Sunday River Ski Resort

Phenomenal ski instruction from perfect turns instructors. Cost a lot but worth it to get the one on one I needed. Surprised to learn how little they were paid – tip them well they deserve it and appreciate that you cared enough to do it.

I came here for New Years 2016. It has thus far been a terrible winter on the East coast, and having never heard of Sunday River before, I was not sure what to expect.
Sunday River managed to have a little less than a third of the mountain open by the time we finished skiing on our third day – helped by 9 inches of fresh pow the day before we arrived. This was no small feat this winter, and I was impressed.
The Resort is huge and covers several peaks. Making it from mountain to mountain could be accomplished by skiing from place to place for the most part.
They were able to make snow all trip, which was good for the skiing, but bad for blowing in our faces on the lifts and runs.
I did not find the terrain to be particularly advanced, but the runs that were open were super fun, and a large part of the mountain was not open, so I cannot judge on that account. I also noted far fewer snowboarders here than at other mountains, which may be more related to the fact that they didn’t have any parks during my trip. I will definitely be making the trip back to Sunday River at some point when the whole mountain is open and I can really experience everything it has to offer.

Service at Sunday River going downhill like a run down White Heat. Very inconsistent job of making snow with excessive amounts made near South Ridge while leaving essential trails like Grand Rapids and Paradigm with large sheets of ice with hardly any snow cover. Situation exacerbated by the dearth of trails open even with 8 inches of new snow yesterday. Skiers forced to use icy trails. To top it off Sunday River management stubbornly sticks to its policy of not offering vouchers after 10 AM at the expense of good customer service.

They’re constantly making snow here and have invested millions in new snow guns throughout the years. I always find great accommodations just off the mountain at homes through various sites for my family too. Many different peaks, great food options and powdery snow = great experience. Friendly staff and great ski school too!

I stayed at the Grand Summit this past weekend for a wedding. Registration went well, I went to my room later in the day. My girlfriend noticed after checking the bathroom there was left over human hair on the tub. It was disgusting. The Assistant Manager assured us it would be cleaned. We went to breakfast the next day and asked it be cleaned during breakfast. We came back and nothing had changed, when I called to the front desk, I was assured they housekeeping service had taken care of the bathroom. To make things worse, we didn’t feel comfortable taking a shower. I had to go talk to the manager again, he sent housekeeping while we were in the room, the first words out of the cleaner were… I thought we cleaned this room. I’ve stayed at many resorts, this one failed to meet my modest expectations. I spoke to other friends at the wedding who encountered other mistakes from the administrative end of the hotel. I’m going with Air BnB next time.

Customer service staff nice, management are rude and accommodating. Mountain is nice to ride, however not worth the trouble. Price value off the charts!

Sunday River by far is the best snowboard destination of my life! My boyfriend brought us here for my birthday and honestly it’s beyond all of my expectations! The staff are amazing, the conditions are solid and well it’s just wonderful in all regards. I’ve never snowboard for 5 hours straight in my life. I did so for 3 straight days.
Stop at Barker Peak Lodge for crazy good grilled cheese. The Peak Lodge has the best Bloody Mary’s. Varied dining experiences abound. The music at the lifts also varies but is fun and lively.
End of March, mid week, no lift lines at all. Cannot wait to return!

I just spent a week at Sunday River and had an excellent time. The mountain was fun and had a wide variety of terrain for all experience levels. In addition the crowds were very minimal which made you feel like you had the mountain to yourself.

Tube rides are GREAT for kids under 5. Staff is overall friendly, they smile when they yell to you! Slope is very small, no hills, roughly 4 rides down in the hour you pay. If your age 7 or older try your backyard slope for an equivalent thrill!

We were excited to go for a weekend of skiing at Sunday River because of it’s size.
There certainly is a wide amount of terrain for every level of skiing. which on a day with good conditions. spreads everyone out.
Unfortunately last weekend was a sub par weekend as far as snow conditions. We tried various areas searching for «good snow». Most of the Blue Trails had mixture of heavy clumps of man made snow and large areas of shaved off snow. making for hard icy packed stretches. It was so busy on Sat that people were running into each other and getting into trouble all over.
What was most worrying was all the crossover areas… very icy stretches… and treacherous with people merging but not being able to execute turns to avoid others.
We did find two peaks of trails with more man made snow but of course Everyone of every level was on them. You had speedsters whizzing past people snow plowing their first run.
I found the grooming to be very inconsistent.
The rest of the weekend and Monday we headed over to Wildcat in Jackson for two perfect days of skiing!
Will not return to this resort.

The rivalry between Sunday River and Sugarloaf reminds me of the rivalry between Aspen and Vail. Just on a smaller scale. It’s east coast style. It’s Maine style. Call it what you like, both are very good mountains and I have a favorite.
My favorite is Sunday River and it’s not just because it is a shorter drive for me. Sugarloaf can brag about its above-​the-​treeline skiing and its longer runs, but it lacks the quality and diversity that Sunday River offers. I’m always a sucker for variety. Plus, Sugarloaf usually seems to be colder and more windy than Sunday River. I’m not sure why that is but I think it’s got something to do with the surrounding mountains and how the mountains are orientated.
Sunday River isn’t one big mountain. Instead it’s several smaller mountains packed next to one another along a ridge. The chairlifts also follow the same ridge like pattern. The mix of trials is a nice mix with many of the greens, blues and black diamond trails intertwined together like spaghetti. So unlike some mountains all the greens aren’t on one side of the mountain and all the black diamonds aren’t on the other side. White Heat isn’t too bad to tackle alone but there’s additional pressure from the «critics» sitting and watching from the overhead chairlift. Speaking of chairlifts Sunday River’s lift lines aren’t too bad.
The town of Bethal is a very nice town. It’s not too over-​developed and it’s not too under-​developed. Because of its proximity to the New Hampshire border, it seems to look more like a typical New Hampshire town than a typical Maine town. If that means anything at all.

Love this place! All kinds of terrain for everyone. We go weekdays and no lines! Wife took lessons and raved about the instructors and small classes.
We will keep coming back year after year!

Huge ski resort!
Free bag check in!
Lines move fast if there are any.
Not all lifts were open so be sure to check out the maps!
Separate lines for lift vs gondola.
Peak lodge — awesome cinnamon rolls & lobster truck! They also have stir fry!
Foggy goggle– wanted to eat here after boarding around 3:30pm but 30 minute wait!
South Ridge food court-​simple breakfast. Better off going to peak lodge to eat!

Fast service. Sweet potato corn chowder was fab. Many southwest inspired foods. Full bar– congenial atmosphere.
Love the view of the mountain. Great place to view fireworks from. Have not seen a live band here but they have events a couple nights a week.

Screw the divide between skiiers and riders… in Maine, there’s often a divide between mountains. You’re either «Sunday River» or «Sugarloaf.» Are there lots of other ski areas in the state? Yes. But when it comes down to it, people usually pick one of the big two. And which one you’re loyal to says a lot about you. It’s much like the epic and never-​ending battle between chocolate vs. vanilla.
I’m a Sunday River rider through and through. (Go ahead and roll your eyes, «Loafers,» but your ski area — and many of the bars and restaurants nearby — too damn pretentious for me… like vanilla is). I first went to SR a couple years back and instantly felt like it was both accessible — I don’t just mean physically — and approachable. It’s also a literal snow playground; there’s so much space and terrain, that it’s easy to stay entertained and active — regardless of skill level — all day long. And the views? I think they are life reaffirming for people who begin to question why it is they live in Maine in the winter (and realize they can survive without their SAD light). There’s this one point right before heading down the two mile trail that just overlooks everything. There have been times when I’ve just stood there taking it all in. And that’s okay, because there’s no rush here to prove your worthiness as a skiier or rider.
Sunday River has pretty awesome ski and stay packages — there used to be one called The Deal of the Century where for $ 99 you got lift tickets for two days, one night in the lodge, and complimentary breakfast (unfortunately, I think it’s now called «Two Tickets to Paradise» and costs $ 129 now). And THAT’S my lone issue with Sunday River — the price. Man, it’s steeper than their mountain is. For the average person, it’s definitely more of a treat to come here than a regular thing!

As a 2^nd year gold pass holder gotta say it’s best resort in the east.
Plenty of different slopes and park makes perfect, for everyone with one of the best winemaking crew makes it all time favorites in the east with Killington.

Outstanding skiing — my favorite in the Northeast. Had ticket line problems earlier this year but appear to have resolved them (staffed up?) Let it snow!

I am officially a skier.
Words that I never would have expected to come from my mouth.
It wasn’t an easy transition by any means. There were mishaps involving magic carpets. But, a few more tries and several hundred dollars later and I can totally ski a blue trail. Fuck yeah.
My third, and most diligent, attempt at skiing occurred this past weekend at Sunday River. The boyfriend and I got a ski and stay package for a fairly reasonable price (reasonable being completely subjective– skiing is an expensive hobby– I now know why my parents never took us kids skiing despite living in Colorado). The package included a pretty nice room at the Grand Summit Lodge, a decent hot breakfast every morning, two day lift ticket, and a free group lesson every day. I went a little gung ho and also got myself a half day private lesson for my first day there.
The breakdown:
The mountain: Holy shit. Huge. So many options. And, I think, a lot of variety for newbie skiers like myself. I did about 15 runs on my first day and could switch up and make all sorts of combos just using the Southridge Express lift. My boyfriend, who boards, rather than skis, was also able to enjoy a wide variety of blues and blacks to meet his skill match. With 8 peaks and 133 trails there is truly something for everyone. And while conditions will vary, we were blessed with a beautiful powder. It was gorgeous to ski on. (They also have night skiing– which I had wanted to do, but I was so exhausted at the end of the day that I didn’t have the energy for much more than dinner and a glass of wine).
The lessons: Each instructor is different, of course, but I had great experiences with both my half day lesson and the free group lesson I got on the second day. The instructors were lovely and nice and patient and knowledgeable. And, given the prices at other resorts in New England, pretty reasonable. I paid $ 230 for a half day lesson and it was worth every single penny. By the time my lesson ended I had improved exponentially. When I took my group lesson the next day I had enough confidence and know-​how to attempt my first blue trail. It was a success. Didn’t fall. Not even once.
The facilities: Not as nice as Stowe. Much better than Wachusett. So… average? The Southridge Lodge felt a little small at times. So many people, not enough room. And tons of children running around with their wee ski boots that you have to constantly dodge. But I was very pleased with the quality of the rentals and the friendliness of all of the staff I encountered. The food was, of course, over priced and not that fabulous, but I think that’s par for the course. The lodge bar was lively, but not obnoxiously so. People who ski/​board seem to be a generally happy sort, and I’m rather excited to be one of them now.

I don’t think this resort has put in as much effort into their summer business as they could. They don’t have much going on during the week. However, they have excellent weekend activities.
My husband and I hiked three mile trail, which was much more difficult than we were told by staff. The views were delightful though. We took the zipline tours, which were AMAZING. The staff made you feel comfortable and safe. My husband and I are both scared of heights, but I would recommend the zipline tours to anyone.
Sunday River’s restaurants are delicious. We ate at the Jordan, which had an affordable tasting menu one night. The staff moved quite slow, and our dinner took three hours. However, the food was well worth the wait. We enjoyed a chilled tomato soup, bread salad, blueberry and basil sorbet, an onion torte, and a chocolate cupcake to die for.
The menu at the South Lodge was a bit overpriced, but their food was yummy and the staff was friendly. Their bartenders, Lakin and Meaggan (sp?) were fantastic. They made excellent recommendations for food as well as drinks.
The front desk staff could have been more friendly, but more important aware of their activities and surroundings. Whenever my husband and I asked questions, they acted as if they didn’t live in the area and couldn’t make any positive recommendations for food or entertainment in the area.

Resort: 4.5÷5
-$ 10 for 1 day helmet rental. +$ 5 for an additional day
–So many slopes. If you don’t want to be with alot of people, move out towards Jordan’s peak.
–You can get a tune up and wax from the shop for $ 35.
–Night skiing is only $ 4 from 4−8pm.
Service: ⁵⁄₅
–The patrol were enthusiastic and willing to help
–Most of the employees were friendly
–Guest services is only open from 8−4p
–There is a free shuttle service that takes you to your parking lot.
Slopes: ⁵⁄₅
–At least 5 peaks with over 100 slopes.
–Jordan’s Peak was great because it took about 40 minutes to get down to the South Ridge Lodge.
–I enjoyed their Gondola lift
–Most people will congregate around North Ridge Peak
The only downside is the 7 hour drive from NYC to Maine. Other than that this place is awesome.