the lodge to the top of the mountain. This coupled with the addition of a
three mile novice trail meant the entire mountain was now open to all skiers.
In the fall of 1972, Sherburne Corporation, owners of Killington Ski Area in
Killington, Vt., joined in the development of Sunday River by purchasing
controlling interest in the Mountain. The Corporation placed 23 year old
Leslie Otten, fresh out of their management training program, as Assistant
Mountain Manager. The following summer the lodge was enlarged and
renovated for the upcoming year and Les Otten moved up to Manager.
From the experience and success that had been achieved at Killington it
became apparent that the successful operation of Sunday River required
more snowmaking. In 1974 the Ecstacy trail and a 1 ½ mile snowmaking
line were installed to insure top to bottom skiing from early November to late
Spring.
Second home development began in the late 1960's with Viking Village. By
1976 a 45 lot development named “Sunday River Village” was initiated.
Today there are more than 100 recreational homes in the Valley. This
development brought great enthusiasm to the area and by late 1977 plans
were on the drawing board for a four phase condominium development.
The first phase, South Ridge Condominiums, was completed for occupancy
by Christmas 1978. This phase included three six unit buildings which were
sold within the six month construction period. In addition, a totally new base
area was developed. The Mixing Bowl T-Bar and snowmaking line were
moved down the mountain and the South Ridge Base Lodge was built.
During the summer of 1978 a Poma lift was installed adjacent to T-1 for
additional intermediate capacity serving the Cascades, Sunday Punch, and
Crossbow Trails.
In the Fall of 1980 Les Otten became President and General Manager of
Sunday River by purchasing a majority of the corporate stock from Killington.
As Murphy's Law would have it, the next three seasons were poor winters for
snowfall. During the 1982-83 season Sunday River was one of the few ski
areas in the East to show a profit, primarily because of the snowmaking
capabilities and marketing promotions such as dumping a truckload of snow
on bare Boston Common. Les and his staff had perfected making lemonade
from lemons, turning a poor season into a profitable one in 1983.
Since the beginning of Otten's leadership, two new chairlifts have been
erected, 50 acres of snowmaking installed, three new grooming vehicles
added to the fleet, five new trails cut, base facilities renovated and
condominium units constructed for a total investment of 8.1 million dollars.
There has been a yearly growth of 10% in skier days and revenues have
kept up the pace too.
Les Otten and the Sunday River Skiway Corporation are looking forward to
the next 25 years and a golden anniversary in 2009.
Answer: Paul Kailey was the first skier up the slopes in 1959.
CLICK HERE TO RETURN FROM WHENCE YOU CAME.
three mile novice trail meant the entire mountain was now open to all skiers.
In the fall of 1972, Sherburne Corporation, owners of Killington Ski Area in
Killington, Vt., joined in the development of Sunday River by purchasing
controlling interest in the Mountain. The Corporation placed 23 year old
Leslie Otten, fresh out of their management training program, as Assistant
Mountain Manager. The following summer the lodge was enlarged and
renovated for the upcoming year and Les Otten moved up to Manager.
From the experience and success that had been achieved at Killington it
became apparent that the successful operation of Sunday River required
more snowmaking. In 1974 the Ecstacy trail and a 1 ½ mile snowmaking
line were installed to insure top to bottom skiing from early November to late
Spring.
Second home development began in the late 1960's with Viking Village. By
1976 a 45 lot development named “Sunday River Village” was initiated.
Today there are more than 100 recreational homes in the Valley. This
development brought great enthusiasm to the area and by late 1977 plans
were on the drawing board for a four phase condominium development.
The first phase, South Ridge Condominiums, was completed for occupancy
by Christmas 1978. This phase included three six unit buildings which were
sold within the six month construction period. In addition, a totally new base
area was developed. The Mixing Bowl T-Bar and snowmaking line were
moved down the mountain and the South Ridge Base Lodge was built.
During the summer of 1978 a Poma lift was installed adjacent to T-1 for
additional intermediate capacity serving the Cascades, Sunday Punch, and
Crossbow Trails.
In the Fall of 1980 Les Otten became President and General Manager of
Sunday River by purchasing a majority of the corporate stock from Killington.
As Murphy's Law would have it, the next three seasons were poor winters for
snowfall. During the 1982-83 season Sunday River was one of the few ski
areas in the East to show a profit, primarily because of the snowmaking
capabilities and marketing promotions such as dumping a truckload of snow
on bare Boston Common. Les and his staff had perfected making lemonade
from lemons, turning a poor season into a profitable one in 1983.
Since the beginning of Otten's leadership, two new chairlifts have been
erected, 50 acres of snowmaking installed, three new grooming vehicles
added to the fleet, five new trails cut, base facilities renovated and
condominium units constructed for a total investment of 8.1 million dollars.
There has been a yearly growth of 10% in skier days and revenues have
kept up the pace too.
Les Otten and the Sunday River Skiway Corporation are looking forward to
the next 25 years and a golden anniversary in 2009.
Answer: Paul Kailey was the first skier up the slopes in 1959.
CLICK HERE TO RETURN FROM WHENCE YOU CAME.
The following is an article published in the August 2, 1984 issue of the Oxford
County (Bethel) Citizen. Retyped and reproduced with permission.
SUNDAY RIVIAL PURSUIT
No, this is not Sunday “Rivial Pursuit” but, “who was the first skier to ride the
T-bar at Sunday River Ski Area on opening day 1959?” It has been 25 years
since that first skier rode the T-1 T-Bar and made that initial exhilarating run
down Barker Mountain. This year on their Silver Anniversary, Sunday River
Ski Resort is installing Maine's first triple chair lift, completing 136
condominium hotel units, and is fast becoming one of New England's
premier destination resorts.
In 1958 a small group of avid skiers convinced the Bethel Chamber of
Commerce that a ski area would be a great way of improving the
community's winter economy. On April 28 of that year Sunday River Skiway
became incorporated issuing the first share of stock to the Honorable
Edmund Muskie. Barker Mountain in nearby Newry was selected as the
location for the new ski area. With an elevation of 2,582 feet, the mountain
was perfect terrain for a variety of slopes ranging from novice to expert. In
1959, after almost locating the slopes on the opposite side of the mountain,
a major portion of the proposed development was completed by Clarence
“Johnnie” Rolfe and his hard working crew. Sunday River opened for
business the following season on the day after Christmas with a 3,200 foot
T-Bar aptly named T-1, an 800 foot rope tow, a main lodge, ski shop and
cafeteria, with a 300 car parking area.
The early years were neither easy nor very comfortable. The very first
season the Mountain was without a grooming vehicle so that all trails had to
be foot-packed. The power company refused to provide electrical service so
the board of directors and their wives took turns spending the night in the
lodge making sure the generators kept running. In 1961 another T-Bar, the
recently retired T-2 permitted skiing from the top of Barker Mountain to the
base lodge. T-2 burnt to the ground in the late 60's during the middle of a
busy ski season, but thanks to the volunteer efforts of a group of Green
Berets (stationed on the mountain for winter training) the lift was returned to
working order. In 1963 a third T-Bar was installed replacing the old rope tow
creating a novice area popularly known as the “Mixing Bowl.” These T-Bars
have provided some interesting moments. One Sunday morning at about 10
o'clock, a gearbox burned out in one of the T-Bars. Luckily, Mt. Abram, a
nearby ski area, had just removed a similar gearbox from one of their lifts.
An energetic and dedicated crew picked up the parts and worked diligently
throughout the day to make repairs. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon the heroic
crew was finished only to find that the lift ran in reverse.
With each passing year the number of improvements and the ski area
continued to grow. In 1970, then General Manager Seppe “Joe” Gmeunder
developed his own successful snow guns created from of a series of bent
iron pipes. The snow making facilities were installed on the Mixing Bowl to
hopefully extend the season to Thanksgiving through Easter, regardless of
natural snowfall. That year Joe was determined to be open and operating
on Turkey-Day. By 11:00 the Mixing Bowl, covered with man-made snow,
was crowded with 700 skiers. Joe was forced to call the radio stations to
announce that no more tickets could be sold. (So much for a great
promotional idea!) To help boost the uniqueness of the mountain and add
flair to the Mountain's ski school, Joe imported two instructors from Europe -
a Swiss Miss and a French Beau.
In 1971, the mountain's first chairlift, 5,200 feet long was installed by the
Pullman Berry Corporation of Pullman Railway fame. The chairlift ran from
County (Bethel) Citizen. Retyped and reproduced with permission.
SUNDAY RIVIAL PURSUIT
No, this is not Sunday “Rivial Pursuit” but, “who was the first skier to ride the
T-bar at Sunday River Ski Area on opening day 1959?” It has been 25 years
since that first skier rode the T-1 T-Bar and made that initial exhilarating run
down Barker Mountain. This year on their Silver Anniversary, Sunday River
Ski Resort is installing Maine's first triple chair lift, completing 136
condominium hotel units, and is fast becoming one of New England's
premier destination resorts.
In 1958 a small group of avid skiers convinced the Bethel Chamber of
Commerce that a ski area would be a great way of improving the
community's winter economy. On April 28 of that year Sunday River Skiway
became incorporated issuing the first share of stock to the Honorable
Edmund Muskie. Barker Mountain in nearby Newry was selected as the
location for the new ski area. With an elevation of 2,582 feet, the mountain
was perfect terrain for a variety of slopes ranging from novice to expert. In
1959, after almost locating the slopes on the opposite side of the mountain,
a major portion of the proposed development was completed by Clarence
“Johnnie” Rolfe and his hard working crew. Sunday River opened for
business the following season on the day after Christmas with a 3,200 foot
T-Bar aptly named T-1, an 800 foot rope tow, a main lodge, ski shop and
cafeteria, with a 300 car parking area.
The early years were neither easy nor very comfortable. The very first
season the Mountain was without a grooming vehicle so that all trails had to
be foot-packed. The power company refused to provide electrical service so
the board of directors and their wives took turns spending the night in the
lodge making sure the generators kept running. In 1961 another T-Bar, the
recently retired T-2 permitted skiing from the top of Barker Mountain to the
base lodge. T-2 burnt to the ground in the late 60's during the middle of a
busy ski season, but thanks to the volunteer efforts of a group of Green
Berets (stationed on the mountain for winter training) the lift was returned to
working order. In 1963 a third T-Bar was installed replacing the old rope tow
creating a novice area popularly known as the “Mixing Bowl.” These T-Bars
have provided some interesting moments. One Sunday morning at about 10
o'clock, a gearbox burned out in one of the T-Bars. Luckily, Mt. Abram, a
nearby ski area, had just removed a similar gearbox from one of their lifts.
An energetic and dedicated crew picked up the parts and worked diligently
throughout the day to make repairs. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon the heroic
crew was finished only to find that the lift ran in reverse.
With each passing year the number of improvements and the ski area
continued to grow. In 1970, then General Manager Seppe “Joe” Gmeunder
developed his own successful snow guns created from of a series of bent
iron pipes. The snow making facilities were installed on the Mixing Bowl to
hopefully extend the season to Thanksgiving through Easter, regardless of
natural snowfall. That year Joe was determined to be open and operating
on Turkey-Day. By 11:00 the Mixing Bowl, covered with man-made snow,
was crowded with 700 skiers. Joe was forced to call the radio stations to
announce that no more tickets could be sold. (So much for a great
promotional idea!) To help boost the uniqueness of the mountain and add
flair to the Mountain's ski school, Joe imported two instructors from Europe -
a Swiss Miss and a French Beau.
In 1971, the mountain's first chairlift, 5,200 feet long was installed by the
Pullman Berry Corporation of Pullman Railway fame. The chairlift ran from