Sunday River’s First Snowmaking Test Sparks Excitement for Winter
It’s the first official day of fall, and ski areas across the Northeast like Sunday River, Maine, and Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, are testing their snowmaking systems as the ski season approaches.
Last week, on September 17, Waterville Valley turned on a series of tower guns, dousing its slopes. Only a few days after, Sunday River joined the fun, conducting its first snowmaking test and marking the first step toward the 2025-26 season. While snowmaking hasn’t officially started yet—colder temperatures are needed—the tests provide an exciting reminder of what’s to come.
In the morning light on Sunday River’s North Peak, the sun guns roared to life, putting on a glorious pre-season show. See the action below.
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“Snowmaking is at the heart of who we are, it’s in our DNA, and this successful test signals that we’re ready for the season ahead,” said Sunday River general manager Brian Heon in a press release. “We’re excited to get back to what we do best and share the first turns of the season with our guests.”
Snowmaking is a key part of Sunday River’s winter operations. With its system, the ski area can pump 11,500 gallons of water per minute with more than 2,000 snowguns across its eight interconnected peaks.
To use an example Northeasterners will be familiar with, that output could fill Boston’s Fenway Park in under 17 hours. But in the winter, of course, it’s used for a different goal, ensuring the slopes have enough snow for skiers and snowboarders.
Check out the snowmaking guns roaring back to life for Sunday River’s first test of the season below.
Over the past few years, Sunday River has bolstered its snowmaking system, adding 550 high-efficiency HKD snowguns, a new pumphouse that increases snowmaking capacity on the Locke and Barker peaks, and nearly two miles of snowmaking pipe that connects with the summit of Jordan Bowl.
Sunday River hasn’t confirmed its opening date yet. It’ll officially begin snowmaking when nighttime temperatures fall between 25 and 30 degrees. In 2024, the ski resort opened early for a one-off ski and ride day on Halloween thanks to snowmaking.
Hopefully, the end of October will deliver a similar treat this year.
Related: Daron Rahlves on His ‘Banzai’ Ski Race Returning After a 10-Year Hiatus
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