Sunday River to debut its new $2.2M chairlift on Saturday

Courtesy / Sunday River Resort Manufactured by Doppelmayr USA Inc., Sunday River's new $2.2 million Spruce Peak Triple chairlift will be able to carry up to 1,480 guests per hour at a rate of 500 feet per minute. It makes its debut at the Newry ski resort on Saturday.

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By Staff

Sunday River Resort will debut its new $2.2 million Doppelmayr three-passenger chairlift, the Spruce Peak Triple, on Saturday.

As part of the grand opening celebration, which begins at 9 a.m., the resort in Newry will pass out commemorative sunglasses to the first 400 guests who ride the new chairlift.

“We expect Saturday’s opening to be huge,” Caroline Ochtera, events marketing director for Sunday River Resort, said in a news release. “Spruce Peak has a following with Sunday River skiers and riders and there is much excitement surrounding this new lift.”

The new triple chairlift is part of Sunday River’s $4.7 million in capital improvements for the 2017-18 season and will serve as the primary chairlift transport to the resort’s Spruce Peak trails. Its modern technology will also make for a shorter ride, cutting passenger ride time from 11 minutes to eight minutes.

Spanning 4,184 feet, the new Spruce Peak Triple extends 1,207 vertical feet from the base of Spruce Peak to the summit. One hundred and forty-five chairs are set to carry up to 1,480 guests per hour at a rate of 500 feet per minute.

In total, Sunday River boasts eight interconnected mountain peaks, 135 trails and 15 chairlifts, including the new Spruce Peak Triple.

Sunday River last installed a new chairlift in 2008 — Chondola (part chair lift, part gondola), designed to transport passengers to the top of North Peak and its mid-mountain Peak Lodge — after the resort joined parent company Boyne Resorts. The $7.2 million investment in Chondola, which at that time was one of only four in North America, signalled Boyne Resorts’ commitment to enhancing Sunday River Resort’s appeal as a four-season destination.

Since joining Boyne Resorts in 2008, Sunday River has benefited from over $50 million in capital investments including the new Spruce Peak Triple and Chondola, as well as yearly snowmaking, grooming, and chairlift enhancements, and renovations to its base lodges and accommodations. Sunday River is the third largest ski resort in New England with eight interconnected mountain peaks, 15 chairlifts, four lodges, two hotels, and one inn and ski dorm.

Sunday River plans $4.7M upgrade, including new chairlift

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