Due to a cold snap at the top of T2 on Locke Mountain, Sunday River was able to fire up 40 snowguns on September 24th for its first snowmaking test of the season. The resort successfully fired up 40 guns on the T2 trail on Locke Mountain, officially welcoming the approach of the 2016/16 ski season. Sunday River typically opens on or around Halloween.
“The moment the leaves start to change and the air gets cooler, the Sunday River team is eager to get those snowguns running again,” Resort President and General Manager Dana Bullen says. “We see another great season on the horizon and this early snowmaking test is proof we are ready to get back on the hill. And so it begins.”
Though the resort has not yet set an opening date, this test does give Sunday River’s snowmakers the go-ahead to crank the system at full capacity–8,100 gallons of water and 60,000 cubic feet of air per minute, producing four acre feet per hour–once the temperature is consistently cool enough. Generally, full snowmaking requires sustained temperatures between 26-30 degrees overnight.
