Newry, ME – An hour after Vermont’s Killington Resort today confirmed a Saturday start to the ski season, Sunday River in western Maine did the same.

Sunday River Resort in Newry, near Bethel, will open at the odd hour of 10:01 a.m., a minute after Killington’s start, for the 2011-12 winter season. The Locke Mountain Triple will remain open for skiing and snowboarding until 4 p.m. and reopen Sunday and Monday mornings.

This marks the fifth year in a row that the resort has been able to open before or on Halloween and to celebrate, Sunday River is offering a free lift ticket to those who come dressed in costume on Monday for Halloween Day.

“We have the most dependable snow in New England,” says Dana Bullen, Resort President and General Manager. “That isn’t just a slogan. We’re really proud of what our snowmaking team can accomplish with just a short window, and we love to share that with our guests who appreciate the opportunity to get on the hill early in the season.”

This weekend’s available terrain will be for advanced skiing and riding on T2 and there will be a single rail, a flat rail, and a flat box in the Grand Junction area for skiers and riders to practice their early season tricks. At the end of their day, guests will be asked to download using the Locke Mountain Triple mid-mountain lift station to ride back down to the base area.

Lift tickets for Saturday through Monday will be priced at $29 and will be sold at the Barker Base Lodge. Season passes are also still available to purchase and pick up for the 2011-12 season out of the South Ridge Base Lodge.

The Locke Mountain Triple chairlift will open on Sunday at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Monday, and will close each day at 4 p.m. with last upload chair at 3:30 p.m.

After Monday, October 31, Sunday River will shut down temporarily with plans to reopen next weekend. The resort will operate seven days a week once the resort adds more open acreage with additional snowmaking.