Sunday River fires up the snowguns for annual test run

Sunday River fired up six HKD high-efficiency snowguns on Locke Mountain Friday morning. (Sunday River)

In an annual sign that winter may be just around the corner, Sunday River completed a test of its snowmaking system early Friday morning with temperatures in the low 30’s.

The Newry, Maine resort fired up six HKD high-efficiency snowguns on Locke Mountain’s T2 trail in order to give Sunday River snowmakers the go-ahead to crank the system at full capacity once there are sustained freezing temperatures overnight at the higher elevations of the mountain. 

Sunday River typically opens late October-early November but has not yet set an opening date yet for the upcoming season.

“We’re known for our snowmaking for a reason,” Steve Boulanger, Sunday River’s vice president of mountain operations, said. “We’ve got one of the largest operations in the country, and the upgrades we’ve made this summer will allow us to work even more efficiently.”

This past summer, Sunday River invested significantly in its snowmaking infrastructure, adding 26 new fan guns, 81 tower guns, and 14 high-efficiency portable guns to its arsenal. Additionally, the mountain operations team is in the process of building a new booster pump house, located on North Peak. This pump house, once completed, will be the first step toward doubling snowmaking capacity in Jordan Bowl and beyond.

In addition to snowmaking improvements, Sunday River has been installing the new Jordan 8 chairlift, a Doppelmayr D-Line 8-person bubble lift, set to open this coming season in Jordan Bowl.