Sunday River

Sunday River, which happens to be one of the major resorts in the American Skiing Co’s portfolio, has rapidly grown from a local snowboarder’s haunt to a fairly happening place in a very short space of time. Located a stone’s throw away from the state border with New Hampshire, Sunday River attracts a lot of city dwellers from Portland and other nearby towns, to its simple but extremely well laid out slopes that cover eight linked mountains with three resort base areas.

Once you arrive, it’s not long before you appreciate just why this place is a popular destination with many of Maine’s snowboarders and skiers alike as this is an excellent east coast resort which is thick with trees from the top to bottom on all the mountains. All the runs are hacked out from the dense pine to form a cluster of trails suitable for all styles and level of rider, in particular freeriders who know how to go for it.

The eight mountain peaks are all open to snowboarders, with over 120 well looked after runs that get a good annual covering of real snow and are backed up by major snowmaking facilities that covers nearly all of the trails. The one off putting point is the crowds, particularly at weekends when the whole mountain can become a bit busy.