It may be quiet, but Sunday River isn’t dull. The
high-powered snowmaking system pumps a mountain of snow and the high-speed
lift system pumps skiers in prodigious numbers onto the slopes. Lift
lines are never long, but the trails do get full. With the mountain laced
with a warren of intersecting trails, prudent skiers always keep a watch
uphill.
Something is always happening here—during the past few years,
we’ve seen ski terrain
expansions, new lifts, a new hotel, a new way of teaching skiing, and a new
ski train from Portland. Off the mountain, its Bethel Station project now has
a train station, a four-screen movie theatre and a new restaurant.
The Mountain
Actually there are 8 peaks that make up the ski area and they
range across 5kms from east to west.. It does feel like an extensive network
of trails—some 126 at the last count. Snow reliability is god with a decent
natural snow record backed up with a high capacity, high tech system for
making and grooming machine snow.
Experts will enjoy the challenge of narrow often mogulled double
blacks on White and Barker mountains and there is excellent glade skiing on
Aurora , Oz and Jordan bowl. It’s generally good for Intermediates who will enjoy cruising around on a series of nice rolling
blues, often near empty in mid week, and some not too fearsome glades to try.
South Ridge is a well organised beginners area. With good
easy runs to progress to. Snowboarders
have a standard competition half pipe. In and around Bethel
there are 3 cross
country centres with 140 kms of trails. There is
limited on mountain eating but good eating places at the various bas areas. Children are catered for with a family entertainment centre at the
Grand Summit Hotel and South Ridge base. Ski School is a term they
avoid. Here they have “Perfect Turn” clinics, something they invented
where the instructor praises what you do right and builds on it rather than
pointing out all the things you do wrong.
Après Ski is quiet with Bumps Pub being the liveliest place in the
resort. It often has live music and entertainers, we saw a very good
comedians evening. The Moose's Tail is a Micro Brewery Pub on the way to
bethel and has good home made beer and live music.
Details taken from Where
to Ski 2001 and Ski America
On a personal note a nice resort but watch
out for the biting cold.
