Popular Stories
By Marty Bosch
Often mentioned by those from away in the same exhausted breath as fellow Eastern bohemoth Killington, western Maine's 
During the heyday of the Bust N' Burn mogul contest, Sunday River was an epicenter of the New England bump skiing scene.
The Rivah is also a slice of freeskiing bliss with terrain parks touched by the influence of hometown hero Simon Dumont, along with copious glades, plenty of space to spread out, and one of the East Coast's two most legendary mogul trails - White Heat. In the heat of the 90's, when mogul skiing was still the shit, White Heat's Bust N' Burn mogul contest was an epicenter of the New England bump scene. To date, it's still the only time Associate Editor Ryan Dunfee has seen someone do seven twisters in a single jump.
Mother Nature is fickle here, delivering 155 inches of the real white stuff a year. But mountain ops blasts its the white gold starting in the colorful fall, ensuring a long season that often extends late into April after starting in early November.
Sunday River's unassuming laidback neighbor, Mt. Abram, from the air.
The River's a few miles from the quaint village of Bethel, where Gould Academy's red brick buildings house future Olympians and X Games champions like Dumont himself. New Hampshire's frosty Presidential Range caps the horizon. Down the road in Greenwood is 
Alaska native Dave Scanlan of the 
On this side of the country, a good groomer really counts for something. Sunday River photo.
Back on the other side of Bethel, 
Lost Princess is among a host of steep and unmaintained tracks off of Oz well worth your time when the snow is soft. Sunday River photo.
Oz is the expert playground with its islands and glades with fanciful names like Emerald City, Flying Monkey and the new Poppy Fields. Spruce and Barker are loaded with scintillating cruisers including Risky Business, American Express and Lazy River. Aurora is something a local-flavored gem with nice stashes on those powder days; look for the new Super Nova there. North Peak, end point of the gondola with its well-placed Peak Lodge, is largely where beginners and intermediates play but is also now home to the huge T72 terrain park and fledgling North Woods.
Join Our Newsletter
It may not be the deepest place in New England, but Sunday River gives you plenty of room to play around. Sunday River photo.
Both Locke (the first trails were cut in the 1950s long before the River grew like it was on steroids) and White Cap contain black and blue jabs like Upper Sunday Punch, Cascades and sweet Monday Mourning, the race trail. The legendary super steep White Heat on White Cap is billed as the "longest steepest widest lift-serviced expert trail in the East." Pioneer Wayne Wong pounded the bumps there during the now dead Bust 'n' Burn competition. So did a young Simon Dumont.
The park scene is solid, thanks in part to Dumont's touch. Freeskiing's young godfather grew up in Bethel. He set the world record for the 
Despite Maine's long tradition of puritanism, devil horns still populate the late night air in the Foggy Goggle. Sunday River photo.
At the River, the trailside crawl often begins inside South Ridge upstairs at the festive Foggy Goggle with its mountainous views, nachos, and lively concerts, while locals hang upstairs near the fireplace at the mellower bar in Barker. Across from South Ridge is The Phoenix, a comfortable bistro with a big bar (aprés Wednesdays= dollar taco night).
From there, drift out onto the Sunday River Access Road with haunts like the rustic Matterhorn, the area's iconic ski bar, with its glacial drinks and Tuesday Deep and Cheap deals with half-price wood-fired pizza. Quaff a local blonde at the Sunday River Brew Pub (Wednesdays deliver $1.50 apres beers) before flowing out onto Route 2 to spots like Rooster's Roadhouse ($5 burgers after 4 p.m.) and the British Jolly Drayman (all you can eat fish and chips specials select nights). In Bethel, you can find Sud's Pub in the downstairs of the Sudbury Inn, with Thursday night Hoot Night for open mic aficionados, and of course, the area wildlife always cuts loose late night at the boisterous Funky Red Barn, which is also known for its prime rib.
If that seems like a daunting itinerary of boozing for anyone with a decent sense of responsibility, the Sunday River trolley and Mountain Explorer bus run shuttles until 12:30 at night on the weekends to help make those connections.
For more information, check out Sunday River's homepage of that of Mt. Abram. Want more inside info. on East Coast ski areas? Check out:
-Local's Guide to Sugarloaf, Maine
-Local's Guide to Skiing NH's I-93
