Ski Season Off to Best Start in Years

NEWRY (NEWS CENTER) -- Folks over at Sunday River Ski Resort have a lot to be thankful for this holiday. The season has gotten off to a great start -- thanks to nearly a foot of snow earlier this week. The resort is confident these conditions will help it weather the economic storm. Dozens of folks are putting turkey on the backburner to hit the slopes. Thanks to 8 inches of fresh powder -- Sunday River has 25 trails and a base of up 36 inches. Conditions some say they've haven't seen this early in years. 'The snow up there is nicely groomed and when it snows some more we'll have more open trails,' said Mike Marshall. For others skiing on a holiday definitely has it's perks. 'No crowds, conditions aren't usually this good but today looks fantastic,' said Mitchell Snowe. 'We are going to ski a little first and then go eat some turkey,' said Victoria Tanos. The resort is under new ownership and is getting a major facelift. More snow guns are showing up on the trails and more lodging services are being offered. A seven million dollar 'Chandola' --featuring a gondala cabin and a chairlift will be up and running in mid-december. the chandola's one-stop ride to the north peak lodge will cut the travel time from 20 to 7 minutes. After the Chandola is completed the resort will extend hours on selected trails. that means skiers can enjoyed up to 12 hours of both day and nighttime skiing. But will this be enough to lure folks who may be cutting back during an economic crisis? Sunday River officials expect a lot of skiers to stay close to home -- which could pay off. 'So instead of going out west they're to come here and take the family on a vacation at Sunday River. Our numbers are still very strong compared to where we were last year. All the snow lured this couple from New York to ski in Maine for the first time, said Darcy Liberty Sunday River spokeswoman. 'The place we are staying has our own kitchen and we bought some stuff from hannaford and we'll make a late dinner tonight...said Stephen Kopiecki from New York. And perhaps the beginning of a new Thanksgiving tradition. Sugar Loaf has had 24 inches of new snow in the past week, it has 9 trails open.