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Historic Timeline

Explore over 60 years of Sunday River history.

1958

The first skiing at Sunday River in the 1950s. Some skiers going down an ungroomed trail.

The 1st Peak

A small group climbs Locke Mountain and determines where the first lift and trails will be built. Sunday River Skiway Corporation is incorporated with 25,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $10 per share.

1959

Barker Lodge in 1959 at Sunday River.

First Opening Day

December 19, 1959 marks the first opening day for Sunday River Skiway.

1963

A copy of a trail map from the 1960s at Sunday River.

Beginner Terrain

The Mixing Bowl T-Bar and trail were created as a dedicated learning area. The Mixing Bowl T-Bar started below the Barker Base Lodge and ran to an unloading area where the current South Ridge Express unloads.

1971

Skiers loading the Barker Mountain Double in the 1970s at Sunday River.

The Second Peak

Sunday River adds the Barker Double as the first chair at the resort.

1972

The Shelburne Company

The company that owned Killington purchases a controlling interest in Sunday River and sends Les Otten to become Assistant Manager of the resort.

1978

A rainbow chevron hot air balloon flying over the South Ridge lodge at Sunday River.

South Ridge Base Lodge

Construction for South Ridge Base Lodge begins. Mixing Bowl is extended down to the new base along with snowmaking.

1980

A photo of Les Otten standing on a trail at Sunday River.

Less Otten Purchases Sunday River

The Shelburne Corporation sells Sunday River to Les Otten. Under his guidance, the resort would eventually grow from 40,000 skier visits per year to 500,000 annually.

1985

An updated ski map of Sunday River in the 1980s.

The 3rd Peak

The North Peak Triple and Fall Line Double are installed adding approximately 40 acres of trails on North Peak and South Ridge.

1986

A copy of a ski map of Sunday River in the late 1980s.

The 4th Peak

A new peak opens at Sunday River and quickly becomes a favorite spot.

1987

A new take on a ski map of Sunday River in the 1980s.

Barker Quad and Lower White Cap

The first detachable quad opens at Sunday River on Barker, and terrain and a lift on Lower White Cap is added.

1988

White Heat trail in the winter at Sunday River.

The 5th Peak

White Heat is added as the “steepest longest widest trail in the East," which opens White Cap.

1990

North Peak Lodge at Sunday River in the winter.

Peak Lodge

The mid-mountain Peak Lodge is built on North Peak, and 10 acres of new trails and a race arena are added.

1991

A colorful trail map of Sunday River.

The 6th Peak & Perfect Turn Ski School

Aurora Peak is added with a new quad chair and trails. The Perfect Turn ski school is created.

1992

A drone view of the Grand Summit Hotel in the winter time.

The Most Slopeside Lodging in the East

The slopeside Grand Summit Resort Hotel and Conference Center opens. With the addition of this hotel, Sunday River offers the most slopeside lodging in the East between hotels, condominiums, and townhouses.

1994

A drone view of some trails at Sunday River with the Presidential mountain range in the background.

The 7th Peak

Jordan Bowl opens with a new high-speed quad serving 100 acres of new terrain.

1995

An updated trail map of Sunday River that includes White Heat and Spruce Peak.

The 8th Peak

Oz opens as Sunday River’s eighth peak with a fixed-grip quad serving 40 acres of new terrain.

1997

The Jordan Hotel with trees in peak foliage time at Sunday River.

New Chairlift, Terrain, and Hotel

The Perfect Turn Express replaces the North Peak Triple, and five new trails are added. The Jordan Grand Resort Hotel and Conference Center opens.

2004

An aerial view of the Sunday River Golf Club in the fall.

Golf Course

The Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed Sunday River Golf Club opens.

2007

A headshot of Stephen Kircher, the CEO of Boyne Resorts.

Boyne Resorts

Sunday River joins the Boyne Resorts family, lead by President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Kircher.

2008

ENERGY-EFFICIENT SNOWMAKING

Boyne introduces Boyne Low-E Fan Guns to Sunday River. The new guns convert water into snow more efficiently, especially at marginal temperatures, improving snow quality while greatly improving energy and water efficiency to use less power.

2009

A skier shredding down a trail with the Sunday River Chondola in the background.

Chondola & Night Skiing

The only Chondola in the Northeast and 12-hour skiing are added as part of a $14 million investment in the resort.

2010

A fireworks display going off in South Ridge at Sunday River.

50th Anniversary

Sunday River celebrates 50 years with a season-long celebration and new book. Eddy the Yeti—Sunday River’s official team mascot—joins the family.

2012

The copy of an illustration of Eddy the Yeti looking at Sunday River.

New Mascots

The Eddy The Yeti children’s book is published and the Betty the Yeti mascot is introduced.

2013

Improved Snowmaking Efficiency

Sunday River continues investing in snowmaking upgrades and increased energy efficiency, replacing old equipment annually with new HKD high-efficiency guns to significantly reduce the energy needs and carbon footprint of snowmaking.

2014

The rustic Camp bar and dining area at Sunday River.

T72 & Camp

The new 15-acre T72 terrain park on North Peak opens as well as Camp in the Grand Summit Hotel.

2015

A skier skiing in powder in the woods of Sunday River.

NEW GLADES & ENHANCED SNOWMAKING

Sunday River adds 75 acres of new glade terrain, enhances snowmaking with a $1.1 million upgrade, and adds a conveyor system to the Spruce Peak Triple.

2017

Skiers and riders loading the first chair of the new Spruce Peak lift at Sunday River.

The Mountain Room & Spruce Peak Triple

Sunday River opened the Mountain Room in the Peak Lodge in partnership with Portland, Maine restauranteur Harding Lee Smith. The resort also debuted the new Spruce Peak Triple.

2018

A snowmaker looking at the snowguns lining White Heat, while they are on, at Sunday River.

DOUBLING SNOWMAKING CAPACITY

Sunday River takes the first step towards doubling its snowmaking capacity with the addition of a new 600-horsepower pump and nearly two miles of high-pressure iron ductile pipe from its water source to Barker Basin, which immediately increases the resort’s water capacity by 15 percent for the 2018/19 season.

2018

Boyne Resorts Purchases Sunday River

Though Boyne had been managing resort operations since 2007, the company purchased Sunday River as part of a six-resort acquisition, making Boyne the third-largest mountain resort company in North America.

2019

Surface Lifts & Learning Terrain

Sunday River installs four new surface lifts including a T-Bar on Locke Mountain for training and competitions, and three covered conveyors on the Sundance trail to enhance the resort’s learning terrain.

2019

Snowmaking Upgrades

Phase two of doubling the resort’s snowmaking capacity includes the installation of four new 500-horsepower pumps, which increases water capacity by 10 percent for the 2019/20 season.

2020

An aerial view of Sunday River in winter.

Purchased Merrill Hill

The resort acquired a unique parcel of land that includes 450 acres of land between South Ridge and Aurora. Soon, unparalleled long-view mountaintop home sites will be for sale with ski-in/ski-out access via a new chairlift, located in the heart of the resort.

2020

The sun setting at one of the holes, in the fall, at the Sunday River Golf Club.

Purchased the Sunday River Golf Club

In 2019, Sunday River began managing operations at the Sunday River Golf Club. In order to make improvements and achieve growth, the resort recently purchased the course and solidified the long-term future of one of the most experiential golf courses in New England.

2021

Install Chairlift & Build Trails on Merrill Hill

A new Doppelmayr triple chairlift is installed on the Merrill Hill real estate development featuring mountaintop home sites. Merrill Hill also features four new ski trails and snowmaking capabilities. The lift will open for select dates only during the 2021-22 season, with a grand opening scheduled for winter 2022-23.

2021

LAUNCH FOREVERPROJECT & 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY INITIATIVE

As of January 1, 2021, Boyne Resorts committed to a renewable energy purchase with CMS Enterprises, a CMS Energy subsidiary, that entirely offsets electric energy consumption at its resorts and facilities throughout North America. As a result, the resorts will achieve 100% renewable energy for the 2020/21 winter season by sourcing a global purchase of renewable energy credits. This is just one of the company's many efforts under the new ForeverProject sustainability initiative. 

2022

Skiers and riders sitting on the new Jordan 8 bubble lift at Sunday River.

Build the Jordan 8

The Jordan 8 lift is one of the most technologically advanced chairlifts in North America and the first of its kind in Maine. The Jordan 8 is a Doppelmayr D-Line chairlift that seats eight skiers per chair, features signature Sunday River Red weather-blocking bubbles, and is designed specifically to withstand strong winds and unpredictable weather. 

2022

Snowmaking Upgrades

New underground snowmaking pipe installed on Spruce Mountain. At the end of the pipeline on North Peak is a brand-new pumphouse, housing a booster system. Located just beyond the top of the Chondola lift, this pumphouse will allow us to focus our snowmaking efforts on any section of the mountain at any point in time.

2023

A view of the Barker 6, in the winter time, at Sunday River.

Barker 6

The Barker 6 lift is one of the most technologically advanced chairlifts in North America and the first of its kind in Maine. The Barker 6 is a Doppelmayr D-Line chairlift that seats six skiers per chair, features signature Sunday River Red weather-blocking bubbles, and is designed specifically to withstand strong winds and unpredictable weather. 

© Boyne Resorts 2025