NEWRY, Maine -- Remember Pigpen of Charlie Brown fame, with a cloud of dirt that always hung over his head? Sunday River frequently has a cloud that hangs over it, too, and the famous ski resort loves it.
The cloud over Sunday River is filled with snow, however, not dirt, and it means that sometimes, when Killington or Cranmore or Sugarbush ski resorts are praying for snow, Sunday River's resident cloud is dumping piles of the white stuff over its eight interconnected mountain peaks, 132 trails and 745 skiable acres, leaving everything open and ready for fun.
We headed up to Sunday River on a late January day in what must be the most unusual of Boston winters, when not a flake of snow dusted our driveway or lawn. Three and a half hours later, arriving at the door of the Jordan Grand Resort Hotel, Sunday River's newest, we were in the midst of a Christmas card scene, with snow everywhere We didn't feel nearly as silly handing our skis to the hotel's ski valets as we had loading them into the car on a dry and snowless spring like day in Massachusetts.
For insurance, Sunday River's snowmaking capabilities can pump between eight and nine thousand gallons of frozen water a minute onto the mountain. (That water all comes from Sunday River itself, and in spring goes right back to the river. That's a lot of water not wasted.)
Everything about Sunday River is supersized, including its new "Chondola," a combination high speed gondola-and-chairlift in one, which runs from the base of South Ridge to North Peak in seven minutes. The ride used to require two separate chairlifts and 20 minutes, which means now there are very few lines of skiers waiting to get up to the top of the mountain -- or anywhere else in the mountain bowl. The lift system can take you up to all of the 132 trails without your having to ski down to the bottom of the mountain to start again.
Speaking of supersized, the Jordan Grand Resort Hotel, built so that skiers can ski out the door directly onto the slopes, is a quarter of a mile from one side to the other -- literally. Cathy Ryle, the registration employee who told us that, keeps a pedometer on her belt just to clock her daily walking distance. When we met her on a Monday afternoon, she had already walked 5 1/2 miles -- all inside the hotel.
You can spend your entire ski vacation skiing, of course, at Sunday River, but there's so much more for those who want variety or those who come up here but don't ski. The resort has opened two new zipline courses, with six lines that fly over the Maine woods and ski trails, or a twin zip course that allows two people to soar over the countryside together during all four seasons.
You can also dogsled with several different companies in the Bethel area that bring Alaskan husky dogs to Maine to give thrilling sled rides through the scenic snowy vistas for an hour, a day, or even overnight trips. We asked whether the poor dogs ever got tired and didn't feel like pulling people over th snow and were told "on the contrary, these dogs are hard to keep down; as soon as we let them loose, they're ripping off on the trail as fast as we can allow, anxious to get their exercise."
Sunday River also has a great center for cross-country skiing which -- like all the resort's facilities -- is accessed by a free shuttle service. You can ski for hours on the numerous trails, each marked with green, blue or black according to difficulty, the same way the Alpine trails are marked. We cross-country skied at this facility, and also tried our snowshoeing skills here. (That uses a lot more energy!)
The nearby town of Bethel, touted by the area chamber of commerce as "Maine's Most Beautiful Mountain Village," is filled with a wealth of activities for all seasons. You can learn to build a Shaker chair, for example, at Timberlake Home Store Workshop Gallery Showroom.
You can also fish for salmon, rainbow trout or brown trout on the Androscoggin River, which has been cleaned up from being one of the nation's most polluted to a re-stocked and excellent fishing venue, with festivals and fly contests. There are also plenty of places on the river to swim, sail, waterski, kayak, and whitewater raft.
In July, an unusual new museum is scheduled to open -- the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum -- featuring this area's extensive wealth of minerals and gems. The popular 23-year-old Mt. Mann Jewelers will move into the museum, which will be free to the public, and set up their shop of jewelry made from the local tourmalines, amethysts, smoky quartz and more.
The Bethel Historical Society offers a museum and free walking tour of 39 structures, many of them listed on the National Historical Register. The town has also become famous for its annual North American Wife Carrying Championship. The fastest man to carry his wife over the line is sent to the World Wife Carrying Championships in Finland, and also wins his wife's weight in beer.
In spring, when the sap begins to run from the maple trees, children who take ski lessons at Sunday River are taken into the resort's own sugaring house for free maple sugar candy.
Year-round, if their parents want to have a luxurious and unique dining experience, they can take the Chondola up to Peak Lodge on Saturdays and enjoy a four-course meal using local Maine ingredients with wine at 2100 feet. On other days you can enjoy all kinds of food at the resort's many restaurants both on and off the mountain, including a new Japanese sushi and Korean food establishment called Cho Sun.
Meanwhile, notwithstanding all the snow at Suday River, the resort offers skiers what they call their "Snow Guarantee." With it, you can ski for a full hour and your lift ticket money will be returned if you don't like the conditions, no questions asked. If that ever happens, you'll be able to take advantage of all the other activities here!
Sunday River
15 South Ridge Rd.
Newry, Maine 04281
(207) 824-3000
BethelMaine.com
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