Ski resort requirements for our family: High speed lifts for my husband and
a hot tub at day’s end. My daughter “needs” slopeside lodging so she can
sleep in, plus terrain parks. My son wants serious steeps and an outdoor
heated pool. Me, I like gorgeously groomed runs, leisurely lunches, and
scenery on the side.
We found Sunday River to be a fit for all four of us. This Maine ski resort
sprawls among eight peaks of terrain with 17 efficient lifts and 131 trails.
Two hotels bookend the three mile wide resort, while the hotels are not as
“Grand” as their names imply – you can’t beat the ski in/ski out locations.
Sunday River has scads of on-mountain condos too. We liked the Grand Summit
Hotel best, closest to the après ski activities.
Arriving on Friday evening, you unload your gear and kiss your car goodbye,
check into a modest but mountainside suite, and store your skis in a locker
steps from the slope. Or you can hit the slopes for a little night skiing
(til 9pm Friday, Saturday and certain holidays), new to Sunday River this
year and included in ski and stay packages.
Since
Sunday River was bought out by Midwest based Boyne Resorts summer of 2007,
along with Maine sister resort Sugarloaf and NH’s Loon, serious dough has
been spent at this former American Skiing Company resort. A $7 million
Chondola launched December 2008 – four 6-passenger chairs plus an 8-pasenger gondola
intersperse along one high speed cable from the South Ridge base to North
Peak in under 7 minutes (previously it took twice as long and two lift
rides). This Chair/Gondola lift will also ramp up Sunday River’s four
seasonality with summit weddings, meetings, even mountain biking.
We kick off our trip with a brisk jaunt from the Hotel down a ski trail to
the White Cap Fun Center. Greg and I enjoy the atmosphere of the Shipyard
Brew Haus, and the kids grab some pub food with us then hit the Arcade, or
go Tubing, there’s also ice-skating in view.
Sunday River really shines come sun up. Staying slopeside, you can be “first
chair, first tracks.” The early birds get the goods: corduroy and “freshies.”
Sunday River “resurfaces” trails nightly with a fresh coat of talcum powdery
snow. 1,600 snow guns make the driest, squeakiest snow we have encountered
and Sunday River’s groomers are some of the best in the biz, winning
national competitions.
With strategically placed high speed lifts on each ski peak, you can bang
out one sweet run after another from Sunday Punch to Right Stuff on
centrally located Barker Mountain. Then cruise Spruce Peak’s Risky Business
and American Express. We bag ten by 10am, then stop at the North Peak Lodge
for their gooey cinnamon buns. The mid-mountain lodge is a prime meeting
place if someone (my daughter) sleeps in.
Refueled
on refined sugar, we make our way to Jordan Bowl, the westernmost peak of
Sunday River’s 668 acres. Jordan and Oz areas were added by the illustrious
Les Otten in the 90’s. I like Jordan best for its extraordinary views of
Maine’s Mahoosuc Range and magnificent Mount Washington, plus two fantastic
trails, Excalibur and Rogue Angel (Otten had an “Obsession” with movie
titles as trail names).
Some skiers (primarily Sugarloafers) find feud with all things River-related
– calling it “Someday Bigger.” Their claim: you spend your day traversing.
The reality: there’s no need to shuffle from one peak to the next - instead
ski the handful of trails each lift accesses then slide to the next. White
Cap, Locke, Barker and Jordan peaks are all about 1,500’-vertical when skied
top to bottom.
Oz, next to Jordan, is the highest of Sunday River’s eight peaks at 3,140’,
and home to crazy terrain like Ruby Palace and Flying Monkey glades - so my
son is happy. To head back to the central ski area, take Kansas (here’s one
exception where you must traverse along this flat-sounding trail). We get in
Bode Miller tucks and race Chinese Downhill style to make Kansas more
captivating.
For a ski in ski out lunch, the River has three good sit-down restaurants
depending on your locale when hunger sets in: Sliders at the Jordan Grand,
Foggy Goggle at South Ridge, and Shipyard Brew Haus at White Cap.
After
a relaxing repast with a slope view, our kids head to Sunday River’s four
Terrain Parks. There’s always an event happening, from amateur “no-bib jibs”
to world cup venues and perhaps a sighting of local superstar Simon Dumont.
While our teens go do their tricks, we make post lunch laps on North Peak,
Barker and Locke (hint: this triple chair rarely has a line). For expert
steeps, White Heat awaits - the River’s signature “longest, steepest, widest
trail in the east.” A.S.C. was all about accolades and Sunday River was the
Mecca of the multi-mountain monopoly. Neighboring trail Shockwave is equally
steep and more interesting than the heralded “Heat” and for gnarly glades –
Chutzpah is hard core, my two cents.
Then we point our ski tips toward the Grand Summit Hotel’s steamy outdoor
pool and humongous hot tub– with a view of the trails we just conquered.
Après ski can be listening to live music at The Foggy Goggle or The Phoenix
House (Otten’s place). The Mountain Explorer (a free shuttle bus) will
deliver you to The Matterhorn or The Sunday River Brew Pub. You must browse
bustling Bethel Village– it doesn’t take long to visit the homespun Maine
shops, and the handful of decent restaurants. The Sudbury Inn has a popular
watering hole “Suds” on historic Main Street, or if you want to go cheap and
native, try the Funky Red Barn.
If you don’t nod off early from falline fatigue, Sunday River has a rockin’
concert line up all winter with live bands, plus a family-friendly Black
Diamond Entertainment series, and fireworks many Saturdays and holidays.
Sure, a ski trip is about the skiing first and foremost, and Sunday River
puts out the most reliable skiing in the East (opening by Halloween this
season and last). The Maine town of Bethel, albeit humble, has spirit – they
built the world’s tallest snowwoman (122’) last season. As Sunday River
grows up (turning 50 this year), it’s maturing into a real resort with on
and off slope offerings to satisfy all the family’s cravings.
