Sunday River: Old Reliable

Powder Morning at Old Reliable! Skiers and riders lucky enough to be at Sunday River in Newry, Maine on the Tuesday after the MLK holiday woke up to find several inches of fresh powder on top of lots of man-made snow. Some of the trails were groomed to smooth corduroy, others were left au naturel. Don't you wish you'd been there? (Photo Courtesy Sunday River)

---

This is a person who likes good snow and lots of it. He wants to ski a variety of terrain in a day, some of it really challenging, some of it more mellow. And he generally doesn't like lift lines or crowded trails.

(Sounds a lot like you and me, doesn't he?).

Of course, he lives in Portland, Maine.

I, on the other hand, don't live anywhere near Sunday River. In fact, most major New England resorts are a lot closer. But whenever the snow conditions aren't up to par nearer home, I'll happily make the drive.

This has been, up until very recently anyway, a very tough year for snow over most of the northeast. As of today, every ski resort has been making snow like crazy, many have received at least some snow rom Mother Nature, and those, at least, have doubled their trail counts in the past few days..

But on the long Martin Luther King weekend the turnaround was just getting started. I wanted to see lots of snow on a variety of terrain. So my sweetheart Marilyn and I headed for Sunday River, which had hit the jackpot in the first real snowstorm of the season.

"Old Reliable" came through again.

We hit the mountain on a warm Saturday morning and worked our way across the whole face of the resort from Jordan Bowl, where we were staying, all the way over to White Cap, sampling trails like Risky Business, Tempest and Ecstasy on our way to Obsession (sounds like a metaphor for life, doesn't it?)

By late morning with many runs under our skis, Marilyn was crying "uncle". So I went exploring alone on some of the steeps on Downdraft and Airglow and a final long run down rolling Lollapalooza.

By early afternoon the temperature was dropping, the snow was setting up and the snowmakers were out in force placing snowguns for a direct assault on the unopened trails. I joined Marilyn in the hot tub to try to recover the use of my legs.

The next two mornings saw most of the mountain (including White Heat) covered with either newly-made snow or freshly buffed corduroy. Best conditions we've seen all year, better than most of what we skied all last season.

It was snowing hard when we left, and it's been bitter cold ever since. So you know that Sunday River has lots of snow on a variety of trails on a resort big enough to disperse even weekend crowds . . .

Old Reliable, indeed!

There's snow on the slopes! What are you waiting for?

Top Tips

It's tune time. If you've been out sliding even a day or two this season, it's time to get your skis or board tuned and waxed. We're getting into the heart of winter, and you want your ride in prime condition.

The rain and ice have meant that many trails have a rock-solid base underneath. Beginner terrain is largely immune, but with any kind of traffic, there are going to be icy spots on most trails, especially where it's steep or where several trails converge.

That's eastern snow for you. Deal with it. Make sure your edges are sharp and your technique even sharper. Control your speed so you can handle whatever the mountain throws at you.

The Scene

The whole feel of the eastern ski scene has changed in the last couple of days. Even those areas which got rain or ice in the storm that started on MLK Day have had a chance to make and groom lots of snow in the deep, dry cold that followed.

Both the short and long-term weather forecasts are predicting a real return to winter.

Anyone who has spent much time on the slopes this season can tell you that, while the skiing and riding haven't been exactly prime, most areas have had some terrain open and well covered with snow. Some days have been less-than-perfect, but, especially on weekdays, most resorts have offered better conditions than you could have imagined if you hadn't been there to see it for yourself.

With few exceptions, the only people who haven't enjoyed themselves on the slopes this season are the people who haven't gone skiing or riding.