Sunday River (Maine)
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| Sunday River Ski Resort | |
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| Location: | |
| Nearest city: | Auburn, Maine |
| Top elevation: | 3,140 ft (960 m) |
| Base elevation: | 800 ft (240 m) |
| Skiable area: | 660 acres (270 ha) |
| Runs: | 131 |
| Longest run: | 3 mi (4.8 km) |
| Lift system: | 18 (15 chairs):
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| Snowfall: | 155 inches (390 cm) per year |
| Web site: | Sunday River |
Sunday River is a ski resort located in Newry, Maine, in the United States. It is one of Maine's largest and most visited ski resorts. The resort features 131 trails across eight interconnected mountain peaks, and is serviced by a network of 18 lifts.
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[edit] Statistics
- Important facts[1]
- Year Opened: 1959
- Number of Lifts: 18
- High-Speed Quads: 4
- Quad Chairs: 5
- Triple Chairs: 4
- Double Chairs: 2
- Surface Lifts: 3
- Lift Capacity: 32,000/hr.
Sunday River is book-ended by two slopeside hotels, The Jordan Grand Hotel and the Grand Summit Hotel.
- Elevation
- Top: 3,140 ft (960 m)
- Bottom: 800 ft (240 m)
- Vertical Drop: 2,340 ft (710 m)
- Longest Run: 3.50 miles (5.63 km)
- Skiable Area: 667.7 acres (2.702 km²)
- Snowmaking: 92%
- Types of Runs
- Beginner: 33%
- Intermediate: 36%
- Advanced: 19%
- Expert: 12%
On August 7, 2007, Sunday River and its sister resort Sugarloaf/USA were sold by American Skiing Company to Boyne Resorts Boyne immediately transferred the property to CNL Income Properties, an Orlando, Florida, company under a lease-back arrangement. Under terms of the deal, Boyne, a Michigan-based multi-resort company, will operate Sunday River as part of its extensive portfolio of ski areas.
[edit] Terrain
The following describes the different mountains of Sunday River:
- White Cap: Located at the eastern end of the resort, it contains mostly difficult terrain consisting of steeps and glades. White Heat is a popular expert run and one of the steepest at Sunday River. Obsession is a long intermediate trail full of rolls and variation in pitch.
- Locke Mountain: The resort's original peak. Features predominantly intermediate trails like Cascades, Monday Mourning and Sunday Punch. The lower section of Locke is also home to a half-pipe and the Rocking Chair terrain park.
- Barker Mountain: Features a high-speed quad serving a variety of terrain. Three Mile Trail is a beginner run that winds across the mountain. Ecstasy and Right Stuff are other popular trails. Monday Mourning and the race arena parallel it host a variety of high school- and middle school-level alpine ski races.
- Spruce Peak: Contains two intermediate trails, Risky Business and American Express. Downdraft is a short and steep difficult run that often contains moguls, or is iced over. The peak also offers quick access to the western side of the resort with the beginner trail Sirius.
- North Peak: Has the mid-mountain Peak Lodge that offers food and beverages. Also contains a high-speed quad that services beginner and intermediate terrain. North Peak is oriented toward "family" skiing.
- Aurora Peak: A mix of intermediate and difficult trails serviced by a quad chairlift. There is also a double chairlift that connects Aurora to the base of Jordan Bowl.
- OZ: A unique bowl with difficult and expert terrain. Runs are a mix of glades and open trails that emphasize natural terrain features and steep pitches.
- Jordan Bowl: Contains a mix of terrain that covers all ability levels. The Jordan Grand Resort Hotel is located off the beginner trail Lollapalooza. Other runs include Rogue Angel and Excalibur.
- South Ridge: South Ridge services beginner trails. It is not actually a peak but is used by many beginning skiers. The South Ridge Ski Lodge services three chairlifts,a double a triple and a high speed quad.
[edit] Summer
In the summer months, Sunday River changes from a ski resort into a golf course. The Sunday River Golf Club is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design and has been ranked as the '#1 course in Maine' by Golfweek magazine and one of the 'Top Ten Best New Courses in the World' by Travel + Leisure Golf.[citation needed]
The 7,130-yard (6,520 m) championship course offers dramatic elevation changes. The club also features a large log and stone clubhouse with a pro shop and grille, as well as a mountainside practice facility. While the course is open to the public, memberships are also available from Harris Golf, who operates the golf club in partnership with Sunday River.
The Grand Summit Resort Hotel and Jordan Grand Resort Hotel remain open during the summer and offer 'Stay and Play' Golf Packages throughout the golf season.
[edit] Mountain biking
The Sunday River Mountain Bike Park first opened in the summer of '91 and was one of the first resorts to offer lift accessed mountain biking to a full network of trails. The park closed in the fall of 2003. The park reopened in August of 2007 containing some of the original trails and a few new ones as well.
[edit] Tubing
There are two tubing runs at the whitecap fun center and a handle tow for each. Both run up the tempest trail. The runs usually open around Christmas and operate until April.
