Sunday River Plans Opening Day For Friday, October 19

Sunday River Ski Resort intends to open for the 2018/19 winter season tomorrow, Friday, October 19, at 10:00AM. The resort expects to open on the T2 trail, accessible via the Locke Mountain Triple lift in Barker Basin. All plans depend on weather and snow conditions; keep an eye on sundayriver.com and check the resort’s social media channels for the most up-to-date information.

Sunday River fired up 124 snowguns on Wednesday, October 17 on Locke Mountain at 9:00PM, and also had 2-3 inches of natural snowfall overnight. This quick turn-around on trail coverage can be attributed to recent upgrades to the resort’s snowmaking system, including the replacement of nearly two miles of pipe from the Sunday River to the snowmaking pump house in Barker Basin, as well as a new 600-horsepower pump. These improvements boost snowmaking capacity by 15 percent for this winter, and set a foundation for future upgrades to double Sunday River's previous capacity.

 “As always, we’re dedicated to getting our trails open as fast as possible our passholders and loyal guests,” says Resort President and General Manager, Dana Bullen. “This commitment is shown through the improvements we made to our system this summer, and continues as we take advantage of these favorable snowmaking temperatures before the foliage has fallen.”

The resort also opened on October 19 during the 2015/16 season, which is the second earliest date for skiing and riding in the resort’s history. Lift tickets will be $30 for all ages and available to purchase at the Barker Lodge. All 2018/19 New England Passes will be available to purchase or pick up at the South Ridge Lodge. 

Sunday River is known for its snowmaking, typically opening on or around Halloween. The resort expects to open on Friday, and weather permitting, plans to be open on Saturday and Sunday as well. The early season lift schedule will usually operate on weekends only until mid-November after opening day.