One of the early signs that ski season is just around the corner is the ceremonial testing of snowmaking guns at ski resorts across the country. It’s an unofficial start to winter, in my book.

This morning, Sunday River, Maine took advantage of temps dipping into the low 30s to test their guns for the first time this season.

It doesn’t look like they were able to actually produce much crystalized snow, but getting the initial test out of the way means the resort is in the clear to crank at full-capacity as soon as temps drop below freezing.

Sunday River is typically one of the first resorts open in the northeast due to their impressive snowmaking operation.

I recently moved to Pennsylvania, and while I still have a solid two months or so before I’ll be on snow, my stoke level is through the roof that a resort on the east coast is testing snowguns.

Winter can’t come soon enough.

Stay tuned here at Unofficial Networks for all updates regarding the coming Winter ’22-’23 season. We got you covered.

Read the full press release from Sunday River below:

The Snow is a Go: Annual Snowmaking Systems Test Completed at Sunday River Resort

Maine ski area fires up the snowguns on the last day of September with temps in the low 30s

NEWRY, ME (September 30, 2022)—This morning, as the sun rose over the mountains, Sunday River Resort completed its annual test of the snowmaking system. The resort fired up six HKD high-efficiency snowguns on Locke Mountain on the T2 trail with temperatures in the low 30s. This test gives Sunday River’s snowmakers the go-ahead to crank the system at full capacity once there are sustained freezing temperatures overnight at the higher elevations of the mountain. The resort typically opens between late October-early November but has not yet set an opening date.

This summer, Sunday River invested significantly in its snowmaking infrastructure, adding 26 new fan guns, 81 tower guns, and 14 high-efficiency portable guns to its arsenal. Additionally, the Mountain Operations team is in the process of building a new booster pump house, located on North Peak. This pump house, once completed, will be the first step toward doubling snowmaking capacity in Jordan Bowl and beyond.

“We’re known for our snowmaking for a reason,” says Steve Boulanger, Vice President of Mountain Operations for Sunday River. “We’ve got one of the largest operations in the country, and the upgrades we’ve made this summer will allow us to work even more efficiently.”

In addition to snowmaking improvements, Sunday River has been installing the new Jordan 8 chairlift, a Doppelmayr D-Line 8-person bubble lift, set to open this coming winter season in Jordan Bowl.

For more information about snowmaking at Sunday River, please visit SundayRiver.com/Snowmaking.

All Images Credit: Sunday River

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