SKIING ONE OF THE LARGEST SKI RESORTS IN THE EAST
My Northeast ski week continued today with me making my way to Maine to ski Sunday River. This was my second time skiing Sunday River. I skied there last January and enjoyed it, so I knew I wanted to make it back there this season. Over the last few days, I’ve skied Jay Peak, Beartown Ski Area, Killington, Wildcat and now Sunday River. It’s been quite the run, and it’ll continue for at least the next couple of days.
Riding the Chondola.
Riding the Jordan 8 with the bubble down.
*Just a heads up that I don’t know this mountain well, so most pictures don’t have captions.*
For the second day in a row, I skied with Pro Skier Darren White. The mountain wasn’t busy at all, and we never waited to ride a lift the entire day. The morning started off with some light snow, and while there were some flurries here and there the rest of the day, the sun did come out for a bit. Temperature wise, it was pretty comfortable, though Sunday River’s two fancy bubble lifts, and the Chondola, which is a gondola/chairlift combo lift, did provide a break from the elements.
For those not familiar with Sunday River, this ski resort is one of the largest in the East. They have 840 acres of terrain, which is good for 140 runs and glades, stretched across eight mountains. There are 19 lifts. The place is huge, and it skis as such. Given its size, Pro Skier Darren White and I skied a few runs off each mountain and then moved on to the next. Thanks to that process, we were able to cover quite a lot of terrain.
Bling Ambition.
Last Tango.
All but three runs were open and conditions were overall pretty good everywhere. On the groomers, there were some firm spots here and there, but nothing too notable. We skied two glades: Last Tango and Blind Ambition. Coverage was good enough in these woods, but there were some obstacles to avoid here and there. These trees were actually a ton of fun with amazing spacing. Next time I’m at Sunday River I hope to spend a little more time in the glades.
Upper Cut.
Lower Upper Cut.
Tightwire.
Of course it varied from trail to trail, but the natural snow trails we skied all had pretty coverage. There was the occasional time you had to dodge a rock here and there, but it wasn't enough to ruin the experience. Some of my favorite natural snow only trails today were probably Upper Cut and Lower Upper Cut, as well as Tightwire. Upper Cut is a narrow run through trees, and it was bumped up with relatively soft snow. Lower Upper Cut is a continuation of Upper Cut, though it’s not nearly as narrow. Tightwire followed the lift line of a lift. It was bumped up as well, but the snow was relatively soft.
Either Tin Woodsman or Lost Princess.
Either Tin Woodsman or Lost Princess.
Either Tin Woodsman or Lost Princess.
Another memorable trail we skied was off the Jordan 8 lift. It was either Tin Woodsman or Lost Princess. I’m not sure. But either way, the run had some big icy whales on it, and there was a fair amount of ice to avoid elsewhere on the run as well. In between all of that, there was some bumps and decent snow. It all made for a very interesting and memorable ski.
The Iglu.
Inside The Iglu.
Inside The Iglu.
Me in The Iglu. Photo credit: Pro Skier Darren White.
In my opinion, no trip to Sunday River is complete without stopping at The Iglu. This is a legit igloo, complete with multiple spaces and a bar. Pro Skier Darren White had never been so I made sure we stopped by. It was just as cool as I remember it (pun intended).
Never Quit Skiing,
Lincoln