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: 1 Quad, 2 Triples, 2 Surface Lifts |
| Snowmaking | 100% |
Ski Sundown is a popular place for skiing and snowboarding in New Hartford, Connecticut. It has 17 exciting trails, and 16 of them are lit up for awesome night skiing! The trails offer different challenges for everyone. Nine trails are easier, four are intermediate, three are quite difficult, and one is extremely challenging.
Some favorite trails include Tom's Treat, which is a long, winding path down the mountain. It even has a small terrain park for practicing tricks! Another popular trail is Gunbarrel, a steep run perfect for advanced skiers. Ski Sundown also has two terrain parks. One is easier and found on Tom's Treat. The other is for experts and is on the challenging Stinger trail. When there's lots of snow, you might find fun bumps called moguls on Exhibition and Gunbarrel. A very challenging trail called Satan's Stairway opened in the winter of 2014-2015.
To get up the mountain, there are five lifts: one quad chairlift, two triple chairlifts, and two special conveyor lifts. Ski Sundown offers about 70 acres of skiable area. You can enjoy skiing under the stars on most trails until 10:00 PM!
Contents
The Story of Ski Sundown
Ski Sundown first opened in 1963 as "Satan's Ridge Ski Area." Back then, it had a special type of lift called a T-Bar. Another T-Bar was added in 1965 to help more people get up the mountain.
After a while, the ski area closed down. But then, a person named Channing Murdock decided to reopen it as Ski Sundown. He also owned another ski area nearby called Butternut Basin.
Over the years, Ski Sundown added many new and improved lifts. In 1977, a new triple chairlift, now known as the Exhibition Triple, was installed to take skiers to the top. Ten years later, in 1987, another triple chairlift, called the Triple Barrel, was added. This new lift replaced an older, smaller double chair.
More recently, in 2006, a conveyor lift called the Little Easy was installed. These are like moving sidewalks that help beginners. In 2013, a longer conveyor lift, the Big Easy, was added in the learning area. This also replaced an older double chair.
In 2024, a big upgrade happened! The old Exhibition triple chairlift was replaced with a brand-new Skytrac quad chairlift. This new lift is very special because it has a conveyor loading system, which was the first of its kind in Connecticut!
Exploring Ski Sundown's Features
Ski Trails for Everyone
Ski Sundown has 17 trails spread across 70 acres of skiable land. These trails are marked with symbols to show how difficult they are:
- Easiest: About 53% of the trails are perfect for beginners.
- More Difficult: Around 23% of the trails are for skiers who are getting more confident.
- Most Difficult: About 18% of the trails offer a good challenge.- - Extremely Difficult: The remaining 6% are for expert skiers looking for a big adventure!
Lifts to the Top
Ski Sundown has a great system of lifts to get you up the mountain quickly and safely.
Quad Chairlift
There is one quad chairlift. For the 2024-2025 season, Ski Sundown installed a brand-new Skytrac Quad chairlift. This lift replaced an older triple chair. It's the first chairlift of its kind in Connecticut, featuring a special conveyor belt for loading. This new quad can carry 600 more people per hour and gets you to the top faster, cutting ride time from 5 minutes to about 4.5 minutes!
Triple Chairlifts
Ski Sundown has two triple chairlifts. The Triple Barrel lift goes all the way from the bottom to the very top of the mountain. This means you can reach any trail you want! The second triple lift, called the Sunnyside Express, serves three trails in the Sunnyside learning area. These trails are great for beginners and intermediate skiers.
Surface Lifts (Magic Carpets)
There are two surface lifts, often called "magic carpets." These are the Little Easy and Big Easy. They are perfect for beginners because they are easy to use and help you gently go up the mountain. The Little Easy serves a small, safe beginner area. The Big Easy is longer and helps skiers access the Little Joe, Breezeway, and Loop trails.
Terrain Parks for Tricks
If you love doing tricks, Ski Sundown has two terrain parks! One is for beginners and is located on the Tom's Treat trail. The other is for intermediate and advanced riders and is on the Stinger trail. The features in these parks change throughout the season. You might find different box rails or s-rails. When there's enough snow, the park crew also builds a cool jump on the Stinger trail.
