The two biggest ski resorts in the state of Maine have joined the race to open across the United States, officially kicking off snowmaking for the 2026-2027 winter season this past weekend.
Both Sugarloaf and Sunday River made announcements that they’d begun the seasonal snowmaking process, firing the guns up around the mountains for a push toward opening day.
Sugarloaf Fires Up Snowmaking
Sugarloaf shared the news on social media, announcing that snowmaking had begun and that the mountain was one step closer to opening day.
Located in Carrabassett Valley, Sugarloaf is one of the Northeast’s largest ski destinations, offering extensive terrain and some of the region’s most challenging skiing above the treeline. The resort has recently been investing in its snowmaking infrastructure to help build early-season coverage and maintain conditions throughout the winter.
Sugarloaf operates across 1,360 skiable acres and has snowmaking coverage on approximately 95% of its terrain, giving its mountain operations team a substantial network to work with when temperatures allow production.
Sunday River Starts Its Seasonal Snowmaking
Sunday River Resort also confirmed that its snowmaking system is running. Last year snowmaking began on November 2nd, followed by opening day on November 12th. That’s a 10 day gap between when snowmaking turned on and when they managed to open. If the trend continues, the resort could spin their lifts before the end of October. Of course that all depends on the temperature and weather.
Sunday River operates across eight interconnected peaks and has more than 2,000 snowguns in its snowmaking system. That extensive infrastructure allows the resort to take advantage of cold weather windows and build coverage across multiple areas of the mountain.
The resort typically opens as early as late October or early November, depending on conditions.
Opening Day Is Getting Closer
Although the start of snowmaking is a great sign, both resorts will need favorable temperatures to continue producing snow and prepare the terrain for skiers and snowboarders. Neither ski resort has announced an opening day, and there’s a good chance they won’t until the week of or the day before. The coming weeks will determine how quickly the mountains can build their early-season bases and open up the chairlifts.