Sunday River's new Chondola headlines
Column by Heather Burke Nov 20, 2008

I don’t have to sugar coat things, because I have sweet news for Maine skiers and riders. New lifts, trails and serious snowmaking upgrades have me excited about this ski season.

Surely you have heard the chatter, perhaps even the helicopter overhead, as Sunday River’s state of the art “Chondola” was flown into place. This hybrid 8-passenger gondola interspersed with six-passenger chairs (sharing the same high-speed cable) will change the flow from South Ridge base to the top of North Peak.

Whether you choose to ride the Chondola’s open air six-seater chair or get in a separate line and remove your boards for the confines of a gondola cabin that holds eight, you will be lifted 1,150’vertical in a swift seven-minute ride (6.96 if you want to get specific) to the North Peak summit.

“As we near completion on construction of the Chondola, it’s an exciting reminder that we have moved from the planning phase into reality,” said Dana Bullen, General Manager for Sunday River. “With the Chondola, guests can ride one lift to North Peak instead of two – cutting overall travel time down by more then half.”

The Chondola is expected to open during the Christmas holiday week at Sunday River, and as a bonus - it brings twilight skiing till 9pm at the River on Friday and Saturday nights plus holidays. With the Chondola’s price tag of $7 million, cha ching, and capital investment totaling $14 mill this season, Sunday River has the biggest headline in New England this winter.

Boyne Resorts, who bought Sunday River and Sugarloaf last year, has also upgraded snowmaking at both Maine resorts with an eye to being first to open at the River (mission accomplished on Oct. 30 this season) and last to close at the Loaf. I frankly love this seasonal assault, its brilliant to book-end these once resort rivals so that Maine might covet the longest ski season in New England from October to May.

At Sugarloaf, snowmaking gets a 20 percent boost, with 75 new snow guns plus new snowmaking pipe to the summit. Sugarloaf’s terrain parks have been shuffled around and made-over. Haywire hosts a new advanced Terrain Park, while Whiffletree has a new “Skybound” beginner park since the Turbo Tubing has been moved near the Base Lodge.

The Yard has been transformed into a snowboarder and skier-cross course called “Sidewinder” designed by Seth Wescott with live-timing so you can race the Loaf’s Olympic gold medalist. Tree skiers will find three newly marked glade trails.

Sugarloafers will also notice general “tidying up” as the mountain received new signs, new lift shacks (not to be confused with a new lift), and The Beach area in front of the base lodge has a brand new look. While the Loaf only received $5 million, compared to the River’s $14-mill including a new lift, its fun to have these dollar figures coming to Maine slopes.

Boyne is not alone bringing bucks to Maine. Saddleback gets a new quad chair to its 4,120’ summit, removing the rickety old t-bar that kept all but advanced skiers and snowboarders from reaching the top. Three new expert trails, Frost Bite, Black Beauty and Artula, have been added to Saddleback’s mountaintop terrain and the scenic 3.1-mile America trail has been improved for novices to enjoy Saddleback’s peak scenery for the first time. Beginners: be sure to exit right at the top for the easiest route down. Saddleback’s new CEO is Warren Cook, you may recall he was president and co-owner of Sugarloaf for over a decade, so expect good changes here- while $40 lift tickets remain.

Saddleback is scheduled to open Dec. 13, along with Shawnee Peak, and Mount Abram which is under new ownership this season. This summer Matt Hancock, a former principal at Hancock Lumber, and Rob Lally, a real estate developer, purchased Mount Abram for $950,000 (from owners since 2000, Josh and Susan Burns). Changes at Mount Abram include a new GM and mountain manager; plans are to expand the ski school and the lodges at the Greenwood ski area.

Shawnee Peak unveils a “Great Room,” a window-lined atrium in the lodge with superb slope viewing and solar heat. Shawnee’s Lil’ Pine Beginner area is 20% larger with a new carpet lift, and new novice glades have been cut. Improved snowmaking efficiency is also on tap as new snow guns replace Shawnee’s older technology to decrease energy consumption by 50% and improve snow quality.

I hope to see you out on the slopes.   

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