Newry, ME – As we’re publishing this, Maine’s Sunday River Resort is opening the ski season to the general public. They’re getting a jump on Killington in Vermont, which is opening to pass and card holders today before allowing everyone else to board its lifts on Tuesday morning.

After turning on the snowguns Saturday night, the resort will begin loading its Locke Mountain Triple chairlift at 9 a.m. this morning for access to the upper T2 trail. Skiers and riders who show up in costume will get free lift tickets.

Sunday River’s investment this season in new high-capacity, energy-efficient snowguns, towers, and new Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) allowed the resort’s snowmaking team to lay down a blanket of fresh snow and open the resort as quickly as possible after temperatures dipped low enough to turn on the snowguns Saturday night.

“Regardless of this weekend’s snowfall, we have the advantage here at Sunday River,” Dana Bullen, President of Sunday River, says. “As pioneers in snowmaking, we continue to explore and upgrade to the newest, most efficient equipment on the market. And, we are as committed to using that equipment as we are to our guests.”

The Locke Mountain Triple will spin until 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. Lift tickets are available for $29 at Barker Lodge (or free in costume) for access to advanced terrain on upper T2. At the end of their day, guests will be asked to download via the Locke Mountain Triple mid-mountain lift station.

Season passes are still available to purchase or to pick up for the 2014/15 season in the Welcome Center in the South Ridge Lodge.