Sunday River (ski resort) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sunday River Ski Resort
Location	Newry, Maine, United States
Nearest city	Portland, ME
Coordinates	44°28′10″N 70°51′40″W / 44.46944°N 70.86111°W / 44.46944; -70.86111
Top elevation	3,140 ft (960 m)
Base elevation	800 ft (240 m)
Skiable area	870 acres (350 ha)
Runs	135
Longest run	3 mi (4.8 km)
Lift system	15 (14 chairs):   • 1 Chondola   • 4 High-Speed Quads   • 5 Quads   • 3 Triples   • 1 Double   • 4 Surface Lifts
Snowfall	155 inches (390 cm) per year
Night skiing	Yes
Website	www.sundayriver.com

Sunday River is a popular ski resort located in Newry, Maine, in the United States. It's known as one of Maine's biggest and most visited ski spots. The resort has a vertical drop of 2,340 feet (710 m), which means the difference between its highest and lowest points is quite large. This makes it the second biggest in Maine for vertical drop and the sixth largest in all of New England.

Sunday River offers the most skiing area among East Coast resorts. It has 135 trails spread across eight connected mountain peaks. To get around, skiers and snowboarders use a system of 15 lifts.

Sunday River and its partner resort, Sugarloaf, are managed by Boyne Resorts. Boyne Resorts bought them in 2007. They fully purchased Sunday River in March 2018.

Sunday River Ski Resort: Key Facts and Figures

Looking up toward the Jordan Bowl summit, a popular skiing area.

The Chondola lift in winter, which carries both chairs and gondolas.

Sunday River opened its doors in 1959. It has grown a lot since then!

• Quick Facts
  • Year Opened: 1959
  • Number of Lifts: 18 (including surface lifts)
  • Lift Capacity: 32,000 people per hour
  • On-Mountain Lodging: Jordan Hotel, Grand Summit Hotel, The Snowcap Inn, and over 100 Condominiums.

• Mountain Heights
  • Top Elevation: 3,140 ft (960 m)
  • Bottom Elevation: 800 ft (240 m)
  • Vertical Drop: 2,340 ft (710 m)
  • Longest Run: 3.50 miles (5.63 km)
  • Skiable Area: 870 acres (3.5 km²)
  • Snowmaking Coverage: 92% of trails

• Types of Ski Runs
  • Beginner Trails: 33%
  • Intermediate Trails: 36%
  • Advanced Trails: 19%
  • Expert Trails: 12%

How Sunday River's Lift System Works

Sunday River has a modern lift system to get you up the mountain quickly. Here are some of the main lifts:

• Barker Mountain Express: A fast quad lift built in 1987.
• South Ridge Express: Another fast quad lift, built in 1992.
• Quantum Leap: A triple chairlift, moved to its current spot in 1992.
• Locke Mountain: A triple chairlift from 1984.
• Alera Group Competition Lift: A T-Bar surface lift added in 2019 for ski racers.
• North Peak Express: A fast quad lift built in 1997.
• Chondola: This unique lift, built in 2008, has both 6-person chairs and 8-person gondolas. It connects directly to North Peak.
• Spruce Peak: A triple chairlift built in 2017.
• White Cap: A quad lift from 1987.
• White Heat: A quad lift from 1988.
• Little White Cap: Another quad lift from 1988.
• Aurora Peak: A quad lift from 1991.
• Jordan Mountain: A double chairlift from 1994, used for transport in both directions.
• Jordan Bowl Express: A fast quad lift built in 1994.
• Oz: A quad lift built in 1995.
• Lower, Middle, and Upper Sundance Surface Lifts: Beginner carpet lifts added in 2019.

Exploring Sunday River's Terrain

Sunday River from the Jordan Bowl, with Old Speck Mountain in the distance.

The top of "Kansas," one of Sunday River's trails.

Sunday River is made up of several distinct mountain areas, each offering different types of trails.

• White Cap: This area is on the eastern side of the resort. It has many difficult trails, including steep slopes and glades (skiing through trees). White Heat is one of the steepest and most famous expert runs. Obsession is a long trail that changes from advanced to intermediate.

• Locke Mountain: This was the resort's first peak. It mostly has intermediate trails like Cascades and Monday Mourning. You can also find a half-pipe and the Rocking Chair terrain park here.

• Barker Mountain: This mountain has a high-speed quad and offers a variety of trails. Three Mile Trail is a long, winding beginner run. Ecstasy and Right Stuff are other important trails. Ski races often happen on Monday Mourning and the race arena.

• Spruce Peak: This area has two intermediate trails, Risky Business and American Express. Downdraft is a short, steep, difficult run that often has moguls (bumps) or can be icy. Sirius is a beginner trail that provides quick access to the western side of the resort.

• North Peak: This peak is home to the Peak Lodge, where you can get food and drinks. It has a high-speed quad and the "Chondola" lift, serving beginner and intermediate trails. North Peak is great for families, with many beginner options like the wide Dream Maker trail. It also has T72, Maine's biggest terrain park. Night skiing is available on Escapade and Dream Maker.

• Aurora Peak: This area has a mix of intermediate and difficult trails. A double chairlift connects Aurora to the base of Jordan Bowl.

• OZ: This is a unique bowl with challenging and expert terrain. The runs here are a mix of glades and open trails, known for their natural features and steep pitches. OZ usually only opens on weekends because of its difficulty and sometimes lighter snow cover.

• Jordan Bowl: This area offers trails for all skill levels. The Jordan Grand Resort Hotel is located near the beginner trail Lollapalooza. Other trails include Rogue Angel and Excalibur.

• South Ridge: This area is mainly for beginner trails. The South Ridge Ski Lodge serves three lifts: a magic carpet, a high-speed quad, and the new Chondola lift.

It's interesting to know that even though the resort calls these "peaks," not all of them are actual mountain peaks. For example, White Cap, Locke Mountain, and Barker Mountain are all part of what is technically called Barker Mountain. The highest point of the ski area is what the resort calls OZ, which is part of Black Mountain.

How Sunday River Makes Snow

Sunday River is famous for its powerful snowmaking system. This helps them keep the slopes covered with snow even when natural snowfall is low.

• Terrain Coverage: They can make snow on 95% of their non-gladed (open) terrain, which is about 552 acres.
• Water Capacity: Their system can pump 8,100 gallons of water per minute.
• Air Capacity: They have 60,000 cubic feet of air per minute at 150 psi.
• Snowmaking Output: They can produce 4 acre-feet of snow per hour.
• Snow Guns: They have a huge collection of 1,900 snow guns.
• Piping System: There are about 72 miles of pipe and 30 miles of hose in their snowmaking system.

Sunday River in Summer

The Chondola during the fall, showing how it can carry mountain bikes.

When the snow melts, Sunday River transforms into a summer resort. It offers many activities for families and visitors. Yankee Magazine even named it "Best Mountain Park" in 2012.

The mountain bike park at Sunday River closed in 2019 after 13 years. The resort decided to close it because of the mountain's shape and the big cost needed to create good beginner riding areas.

Summer activities still include golf, a Zipline Tour, and Twin Zips. You can also enjoy family-friendly activities like geocache tours, hiking, and scenic rides on the lifts.

The Grand Summit Resort Hotel and Jordan Grand Resort Hotel stay open during the summer. They offer special packages for golf and lodging.

Golf at Sunday River

The Sunday River Golf Club is a top-rated course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.. Golfweek magazine has ranked it as the number one course in Maine. Travel + Leisure Golf even called it one of the 'Top Ten Best New Courses in the World'.

The course is 7,130-yard (6,520 m) long and features exciting changes in elevation. The club has a large clubhouse with a pro shop and a restaurant. It also has a practice area on the mountainside. The course is open to everyone, and memberships are also available.

Ski and Snowboard Competitions at Sunday River

Sunday River is a popular spot for ski and snowboard competitions.

• Gould Academy Competition Program

Sunday River is home to the Gould Academy Competition Program. This program helps young skiers improve in Alpine skiing (like slalom and giant slalom), Freestyle skiing (moguls and freeride), and Snowboarding (halfpipe, slopestyle, and boardercross). The program runs from mid-November through March.

• Dumont Cup

The Dumont Cup was an event created by famous skier Simon Dumont. He wanted to give young, rising skiers a chance to show their skills and get noticed. The event was held at Sunday River, his home mountain. Many amateur skiers, like Nick Geopper and Gus Kenworthy, won the Dumont Cup and later became professional skiers. The last Dumont Cup was held in March 2015.

• Frozen Rush

In 2014, Sunday River hosted the first-ever Frozen Rush race. This was a unique off-road race held on snow. Top short course off-road racing drivers raced their special trophy trucks against each other. Ricky Johnson won the first event.

• New England Forest Rally

The New England Forest Rally has been held at Sunday River for over 26 years. This is a rally car race that takes place on forest roads.