NEWRY, Maine — While Maine's cities faced relentless rain Wednesday, the western mountains got a gift in the form of a pre-Thanksgiving whitewash.
Ski resort Sunday River, which had already opened part of its sprawling terrain on Nov. 14, welcomed skiers to an early powder day. Despite the resort adding two miles of additional snowmaking pipe over the summer, nothing beats a November blanket of the real stuff.
"For the terrain that hasn’t had any snowmaking on it, it’s gonna provide a great base," smiled Ellen Wainwright, a spokesperson for the resort. "But for the terrain that we have been making snow on, it will provide a great insulator. So, we’ll be able to maintain the snow that we’ve been making so far this season."
Fellow ski resort powerhouse Sugarloaf had joined in the mid-November openings, sending its first chair on the 18th.
Smaller operations, like Black Mountain, which started making its own snow earlier in the week, sent snow makers home early for the holiday.
"Everyone loves it when mother nature chips in, let’s face it," beamed Deanna Kersey of Black Mountain. "I mean, everyone’s doing snow dances. This is super exciting."
Kersey said Black Mountain would open on Dec. 26, with many other mountain operations eagerly working toward their own start to the season.