Snowvember – Here We Go Skiers

Game on, Sunday River and Killington both open today for skiing and riding. It’s a perennial battle to be first. The River announced on Friday they would have free skiing Nov 3 for Halloween costume skiers and riders on their opening day. Then Killington came forward to open today at 11am but exclusively to their privileged pass holders – a season pass reward the Beast of the East rolled out last year when they opened first October 24, 2013, a day ahead of Sunday River.

But alas, these two New England power houses of snowmaking, Sunday River and Killington, are not the first to open in the East. That title goes to Sugar…no, not Sugarloaf or Sugarbush, but Sugar Mountain in North Carolina. With 8 inches of fresh snow on top of manmade at their high elevation 5.300’ summit, Sugar Mountain opened for skiing November 2, their second earliest opening, Halloween 2012 was their earliest.

Here in New England, Sunday River has skiing on T2 today at 9am via the Locke Mountain triple, wear a costume and ski or ride for free, tickets are $29 if you are not in costume. Killington is open at 11am for pass holders today, the K1 Gondola to North Ridge, opening to the public Tuesday November 4.

Ski resorts across New England are making snow as temperatures permit, including Sugarloaf, Okemo, Stowe, Sugarbush, and Wildcat. Our first flakes yesterday may prove the Farmer’s Almanac predicted “snowiest periods to be in mid to late November,” in the Northeast. Out west, Arapahoe Basin opened October 17, and Loveland nearby in Colorado opened November 1.

By Heather Burke, photos by Greg Burke