TT ski trip to Sunday River???

“We talked about a condo rental at Sunday River for a weekend, last season. Job terminations, home construction, other things just didn't let us, or anyone, plan this up proper.

Sunday River is a great place to ski. 120 some trails, if there is enough snow to open them all up. They make snow and cover most of the mountain. (obviously, they do not blow snow every where every night, but they have guns to cover most of the mountain. There is something (plenty) for everybody. Plenty of nice flats for beginners, cruisers, glades, steeps. They groom about half their terrain every night. Gotta catch those early runs. It can get crowded on weekends, same as about any other place.

They have condo packages and hotel rooms. We initially discussed a condo, due to the savings. I think 8 people is do-able. We could prepare a turkey, and tuck it in the oven at noon, and then when the slopes shut down at 4, the bird will be about ready. We could get access to a pool, or even have a hot tub in the condo. They have about any lodging you could ask for.

Dining on mountain is .... basically.... cafeteria grade. Okay, but very expensive. They have some good places to eat on the access road. But why not a large communal dinner with a bunch of TTer's?

We could arrive Friday night, Saturday morning, ski Saturday, ski Sunday and head home Sunday night. Or we could stretch this a day on either end or both ends. Or we could do mid week, which is harder on us working stiffs. Schedule to be determined......

What interest is there for this? Due to the costs involved, if you commit to it, you'll have to put up cash for this, and it won't be refundable, although, you could get someone else to go in your place..... What we'll do is see how the interest is for this. Then when we get a realistic count of people, and prospective dates, we'll call Sunday River and get package prices. The rates are all over the board, depending on date, number of people, accomodations required, ski tickets required....

I know that we both have passes, Mr & Mrs. Skiracer have passes, and maybe some others. All plays into it.

Need a little chatter about this.”

“I spent 6 days skiing at Sunday River a few years back. We even went to Sugarloaf for a day. It's a fantastic place to ski, but a crowded (like any other mountain)on the weekends. I'll ask Mrs. Skiracer, but I think she'd relish a trip like this. Of course, it would all depend on when you decided to do this with her travel schedule and studies.”

“I would think that Yam, now having Maineiac status (just remember, Yam, you'll always be a flatlander no matter how long you live in Maine) would be interested in this trip.”

“http://www.sundayriver.com/index.html
This the place?

He11 yea, I'm interested.
I need to get away from hurricanes, LOL.
3 BR Condo on the slope?
Full kitchen?
I make some great chili.
Own my own skis and boots.
I would need lift tickets and maybe even ski rentals.
Have to look at my skis in storage.
I would need help to and from airport.

Common B'fast and Dinner?
Lunch on your own slopeside?

Dates????”

“Skiracer, we chatted with Yamlander Fat, I mean flatlander Yam, last weekend, She's interested.

Oh yes, for those who want to cross country ski, there is a great place to ski right next to the mountain, and a couple more not far away. So, say your sig-o is not a skiier or boarder, there are options, such as snowshoes, and occasionally, there are dogsleds and horse carraige rides available there. Night time ice skating, turbo tubing at night.

Oh yeah, did I mention, extreme amounts of fun????”

“Dat's da place GreasyGrimyGopherGutsStomper. If we get a slopeside condo, we can do all the meals in the condo, or not. Communal, or not. I know, we'll bring a cooler of food. Food is pricey there.

Chili!!! I love chili!!! Hasn't chili been banned on Maine TT Trips???? We can ignore that decree!

Typically, the condos have full kitchens, I am not sure of the dishes and silverware, we can pack some with us. Bring our own bedding? Towels?

All good questions, that I do not have the answers for.....yet. I would like to get all the questions and then call Sunday River and give them a 15 minute interogation to answer them all at once and get rates and lift tickets. Seems to me that some packages include "X" amount of lift tickets per day, but I may well be wrong about that.

Rentals are available on mountain, or down the access road for less $$$, but less convenient if they don't fit. If you have your boots, bring them, fer sure. They cost and care required to fly with poles and skiis makes renting the skiis and poles a viable alternative. The boot fit is absolutely the most important item. We brought our boots to Germany once and rented and had zero problems with the rentals. Just write down the pole length and ski length.

I have a Ford Ranger 4X4 that we'll take to "The River". It is an extended cab, so you may fit in the flip down seats...... Seriously, we can haul the gear in the back. Maybe somone else can pitch in with the rides????? Volunteers. Of course, timing is everything. I think we may have someone who lives in Portland.”

“I promise not to make too much fun of y'alls weird accents if this comes to pass.

I didn't think about bring bedding, towels. Good point.
I can rent a car for a weekend if I have to.

What kind of temps? All my sking has been in the NC and West VA mountains. It doesn't get too cold there. Not like Maine.
I don't want my important parts to freeze off.”

“(As we spoke last weekend, anyway.)

Hey Stovie, you gonna trade the hurricanes in for the snowstorms and days in a row of sub-freezing temps?”

“Above 20 during the day? No problem.
0 to 10, a problem. ;-)”

“We always bring our packs, fully loaded for 20 below and lots of wind. We will ski that gladly, while everyone else hibernates and gets out of our way!!!! It can be tough and make you real hungry. I have skiied when it was so cold that I wore everything I brought and had to stop and face the sun to thaw out my face a bit to continue on.Then the next day, I am basically skiing in my ski jacket with only a light fleece under it.

I guess I am saying if you got it, bring it. The stuff is awfully expensive on mountain. It may even get warm enough to ski in shorts (yeah, right).”

“Oops, was typing when you posted. Pretty much, we dress at home for zero degrees, and adjust at the mountain to current conditions.(Temps and wind).

Phantom soul!!! Come along. Any questions I can pose to the River?”

“Do they have short-term rental houses around Sunday River like they do in southern Vermont? Iffn you get enough interest, it may actually be more economical and roomy in a house...”

“do you have an idea of when you'd be going? i had soooo much fun last winter in nh/vt. i'd certainly love a chance to get back and do some more skiing and see old friends. so, what i'm saying is... i am interested. but, i'd need to hear more wrt dates and potential costs.”

“Hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I need to make sure I can still fit into my ski bibs. They may have srunk a bit over the past few years. ;-)”

“"Oh yes, for those who want to cross country ski, there is a great place to ski right next to the mountain"

THAT has me interested, since downhill skiing is for ............. errr, I'd better leave that blank (for now).”

“Pennsy, I think skiing downhill fast is for adrenaline junkies. Maybe you'd like a decent pitch through the trees (plenty of those runs at Sunday River). Perhaps you'd like a balls to the wall long mogul run...they have those, too. Plenty of cruisers...almost any slope can be a challenge...it all depends on how you ski it.

On our last day there, there was one run I hadn't done because there wasn't enough snow in the woods for this particular run. It was the steepest pitch in tight trees with cliffs I'd ever seen. They got 30" of snow in 24 hours. The power was out and the lifts weren't running. Two buddies and I hiked to the top and had an exhilirating run down Spruce something. It took all morning to get up there in thigh deep wet, fresh snow and then down the mountain, but it was probably the most memorable ski run of my life, and I've had plenty of runs down the mountain.

Come on, Pennsy...don't be a weenie.
last edited: 10/26/05 8:26:57 PM”

“I thought about the temps when we ski, not to drive Stomper away with the temperature variation, and while we ski whatever the temp, every weekend, it seems we normally will ski in the 10-20 degree range. First thing in the morning, before the sun gets over the hill, it can be mother cold. And if the wind is blowing, you may end up with the mountain to yourselves. But generally, 10 to 20 degrees seems to do it.

Skiracer, can you chime in on this a bit. Iffin we get a southern boy up here, we don't to freeze any important parts off him due to lack of preparedness.

Phantom Soul, They do have homes to rent, but I think they are pretty much for a week at a time. I'll check into it, though. Seems that the cost of staying on mountain, versus near the mountain, when you divide it by 8 people, isn't a whole lot of change difference, and it's way more convenient. Like I say, I haven't inquired as to the cost yet, but I am looking to do so over the weekend. I'll line up my "interogation" and have it ready for the on mountain, as well as the off mountain places. I am just now thinking of the Bethel Inn, about 15 minutes away. They have an indoor outdoor pool that is heated all winter, and are situated on a golf course that is groomed daily for cross country. I have skiied there several times and it is a very nice ski area. If anyone can ski all it's trails in a day (on regular skiis, not the skate skiis), I"ll personally shake their hand.”

“Terrorbull, That was a great weekend, if the skiing was so-so, last year. How about we aim a little more mid winter, late January or so, to help insure better skiing.

Looks like the weather is yukky this weekend, so we should be able to call around for rooms, condos and homes, etc....”

“One word on dressing appropriately for the temps - layers. If it's really cold (like zero to single digits) Capilene, Spyder ski shirt, light fleece, maybe a light fleece vest and then my ski jacket on the upper body. I wear either a Capilene layer or fleece pants under my Spyder ski pants. wear a helmet, so a hat is unnecessary. If the wind is blowing when it's that cold, I'll wear a balaclava. Mittens if really cold, gloves if not. If I get hot or cold, I'll adjust and put extra clothing in my backback in the lodge.”

“I am interested in the cross country skiing aspect the and the potluck theme, to keep costs down. Is this trip going to be before Christmas?”

“After Christmas. I'll be aiming for LAte January, trying to avoid the Winter school break, yet still have good snow and most of the mountain open.”

“LAte January?
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....... ;-)”

“It's called skiing. You need snow. Cold makes the good stuff stick around for awhile.”

“The coldest temps I have backpacked in is about 5 degrees, so I'm a little concerned about sub zero temps. I know better than to blindly jump into anything.
Never been to Maine in the deep winter, only late Spring/early Summer when the ice has melted.
I know I can stay warm while sking but those lift rides back to the top can be cold.”

“"It's called skiing. You need snow."

That's another classic, like: "that's cold on my ass".”

“That's another classic, like: "that's cold on my ass".”
monkeyboy
7:19:53 PM
10/28/05

ACK!! but it was! Brrrrr. i'm cold just thinkin' about it! :o”

“LOL!!!”

“The trick to dressing for skiing is to be warm enough on the lift ride up and not too warm when you get to the bottom. You can always put more clothes on, but there's only so many you can take off. I love winter!”

“For the lower body, I always wear Gore tex ski pants. Then for liners underneath, I have two pair of long underwear, a light weight and a medium weight. I wear whichever is most appropriate. If it gets cold enough, I'll wear both. Haven't had to do that yet. The legs get quite a work out, so they stay warm.

About the shell pants, we prefer Goretex. We always used waterproof breathable, but we have, on occasion, rode wet chairlifts up the mountain, and the waterproof breathable just didn't do it. We had the wet butt syndrome. For the past 3 years, Goretex has never let us get the wet butt syndrome.

BTW, Killington and Wildcat are open!!!! Skiracer is about an hour from Killington.....”

“GreasyGrimyGopherGutsStomper come-on up, we'll take of you real good.... :) really we will. Cold, it's not that bad! Just gotta dress for it....if'n it don't kill ya, it'll just make ya stronger.....LOL

It'll be something to remember that's fer sure....”

“Okay, here is what I got for On Mountain Lodging. This is a ski out location. That means, we strap on and ski right out the door.... okay, maybe there is a sidewalk there.

http://www.sundayriver.com/index.html

Details:
Friday, January 27, 2006 thru Sunday, January 30.

North Peak at South Ridge
Heated outdoor pool
Gas heated wood stove
4 beds, pull out couch for 2 more. (Room to ski bum 2 more people in there)
Full kitchen, dishes and silverware
All bedding and towels included


All we need to bring is food, clothing and gear.

The pricing below reflects the fact that I am a season passholder (saves almost $200).

Price is $982.79, with tax, for 3 nights, (Arrive Friday night, leave Monday)divided by 8 equals ....calculator..... $122.85 each.

Price is $772.20, with tax, for 2 nights, (Arrive Friday night, leave Sunday)divided by 8 equals ....calculator..... $96.53 each.

Since some of those interested have passes for Sunday River, and some want to do Cross country skiing, this does not include tickets. A 3 day pass is an additional $156. A two day ski pass is $110. Cross country is generally available for under $20.00 per day for groomed areas. I am fairly certain that back country skiing is available nearby for free.

Cross Country Options:

http://www.sundayriverinn.com/
http://www.sundayriverinn.com/rates.htm

http://www.bethelinn.com/

As stated before: Due to the costs involved, if you commit to it, you'll have to put up cash for this, and it won't be refundable, although, you could get someone else to go in your place.....

Currently, I have a hold on this package for 5 days, which means I'll have to let them know by Friday. I know, that is a real short time to get everyone on the same page and get this trip all taken care of. I do have to put 1/2 down when I call them to reserve this. The remaining half is due when we arrive at the welcome center.”

“Okay, we have a couple decisions here. Do we do three nights and 4 days (Friday thru Monday)? Or do we do 2 nights and 3 days (Friday thru Sunday)?

Personally, I am leaning to the 2 nights. If I can't get Friday and Monday off, I can certainly do Saturday and Sunday. Then if I can squeeze in Friday skiing by taking Friday off, I won't need an additional day of lodging. Monday requires the extra day lodging.

What are your preferances???? We need to hear, and fast, then we need to take care of finances and reservations.

In all fairness, if this deal passes us by, I suspect we can find similar deals, but they thin out as the season wears on. As it is, they claim to have a few of these rooms now. This is a 2 bedroom unit we are looking at, no 3 bedrooms available. I explained that we are primarily backpackers, so cozy isn't really a problem.

Let's hear back from everybody.”

“I'm gonna pass on this one.
Thanks anyway.

I don't wish to jump into weather I know nothing about, and have anyone feel they need to babysit me. Plus I'm of average sking skills and it sounds like you guys are all experts.”

“That's a great price, btw.”

“I'm up for either arrangement. While I'm pretty sure I could get both that Friday and Monday off, I could save a few bucks by only doing 2 nights, and that's always good.

However, Sunday River is a good 8-hour drive for me and I might get more out of it if we do 3 nights.

That being said, I don't know -- whatever everyone else decides is fine by me. I'm still looking at going.”

“Monkeyboy, I'm pretty sure Mrs. Skiracer and I are up for this. Our preference would probably be lodging on Friday and Saturday night. We would most likely come up and ski on Friday. I'll send you an e-mail.”

“I would really love to do this and see y'all again. But, it's just too early for me to commit.

Go on w/ your planning w/out me and I'll see what I can do...”

“i'll have to consult my calendar for that date (it's at work). for some reason, it seems like something's going on then?

bummer, stovie....it'd definately have been fun to have you up here!”

“I may look into doing this”

“Phantom's in? Cool!

i'll let you know by day's end if i'm going, MB. (i plan on pushing ENS down the mountain)”

“Monkeyboy- Sent you e-mail. We're in.”

“IN!”

“Flynn”

“Shareware!”

“got your email, MB.
i eagerly await the info. :)”

“There!




Rob = EarthNsky
last edited: 11/02/05 5:06:04 PM”

“Amy=yam”

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