expanded the expert terrain significantly. Jordan is the part of the mountain that rewards multi-day exploration.