https://newenglandskiconditions.com/viewreport.php?reportid=3254
Yesterday I started my season at Sunday River for the second year in a row, and the day did not disappoint. Arrived later than I’d planned at about 10:00, but no lift lines all day except a few times at the Chondola and Jordan 8 where the wait was just a few chairs.
It was the second day of lift operations from the South Ridge base area, and the trails there were busy and had definitely seen less snowmaking than their counterparts on Aurora and Jordan (one section on lower American Express had exposed rocks and bare spots on most of the trail’s width, creating a chokepoint which quickly became moguled up). The Locke Mountain Triple was listed as running on the Mountain Report, but all the trails leading to the Barker base area were roped and an employee told me that the lift was only for racers to use. No snowmaking going on today due to the temps but there were whales on upper Broadway, Aludra and possibly other trails. Looks like Spruce Peak and Barker Mountain are the next targets for expansion.
The snow surface started as spring snow/wet packed powder (with some thin cover as I mentioned), with some ice patches on the steeper trails. A few minutes before noon it started to snow and conditions dramatically improved, resembling midwinter at the end of the day. I would guess that 4’’+ had fallen by the time I left. Temperatures were comfortable, beginning in the low 30s and cooling down gradually, and there was no wind to speak of. The thick fog covering most of the mountain dissipated somewhat when it started to snow but never truly went away.
I enjoyed many quick laps on the Jordan 8, which is very fast and probably the fastest lift I’ve ever ridden. After riding that lift and the Kanc 8 at Loon last year, I can definitely say that D-Lines are well-designed and comfortable lifts; really the only complaints I have are the bounciness when the chairs go through compression towers and the large amount of force required to lower the bubble. The towers have loudspeakers that play answering machine-like messages such as “we apologize for the inconvenience” and “thank you for your patience” when the lift stops, which I think are a bit unnecessary.
Overall it was an excellent kickoff to the season and I hope these good conditions persist!
South Ridge base area at 10:00 AM
Riding up the South Ridge Express
Junction of Tourist Trap and Outta Here
Riding up the Jordan 8
Excalibur
Top of the Jordan 8 and Rogue Angel
Rogue Angel
Lollapalooza
Kansas
Riding up the Aurora Quad
Paradigm
Lollapalooza
Northern Lights
South Ridge base area at about 4:00 PM - looking much more wintery compared to the morning!
