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I give Sunday River a lot of credit for continuing to blow snow during questionable windows and continuing to offer skiers and riders a chance to determine for themselves if thin coverage is excessive or not. Patch skiing resumes at Sunday River will many small sections of Lower Sunday Punch blown out making top to bottom skiing all but impossible. Well, unless you have questionable ski base quality standards such as mine.

After waking up to a dreary and wet morning following a tropical storm breaking apart the previous night, I putz around the house for a while awaiting some hint of the sunshine that was forecasted for the afternoon. Soon enough, I was en route to Sunday River for Canned Good day. Always good to help support the local food banks while simultaneously supporting my habit on the cheap.

Due to Lower Sunday Punch being blown out in places which had most skiers and riders hiking parts of Lower Sunday Punch, the mid-stations line was more than my stomach could handle so I opted for top to bottom skiing with exception of one late day mid-station run. Frequent lift slow downs and stops to accommodate down loading skiers made riding the Locke Mountain Triple a tedious experience.

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Birthday turns when said birth date is in October always comes as a pleasant treat. The trick involved with Birthday turns at Sunday River today was navigating the patches on Lower Sunday Punch. At times it was questionable whether today offered more tricks or treats? But the smile on my face while making turns down Upper Sunday Punch gave credence to the treat side of the saying.

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Sunday River was the first ski area east of the Mississippi to open for the season two day ago. That certainly got my attention. Sunday River has opened for Halloween these past two years but it was a surprise to see the resort pulling out all the stops during an extremely below average temperature month of October. Having to work on Saturday and having other commitments on Sunday, I arranged to leave work early on Friday to get my first turns of the season.

My excitement for first turns of the season had my mind out of sorts as I missed the Barker Lodge turn off and ended up at the main lodge unloading my gear. After a quick reality check, I was soon at an empty Barker Lodge getting my $25.00 lift ticket and buckling into my new boots. First day of the season is no way to break in new boots, but no pain no gain as they say!

Uploading on the Locke Triple was sensational with great colors still lingering despite being past peak. The transition from just colors to colors with snow was sensational and vibrant. Views were sensational from the top of Locke Mountain with a relatively clear day and views to the Presidentials off the backside. T2 was the only open run with downloading on the Locke Triple Chair as Sunday Punch was not yet ready for top to bottom traffic.

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Sunday River in Newry, Maine became the first ski area in the Northeast to open for the season this past Thursday November 8th, one day earlier than scheduled. The early November snow making push was rather surprising considering most resorts are eliminating many days of the “shoulder seasons.” However, two new players in the region, including Boyne and Peaks, seriously upped the ante. Sunday River and Sugarloaf of Boyne beat Mount Snow and Attittash to the punch, but just barely. Bretton Woods also opened this weekend servicing limited beginner terrain.

Last weekend saw TheSnowWay.com’s author skinning up Locke at Sunday River for two runs unassisted by lifts. Today marked the author’s third day of the season and first lift serviced day. Although I appreciated the repetitions and vertical assistance, turns last weekend were much more enjoyable due to no crowds and no snow guns. But for only $20.00 after a donation of three canned goods, I certainly was not going to look else where for turns, crowds be damned!

Sunday River essentially offered up three trails for sliding along with a connector linking the Barker Summit to Locke. Both the Barker Summit High Speed Quad and the Locke Mountain Triple were in operation with the Locke Mountain Triple allowing skiers to board at the mid-station. Upper Sunday Punch and T2 were open from the Locke Mountain Summit from which both trails dumped into Cascades to the base which featured a mini terrain park. Snow making was online on Upper Sunday Punch making for an unpleasant skiing experience despite the trail having the best snow conditions.

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When American Ski Company dissolved and sold off its assets, no one could have predicted how many great things the new ownership would do in such a short period of time. Boyne USA Resorts stepped right up to the plate and began transforming its new Maine Resorts, Sunday River and Sugarloaf, from the neglected bastard childs of ASC to the impressive resorts they have the potential to be. Both Sunday River and Sugarloaf fired up snow making during the last week of October and Sunday River managed to open T2 on Halloween via uploading on Chair 4, thumbing its nose at the tight pockets of the former owners.

After this past Tuesday’s effort at Attitash, I was eager for some quality turns to make up for the desperate display of stupidity earlier in the week. With a planned opening date of November 9th and the snow making capability to do it, Sunday River is currently the early season leader to beat. The combination of less hiking and nearly enough snow to ski back to my car made Sunday River the obvious choice for turn earning instead of Killington.

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During Spring Break of March 2000, I ventured up to Maine for an afternoon of some great skiing at Sunday River. The race season with UMass Lowell Ski Team had concluded the previous month and college graduation was two months away. Having raced for several years, I wanted to get off the groomed terrain and try natural terrain and tree skiing. Thus, my second solo outing to a big mountain taught me some hard lessons about tree skiing and rope ducking.

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These Pictures are from my St. Patrick’s Day trip to Sunday River in Bethel, Maine. The glorious afternoon sported fifty to sixty degree temperatures with little wind. The mountain had just received a good three feet of snow the previous week and it was the last day of the season that they would have all trails open.

My trip to Sunday River sparked a sudden shift in my skiing life. No longer a terminal intermediate, my training with the UMass Lowell Ski Team provided a sound though still developing foundation of technical ability. This trip to Sunday River marked my first forays into natural snow and gladed terrain. It was also my first solo skiing outing. My development as a skier and my appreciation for trees and natural snow can be traced back to this afternoon at Sunday River.

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