With snowguns blazing and bright blue skies, Sunday River kicked off the 2019/20 winter season Saturday morning, November 9. The resort opened four trails—T2, Upper Sunday Punch, Sunday Punch, and Lower Sunday Punch— and the Locke Mountain Triple chairlift at 8:00 a.m. for skiers and snowboarders. The first 500 people in the lift line received a free opening day koozie.
“The first people to arrive to wait in line for first chair got here at 3:00 a.m.,” said resort president and general manager, Dana Bullen. “It’s incredible to come to work and see such a passionate group waiting to celebrate with you.”
Sunday River remained open on Sunday, November 10, and then will close until Friday, November 15 when daily operations will begin. All information on terrain, hours of operation, and skier services can be found on the resort’s Mountain Report.
Sunday River has been making snow as temperatures allowed since November 2. The resort increased water capacity by 15 percent for the 2018/19 season with upgrades that included the replacement of nearly two miles of pipe from the river to the resort, as well as a new 600-horsepower pump at the resort’s water source. Skiers and snowboarders can expect to see results of an additional 10 percent increase in snowmaking capacity for the 2019/20 season, thanks to four new 500-horsepower pumps also installed at the snowmaking pond. The ski area can now pump up to 10,000 gallons of water per minute.
