Sunday River opens slopes, heralds ski season

NEWRY – Sunday River has staked its claim as the first ski area in Maine to open for the season.

The resort opened its slopes on Friday, giving skiers top-to-bottom runs.

“We’re making snow,” said Sunday River spokeswoman Susan DuPlessis. “All the guns are going.”

Many ski resorts nationally have opened earlier than usual this year due to early snowstorms. In Maine, Sunday River – with more than 1,600 snowmaking guns – often claims bragging rights to being the first to open.

Other ski mountains will open soon. Sugarloaf in Carrabasset is set to open Friday, and other ski areas are tentatively scheduled to open in mid-December.

The early opening is good news for Maine’s ski industry, which attracts more than 1.2 million skiers a year and pumps an estimated $250 million annually into the state economy.

Ski areas last winter had 6 percent fewer ski visits than in 2000-2001, due to mild weather conditions and the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

At Sunday River over the weekend, skiers were given more trails than usual to ski on for the opening day.

“It’s better skiing than I expected for this time of year,” said Josh Thompson, 23, of Portland. “Usually it’s icy. But it’s kind of like spring skiing.”

“It’s the best opening day I’ve seen in years,” said Beth Healey, a regular at Sunday River. “There’s even a bit of powder and frozen granular.”

This time of year, hard-core skiers are always hoping for snow, said Julie Parisien, the three-time Olympian ski from Auburn.

“You’re basically counting the hours of under-30-degree weather,” she said. “You’re getting your ski stuff out of storage and you’re just psyched. It’s a great feeling. This time of year always reminds me of training.”