Double Down: Sunday River Resort Undergoes Phase One Of Snowmaking Project To Double Capacity

Sunday River Resort’s snowmaking system is undergoing major renovations to lay the foundation for doubling the water capacity that can be pumped to the ski area from its water source, thereby making snow more quickly and efficiently.

Phase one, which will be completed at the end of this summer, includes nearly two miles of newly-engineered ductile iron high-pressure pipe and a new 600 horsepower pump for an immediate 15 percent increase in capacity for the 2018-19 season. The pipeline runs from the resort’s namesake river to the snowmaking pumphouse located in the Barker Basin.

“It’s a game changer,” says Resort President and General Manager, Dana Bullen. “We’ve always had the advantage of our location at the base of a huge natural watershed, but we’ve been limited by the capacity in our snowmaking infrastructure. This new pipeline solves that issue, and anything we do to our snowmaking system from this point forward exponentially improves how fast we can make snow.”

Sunday River has continually invested in its snowmaking capabilities over the years to provide skiers and riders with the most dependable snow in New England. Upgrades to the system’s infrastructure will remain a priority in the future in order to maximize the potential that this summer’s upgrades will offer.

Presently, Sunday River’s on-mountain snowmaking system services 90 percent of the groomed terrain, and includes 2,000 snow guns, most of which are energy-efficient, 2,200 hydrant stations, and over 80 miles of pipe. The resort’s snowmakers were also recognized as the top in the nation in the HKD I AM A Snowmaker contest in 2016.

The resort typically opens for skiing and snowboarding on or around Halloween, but snowmaking will commence as soon as temperatures allow.