All Images: Courtesy of Sunday River Resort
There are several signs that signal when ski season is around the corner. Some look to their favorite riders dropping trailers . Others search for that first snow of the season. But if you're an East Coast die-hard, you're probably fixated on one thing: snowmaking.
And one resort does snowmaking better than anyone else on the continent, literally. Sunday River, Maine, has become famous for operating the largest snowmaking system in North America, and the resort just ran its first test of the 2026/27 winter.
Earlier this month, Sunday River ignited its snow guns on three different trails: Rogue Angel, Excalibur and Lollapalooza. As the 5 a.m. sun beamed down on the mountains around Newry, Maine, this powerful engineering marvel roared to life in the cold temperatures.
Ain't no rest for the wicked... or for the mountain operations crew at Sunday River when it's snowmaking time
"There's nothing like hearing those snow guns for the first time. It's the moment we know winter's really on its way," said Sunday River General Manager Brian Heon regarding the initial test. And what a sound it is. The comprehensive system has been carefully crafted over the years, with components being repaired or added constantly.
In total, Sunday River's 2,000 snow guns have the capacity to move 10,500 gallons of water per minute. With that much water, you could fill Boston's Fenway Park in under 17 hours. And while we'd all prefer the natural stuff, these kinds of creations are necessary for resorts to be able to open large swaths of terrain before the new year.
The resort has no opening day scheduled as of September 29, 2026, but has stated that crews are on hand to resume snowmaking operations as soon as nightly temperatures consistently dip below 30°F. Maine'saFinest athlete and Sunday River local, Donny Pelletier , will surely be counting down the days with heavy anticipation.
