Sunday River Ski Resort: Another Way to Fall in Love with the Mountains in Western Maine (February 9, 2012)

South Ridge Chairlift, Sunday River Ski Resort, Newry, Maine (February 9, 2012)

By Jen Norris

We already loved the mountains. In 2012, we found another way to enjoy them: on skis, with the wind in our faces and a whole slope ahead of us.

Lee and I got passes at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine, that gave us access to three ski areas: Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Loon Mountain in New Hampshire. Those three resorts were connected through the New England Pass, which offered access to all three mountains at the time. For us, that meant more places to explore and a winter full of possibilities.

We had a blast.

We loved the speed, the scenery, and the chance to spend time together doing something exciting outdoors. Skiing helped quench our need for speed while giving us a completely different way to experience the mountains we already loved.

Photo compliments of Sunday River Ski Resort. Click here for the trail map.

Sunday River was the perfect place to begin that adventure. Located in western Maine near Bethel, the resort traces its beginnings to 1959 and stretches across eight interconnected peaks. There is a lot of mountain to take in, and that sense of space was part of the appeal.

For someone with roots in this part of Maine, there is something special about seeing familiar country from a different angle. You can know a place for years and still discover how much more there is to see when you get above the trees.

The chairlift rides became part of the experience. We were there to ski, but we also loved the ride up: watching the ground fall away beneath us, seeing the trails spread across the mountainside, and taking in the view as we climbed.

In a way, we got to explore Maine and New Hampshire by chairlift. Each mountain offered another perspective, another stretch of scenery, and another reason to stop and look around before heading downhill.

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Then came the fun part: getting off the lift and making our way down.

There is something deeply satisfying about the rhythm of skiing. You pay attention to the snow, your turns, and what is ahead of you. Your body is moving, your mind is engaged, and the mountain keeps you present. Add the rush of picking up speed, and it is easy to understand why we enjoyed it so much.

We have always liked activities that let us feel the landscape around us. Hiking gives you time to notice the details. You move slowly enough to see the roots, rocks, and changes in the woods. ATVing adds motion and excitement, carrying you along trails and farther into the forest. Skiing brought another kind of movement: gliding over snow through a landscape transformed by winter.

Those activities gave us different ways to enjoy the mountains. We could walk through them, ride through them, and ski down them. Each experience made us appreciate the outdoors a little more.

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Having passes that worked at three ski areas added to the adventure. Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Loon gave us opportunities to get out, explore, and enjoy different mountain settings together. We liked having options and a reason to make another trip.

Just as much as the skiing itself, we appreciated what it did for our outlook on winter.

When you love being outside, the arrival of snow can change your routine. Hiking and ATV adventures give way to a different season, with different conditions and possibilities. Adding skiing gave us something we could eagerly anticipate when the temperature dropped.

Snow meant we had something fun to do. Winter came with plans.

There was another mountain to visit, another view to take in, and another day we could spend outside together. That made the season feel full of opportunity.

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Our photographs bring back the quieter moments, too. There is Lee standing on his skis with the mountain behind him, me bundled up in my yellow ski jacket, and our boots stretched toward an outdoor fire with the slopes in view. Those pictures capture how much there was to enjoy between runs.

We could get our adrenaline fix on the slopes and then take a break, warm up, and watch the activity around us. The day had room for both excitement and simply sitting together in a beautiful place.

Looking back, that is what I love about our skiing adventures. We gave ourselves another way to have fun together and another reason to spend time in the mountains. Sunday River helped open that door, and our passes let us carry the adventure into other parts of Maine and New Hampshire.

We already knew we loved the outdoors. Skiing gave us one more season to look forward to.