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Log inSunday River's new 'Chondola' tops long list of upgrades
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Sunday River's new 'Chondola' tops long list of upgrades
by Outspoken on Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:30 pm
Sunday River's new 'Chondola' tops long list of upgrades
by HEATHER BURKE
Portland Press Herald
I don't have to sugarcoat things, because I have sweet news for Maine skiers and riders: new lifts, trails and serious snow-making upgrades have me excited about this ski season.
Surely you have heard the chatter, perhaps even the helicopter overhead, as Sunday River's state-of-the-art "Chondola" was flown into place. This hybrid eight-passenger gondola interspersed with six-passenger chairs (sharing the same high-speed cable) will change the flow from South Ridge base to the top of North Peak.
Whether you choose to ride the Chondola's open-air six-seater or get in a separate line and remove your boards for the confines of a gondola cabin that holds eight, you will be lifted 1,150 feet in a swift, seven-minute ride (6.96 minutes, if you want to get specific) to the North Peak summit.
"As we near completion on construction of the Chondola, it's an exciting reminder that we have moved from the planning phase into reality," said Dana Bullen, general manager for Sunday River. "With the Chondola, guests can ride one lift to North Peak instead of two – cutting overall travel time down by more than half."
The Chondola is expected to open during the Christmas holiday week at Sunday River. As a bonus, it brings twilight skiing until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, plus holidays.
With the Chondola's price tag of $7 million and capital investment totaling $14 million this season, Sunday River has the biggest headline in New England skiing this winter.
Boyne Resorts, which bought Sunday River and Sugarloaf last year, has also upgraded snow making at both Maine resorts with an eye to being first to open at Sunday River (mission accomplished on Oct. 30 this season) and last to close at Sugarloaf.
I frankly love this seasonal assault; it's brilliant to bookend these once resort rivals so that Maine might claim the longest ski season in New England, from October to May.
At Sugarloaf, snow making gets a 20 percent boost, with 75 new snow guns plus a new snow-making pipe to the summit. Sugarloaf's terrain parks have been shuffled around and made over.
Haywire hosts a new advanced Terrain Park, while Whiffletree has a new "Skybound" beginner park since the Turbo Tubing has been moved near the Base Lodge.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=223089&ac=Outdoors
by HEATHER BURKE
Portland Press Herald
I don't have to sugarcoat things, because I have sweet news for Maine skiers and riders: new lifts, trails and serious snow-making upgrades have me excited about this ski season.
Surely you have heard the chatter, perhaps even the helicopter overhead, as Sunday River's state-of-the-art "Chondola" was flown into place. This hybrid eight-passenger gondola interspersed with six-passenger chairs (sharing the same high-speed cable) will change the flow from South Ridge base to the top of North Peak.
Whether you choose to ride the Chondola's open-air six-seater or get in a separate line and remove your boards for the confines of a gondola cabin that holds eight, you will be lifted 1,150 feet in a swift, seven-minute ride (6.96 minutes, if you want to get specific) to the North Peak summit.
"As we near completion on construction of the Chondola, it's an exciting reminder that we have moved from the planning phase into reality," said Dana Bullen, general manager for Sunday River. "With the Chondola, guests can ride one lift to North Peak instead of two – cutting overall travel time down by more than half."
The Chondola is expected to open during the Christmas holiday week at Sunday River. As a bonus, it brings twilight skiing until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, plus holidays.
With the Chondola's price tag of $7 million and capital investment totaling $14 million this season, Sunday River has the biggest headline in New England skiing this winter.
Boyne Resorts, which bought Sunday River and Sugarloaf last year, has also upgraded snow making at both Maine resorts with an eye to being first to open at Sunday River (mission accomplished on Oct. 30 this season) and last to close at Sugarloaf.
I frankly love this seasonal assault; it's brilliant to bookend these once resort rivals so that Maine might claim the longest ski season in New England, from October to May.
At Sugarloaf, snow making gets a 20 percent boost, with 75 new snow guns plus a new snow-making pipe to the summit. Sugarloaf's terrain parks have been shuffled around and made over.
Haywire hosts a new advanced Terrain Park, while Whiffletree has a new "Skybound" beginner park since the Turbo Tubing has been moved near the Base Lodge.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=223089&ac=Outdoors
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
