Ski Sundown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ski Sundown |
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The Ski Sundown base area
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| Location | New Hartford, Connecticut, US |
| Nearest city | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Vertical | 625 ft (191 m) |
| Runs | 16 |
| Longest run | 1.6 kilometers |
| Lift system | 5 chairlifts: 3 Triples, 2 Surface Lifts |
| Snowmaking | 100% |
| Website | Ski Sundown |
Ski Sundown is a popular ski area located in New Hartford, Connecticut. It's a great place for skiing and snowboarding! The mountain has 16 different trails for you to explore. Guess what? Fifteen of these trails are lit up, so you can even ski at night, usually until 10 PM!
The trails at Ski Sundown offer something for everyone. Eight trails are easy, perfect for beginners. Four trails are for intermediate skiers, and three are quite challenging. There's even one super difficult trail! Some famous trails include Tom's Treat, which is a long, winding path down the mountain. It even has a small terrain park! Another exciting trail is Gunbarrel. This trail is very steep and offers fun races like NASTAR and CISC events.
Ski Sundown also has two special areas called terrain parks. One is easier and found on Tom's Treat. The other is an expert park on the black diamond trail called Stinger. When there's enough snow, the mountain even makes moguls (snow bumps) on Exhibition and Gunbarrel trails. In the winter of 2014/2015, a brand new, very challenging trail called Satan's Stairway opened.
To get you up the mountain, Ski Sundown has five lifts. Three of these are triple chairlifts, and two are conveyor lifts, which are like moving sidewalks for skiers. The ski area covers about 70 acres of land, all ready for you to ski!
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A Quick Look at History
Ski Sundown has an interesting past! It first opened in 1963 as "Satan's Ridge Ski Area." Back then, it only had one special lift called a T-Bar. Another T-Bar was added in 1965.
Later, the ski area closed for a short time. But then, a person named Channing Murdock reopened it as Ski Sundown! He also owns another ski area called Butternut Basin. In 1977, a new triple chairlift was put in. It goes all the way to the top and is now called the Exhibition Triple.
In 1987, another triple chairlift was added. This one is called the Triple Barrel. It replaced an older, smaller chairlift. More recently, in 2006, a conveyor lift called the Little Easy was installed. Then, in 2013, a longer conveyor lift, the Big Easy, was added in the learning area. These new lifts make it even easier for everyone to enjoy the mountain!
Exploring the Trails
Ski Sundown has 16 different trails spread across 70 acres of skiable land. This means there's plenty of space for everyone to have fun!
Here's how the trails are rated by difficulty:
- Easiest: About half of the trails are easy, perfect for learning or a relaxed ski.
- More Difficult: About 25% of the trails are a bit more challenging, great for improving your skills.
- Most Difficult: The other 25% are the toughest trails, for experienced skiers who love a challenge!
How We Get Up the Mountain: Lifts!
Ski Sundown has a great system of lifts to take you up the mountain.
Triple Chairlifts
- There are three triple chairlifts at Ski Sundown. A triple chairlift can carry three people at once!
- The Triple Barrel and Exhibition Triple lifts run side-by-side from the bottom to the top of the mountain. They give you access to all the different trails.
- On quieter days, usually only one of these main lifts runs.
- The third triple chairlift is called the Sunnyside Express. It helps skiers get to three beginner and intermediate trails in the Sunnyside learning area.
Surface Lifts
- Ski Sundown has two surface lifts. These are often called "magic carpets" because they look like moving conveyor belts!
- The Little Easy and Big Easy magic carpets are perfect for beginners. They make it super easy to get up the gentle slopes without needing to ride a chairlift.
- The Little Easy carpet serves a small, special area for very new skiers.
- The Big Easy carpet is longer and takes you to the Little Joe, Breezeway, and Loop trails, which are great for practicing.
41°53′03″N 72°56′43″W / 41.88407°N 72.94523°W
