Sunday River is a ski resort located in Newry

Newry, Maine

Newry is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 344 at the 2000 census. Newry is the home of Sunday River Ski Resort and has a proportionately large seasonal population.-History:...

, Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

, in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is one of Maine's largest and most visited ski resorts. Its vertical drop of 2340 feet (713.2 m) is the second largest in Maine (after Sugarloaf) and the sixth largest in New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

. The resort features 133 trails across eight interconnected mountain peaks, and is serviced by a network of 16 lifts.

Sunday River and its sister resort Sugarloaf/USA have been operated by Boyne Resorts

Boyne Resorts

Boyne Resorts is the third largest owner and operator of ski and golf resorts in the United States and is the longest running management team at nearly 60 years. The company employs over 7,000 fulltime and seasonal staff. It operates 13 resort properties - 10 ski resorts and 11 golf courses. The...

 since being sold by American Skiing Company

American Skiing Company

American Skiing Company was one of the largest operators of alpine ski, snowboard and golf resorts in the United States. Its resorts included Sunday River and Sugarloaf, in Maine and The Canyons in Utah....

 in 2007 for a combined $77 million.

Statistics

• Important facts
  • Year Opened: 1959
  • Number of Lifts: 16
  • Chondola (6 person chairs & 8 person gondolas): 1
  • High-speed quads: 4
  • Quad chairs: 5
  • Triple chairs: 3
  • Double chairs: 1
  • Surface lifts: 2
  • Lift capacity: 32,000/hr.
  • Slopeside Hotels: 2 (Jordan Grand Hotel, Grand Summit Hotel).
• Elevation
  • Top: 3140 ft (957.1 m)
  • Bottom: 800 ft (243.8 m)
  • Vertical drop: 2340 ft (713.2 m)
  • Longest run: 3.5 miles (5.6 km)
  • Skiable area: 667.7 acres (2.7 km²)
  • Snowmaking: 92%

• Types of runs
  • Beginner: 33%
  • Intermediate: 36%
  • Advanced: 19%
  • Expert: 12%

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 an expert run, one of the steepest at Sunday River. Obsession is a long Advanced to 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
  Half-pipe
  A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...
  
   and the Rocking Chair terrain park
  Terrain park
  A terrain park is an outdoor area that contains terrain that allows skiers and snowboarders to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. One of the first in-bounds terrain parks was the "Snowboard Park" built in 1990 at the Vail...
  
  .

• Barker Mountain: Features a high-speed quad
  Chairlift
  An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
  
   serving a variety of terrain. Three Mile Trail is a beginner run that winds across the mountain. Ecstasy and Right Stuff are other important trails. Monday Mourning and the race arena parallel it host a variety of high school- and middle school-level alpine ski races. Also services a newschool terrain park on Rocking Chair for skiers and snowboarders featuring a variety of jump and rail elements.

• Spruce Peak: Contains two intermediate trails, Risky Business and American Express. Downdraft is a short and steep difficult run that often contains moguls
  Mogul skiing
  Mogul skiing is a type of freestyle skiing where skiers ski terrain characterized by a large number of different bumps, or moguls.-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 and "Chondola" lift that services beginner and intermediate terrain. North Peak is oriented toward "family" skiing. The Dream maker trail is a long and wide beginner to intermediate trail that is a favorite for families.

• 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. The South Ridge Ski Lodge services three lifts, a magic carpet, a high speed quad, and a new chondola lift (high speed six-pack + 8-person gondolas). On the chondola, it has four- six person chairs following a gondola that can hold up to eight people

Out of these "peaks," only two actually have a topographic prominence

Topographic prominence

In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...

 great enough to be an actual peak. White Cap, Locke Mountain, and Barker Mountain are technically all part of a mountain called Barker Mountain. Barker Mountain's peak (el. 2594 ft (790.7 m)), ironically, is the peak that the ski area calls Locke Mountain. North Peak, Spruce Peak, Aurora Peak, OZ, and Jordan Bowl are technically all part of Black Mountain (el. 3162 ft (963.8 m)). The highest point of the ski area on Black Mountain (el. 3140 ft (957.1 m)) is the summit that is called OZ.

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.

Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

Robert Trent "Bobby" Jones, Jr. is a noted golf course architect. He is the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the brother of golf course designer Rees Jones....

 design and has been ranked as the '#1 course in Maine' by Golfweek

Golfweek

Golfweek is a high-end weekly golfing magazine, published in the United States. The magazine was launched in 1975 but was purchased by Turnstile Publishing Company, based in Orlando, Florida, in 1990 and has since become its flagship publication out of the five magazines it publishes...

magazine and one of the 'Top Ten Best New Courses in the World' by Travel + Leisure Golf

Travel + Leisure Golf

Travel + Leisure Golf was a bimonthly American magazine published by American Express. Unlike other golf magazines, Travel + Leisure Golf focused less on the sport than on the affluent golf lifestyle, with regular features on cars, resorts, wines, and spirits....

.

The 7130 yards (6,519.7 m) 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. Hiking and zip lining are also available.

Mountain biking

The Sunday River Mountain Bike Park first opened in the summer of 1991 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 2007 containing some of the original trails and a few new ones as well. Starting in the summer of 2009, mountain biking is accessed via the Chondola lift.

External links

• Sunday River - official website
• Sunday River - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com