Sunday River So Far

[catherine]

Any news on SR conditions after this warmup?

 

[catherine]

Heading up either Wed or Thurs. forecast looks good, snow Wed. Fingers crossed!

 

[Jully]

Spring conditions, I had to shed multiple layers. Hardpack is softening up. Nice!!!!

How is cover outside of the key snowmaking routes? Will it survive another few days of mild temperatures or does everything look like mid April?

 

[Jcb890]

Well.... It's not quit mid April. We did ski some of the bumps off to the side of Right Stuff and they had decent depth and coverage, while we just looked at others, fairly certain we would gain more gouges on the bottoms of our skis. The River has been a bit different this year as far as snowmaking goes. They haven't blasted the trails as in years past and gotten good bases and coverage like we "seem" to remember.

There is an awful lot I want to ski, but I want my skis to last me a while longer without stone grinding them. Their regular routes that most of their day visiting clientele love are in decent shape. It's the sides that get bumped up and the more challenging terrain that is taking a back seat this year, perhaps even the puker seat in the old 8 passenger wagons.

I have holidays from work on April 2nd and April 16th that I was thinking would be good Sunday River days... but it seems like once again I'm not going to be getting to Sunday River while conditions are prime and everything is open which is sad.

 

[Jcb890]

Yeah, that is late in the season. About mid April (I'm thinking April 16) they tend to close down mid week skiing and are only open weekends. Several other areas nearby are pretty much done by then. You may want to try to get to the River earlier in the season, or go to someplace a little further north.

I figured by that point it'll probably be basically down to Killington and Sunday River.
Sugarloaf tends to close even with snowpack due to minimal crowds if I remember. That's about it for mid/late April though, right? Maybe Wildcat too, but that's debatable.

 

[Jully]

Yeah, that is late in the season. About mid April (I'm thinking April 16) they tend to close down mid week skiing and are only open weekends. Several other areas nearby are pretty much done by then. You may want to try to get to the River earlier in the season, or go to someplace a little further north.

Pretty sure they shift to White Cap, Locke, and Barker (sometimes Spruce) only after the second week of April traditionally, IIRC. You might still get Aurora and Jordan the weekend of the 14th.

Does the bronze pass typically become valid on weekends when they close midweek?

 

[Jcb890]

Pretty much, I figure any April skiing is a bonus, being weather dependent. Not just April weather, but what did the winter months provide for us? By mid April..... well, I buy a bronze pass, so when they shut down mid week skiing, I am done.

I'm on the MAX Pass and have both April 2nd and April 16th off as work holidays. So, hopefully I'll be able to do Sunday River on those days. That's my plan as of now at least...

 

[Jully]

Bronze pass does not become valid for mid week, though they did open up one day last year, IIRC.... can't quite remember what for, old timers is setting in.... I was just happy to be skiing the extra day.

Passholders BBQ? I think Peaks invites their midweek passholders to their passholder party.

 

[machski]

Passholders BBQ? I think Peaks invites their midweek passholders to their passholder party.

^^^^This^^^^

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[Jully]

Warm temps are making for some soft skiing. Even the boilerplate under the snow is softer and more easily edged. 10 day forecast shows lows in the 20's and highs in the 30's and 40's. Hoping this changes and we get some snow.

Looks like no trail closings throughout this week of of warmish weather, so that is good. 105 trails isn't bad given what we've experienced!

Probably going to bag trying to chase this storm with the masses in So. VT/ the Catskills and will be a SR this weekend. Have a friend I haven't skied with in a bit who wants to meet me there. Looking forward to it.

 

[machski]

It's gonna depend on what the weather brings and how they determine to close a trail. Some of the trails, I didn't want to bring my skis across, but they had a sign on them, open or thing coverage. If we get rain, they won't be able to open some of those trails. They are talking rain/snow/wind. Temps from 28-39. Temps for the next 10 days show lows in the 20's so that is good for snow retention.

My biggest concern is the wind. 20MPH called for. I've heard gust of 40 and 50. I'm thinking there are going to be at least some wind holds. If you are traveling any distance, you may want to reconsider. Today was pretty awesome, tomorrow..... well.....

I live 24 minutes away, I'll be there. Actually, I'll be volunteering at Maine Adaptive. So I may not be able to roam the mountain and check things out better.

This storm is going out South of SR and not going into the gulf of Maine. I don't think winds will be too bad this go around at the river. You never know, storm could track weird, but it seems Maine ski country is out of the worst.

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[catherine]

Forecast is looking good for next week. Snow Wed with some rain from 11 to 3 then back to snow until Thurs pm. Hopeful!

 

[Jully]

My biggest concern is the wind. 20MPH called for. I've heard gust of 40 and 50. I'm thinking there are going to be at least some wind holds. If you are traveling any distance, you may want to reconsider. Today was pretty awesome, tomorrow..... well.....

I'd do Sat/Sun with the option of going elsewhere on Saturday if everywhere is windy. Definitely considering that though, and a good point.

 

[Jully]

but it seems Maine ski country is out of the worst.

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SR's had enough bad luck with power outages this season, so that would be nice for a change!

 

[Mildcat]

Looks like no trail closings throughout this week of of warmish weather, so that is good. 105 trails isn't bad given what we've experienced!

Probably going to bag trying to chase this storm with the masses in So. VT/ the Catskills and will be a SR this weekend. Have a friend I haven't skied with in a bit who wants to meet me there. Looking forward to it.

Most of the trails still had great coverage yesterday. A few natural trails like uppercut and crossbow were getting really thin as the week went on. I don't think I'd ski those today. Didn't see any glades open despite the report saying Northwoods and Wizards Gulch are open. Agony looked like it had good coverage but was closed. Freezing rain outside my window now, hopefully it changes over to snow.

 

[Edd]

Anyone know what’s up with the Aurora lift? Wasn’t spinning yesterday.


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[Edd]

I really like what they did with the North Peak lodge bar area. Long overdue. Not sure when they did it, actually. My visits have been sporadic in recent years.


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[SkiFanE]

I really like what they did with the North Peak lodge bar area. Long overdue. Not sure when they did it, actually. My visits have been sporadic in recent years.


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I am the LAST person to ever get a sit down meal at a lodge. But with some crappy ski days this winter - I've been there quite a few times and I LOVE it! They pour a generous cocktail and the food is out of this world, and not priced too badly. I was skeptical but it's been a great addition. And look overhead - the art is built from pieces of old Spruce lift.

 

[Edd]

And look overhead - the art is built from pieces of old Spruce lift.

Ah, very cool. I noticed them but didn’t make a connection.

I also noticed the signs for the Portland restaurants, The Front Room, etc. Are the owners of those restaurants involved with the cuisine? I think the Room restaurants all have the same owner. Not sure about Boone’s.

 

[machski]

Ah, very cool. I noticed them but didn’t make a connection.

I also noticed the signs for the Portland restaurants, The Front Room, etc. Are the owners of those restaurants involved with the cuisine? I think the Room restaurants all have the same owner. Not sure about Boone’s.

Yes, the owner and lead chef owns all including the Mountain Room. That is why you can't use SR dining cards there. It is a nice addition, though the Peak lodge gets extremely crowded now. Could have used an addition or 2 I think, but I'm glad we did get what we did.

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