Newry, ME – Maine’s Sunday River ski resort plans to open at 9 a.m. Tuesday for skiing and snowboarding, a day after Killington Resort in Vermont. Unlike Killington,, however, where skiing is taking place on the upper mountain only with uploading and downloading on the K-1 Gondola, Sunday River’s offering is expected to be top to bottom.

“Thanks to our new energy-efficient snowguns, we’re able to make more snow on more trails by using less air than in years past,” Dana Bullen, President and General Manager, says, crediting the resort’s recent $1 million snowmaking investment with Tuesday’s planned top-to-bottom opening. In August Sunday River purchased 300 new HKD SV10 Impulse guns, a project made possible by the support of its parent company, Boyne Resorts, and a $300,000 grant by Efficiency Maine.

If all goes according to plan, Sunday River will open tomorrow with top-to-bottom skiing and riding on the T2, Upper Punch, Sunday Punch and Lower Punch trails. Lift service will be provided by the resort’s Locke Mountain Triple chairlift.

Despite plans, though, resort officials are hedging their bets. In the event that snowmaking temperatures are too warm near the base overnight, the resort will continue to make snow at higher elevations and will instead open its T2 trail only in the morning, and use its Locke Mountain Triple chairlift for mid-station and download access.   Either way, the resort will continue to make snow as temperatures allow and push to open more terrain as snowmaking progresses.

Lift ticket prices and open terrain will be determined tomorrow morning.