Arts & Entertainment

Awesome Run!

Maine ski resorts like Sunday River are attracting the attention of Maritime skiers


As I rode the high speed quad chair to the top of Barker Mountain, the young skier sitting beside me, looked up, stared at me through shaded ski goggles and asked very politely, “Have you skied Agony yet?”

I looked at the helmeted youngster of not more than 10 or 12 years of age, who was obviously here at Sunday River on a family vacation as his mother and sister filled the other two spots on the chairlift, and replied: “Do you mean this run under the chair?” I pointed toward the narrow, bumpy path under the lift.

“Yup,” he said.

Proudly, I replied, “Yes, a few runs ago.”

Leaning over the safety bar and looking straight down at some skiers negotiating the bumps, he exclaimed:“Awesome run, isn’t it? We’ve skied it a couple of times!”

My first thought was, “Oh, to be so young again.” These twisting, snow-covered goat paths are as much of an adventure as they are a challenge. Young people seem to have no fear, especially on radical ski trails.

“Agony” is a double black diamond trail that starts at the top of Barker Mountain, one of eight peaks at Maine’s Sunday River ski resort. It’s narrow, steep and un-groomed with a number of uninviting moguls thrown in just to make you think about your line to the bottom.

I had spent the better part of the day skiing with my wife and a friend on many of the well-groomed blue, or intermediate trails, to get my legs used to skiing again. I had only been on the boards a few times prior to this trip and had been on terrain that wasn’t anywhere as demanding.

So after a good solid initiation to the mountain, and my skiing companions deciding they had had enough for the day, I felt it was time to venture off the beaten or groomed path and test my ability. I can ski black diamond trails fairly comfortably, but double black diamond, considered the most difficult terrain on the mountain, was not my normal cup of tea.
But for some reason Agony intrigued me.


It didn’t bother me that it was a steep trail or that it was narrow. It was the bumps that had me questioning whether I should try it or not. I have never been a big mogul fan, in fact not a fan at all, but for some reason these didn’t look too bad. They weren’t the short icy variety that makes your toes curl in your boots as you try to maintain some form of balance. These were a bit larger, like big rollers with lots of snow on them, so falling wouldn’t be necessarily be a painful experience.

I watched some skiers coming down, some comfortable and others totally out of their element. You know the kind. It’s a double diamond so they felt they had to ski it, but in reality all they did was survive it. One chap had obviously made a wise decision; he had taken his skis off and was walking down. He had suffered enough agony.

The trail had just been opened for the day after being closed all morning by the ski patrol. I looked hard at the trail as I rode upward, trying to decide if I would test myself.

When I got off the chair at the top, I still wasn’t sure if I would give it a go or if my ability was up to the run. While I debated my skis seemed to make the decision for me. They had a mind of their own and within a few seconds I was at the top of the trail, looking down the narrow chute as skiers passed overhead on the lift.

Well, no turning back, I thought, and so my strategy became quite clear: remember your basics and take your time.

The first few turns, I must say, were tentative, but my confidence built as I continued down. The snow was soft and the bumps were more like huge soft marshmallows. I stopped on a few occasions to let some daredevils fly by and also to get out of the way of those who shouldn’t have been anywhere near this path. If you could see inside their boots you would likely get a glimpse of curled toes, knotted by fear.

I stayed with my strategy, picked my line and felt very comfortable as I headed toward the end of the run. It was quite fun actually and in a few moments it was over. The double black diamond was mine.

We had only skied at this western Maine ski resort for two days but we covered a lot of terrain. The day we arrived, after a nearly 11-hour drive from Halifax, it was too late to ski but there was still plenty of daylight that allowed us to get a good glimpse of the eight interconnecting mountains and dozens of trails.

Sunday River is actually a four-season resort with lots of other seasonal activities and now boasts one of the best 18-hole championship golf courses in New England.

We had first come here many years ago with our ski-racing kids on March breaks. We would spend nearly every weekend throughout the winter travelling around Atlantic Canada to races and training camps. But when school break came, we went skiing for fun and not competition. Sunday River was very high on our list of places to go because it is a family mountain. The resort welcomed Canadians coming late in the season because many of their American customers from Boston and New York, except for the diehards, were pretty much into spring activities by March and were finished skiing for the year. So, the ski resort was prepared to offer good value for the Canadian dollar. It still does.

If you are not an alpine skier, there is also an excellent Nordic centre, the Sunday River Cross Country Ski Centre, only a very short shuttle ride away. It has over 40 kilometers of groomed trails for all ability levels. In addition there are 12 kilometers of snowshoeing trails and a very warm and comfortable lodge.

Skier View
After not visiting for several years, we noticed some physical changes. There are more condos, a few more restaurants and some additional mountain terrain, but overall it still has that family-friendly feel. And, of course, lots of good snow and an excellent variety of trails.

The accommodation is very comfortable and you can get yourself set up in a ski in /ski out condo so you really never have to drive anywhere. There are ample children’s programs through the day and plenty of activities at night like ice skating, tubing, a recreation centre and more. If you decide to dine out, there are several good restaurants on the property and more within reasonable distance, with shuttle service provided by the resort.

There are several excellent big mountain ski resorts in Eastern North America, and Sunday River, for my buck, is up there with the best.•

For more information visit www.sundayriver.com



Originally published in the Winter 2007 issue of Lifestyle Nova Scotia Magazine.