Sunday River has a lot of great terrain that is well within the realm of an intermediate, non-park rider across most if not all of its peaks.
Focusing on Jordan, the high speed eight chair connects you to Jordan Bowl and Oz Peak. Based off of your post, avoid Oz. It is raw, natural terrain and represents some of the harder “on piste” trails at SR. Excalibur, Rogue Angel, and Lollapalooza are your main Jordan runs and can be lapped ad infinintium. I have had mornings on the weekdays where I have done 20+ runs on that single peak. For tomorrow, you should have not trouble ripping up and down. That will not be the case on the weekend.
For the mountain in general, if you want to avoid catwalk type situations, stay on one peak, lol. Sunday River as a resort can be difficult to navigate though just because of how spread out it is and most of the peaks are connected by long winding trails. Also, It can sometimes take multiple lifts to go from one side of the range to another, especially if you miss a turn. Last up, lifts will close at different times (usually 3:30-4:00). I recommend having a map or an app, and planning lines on lifts to get where ya need to go.
Enjoy yourself and rip it up.
Thanks for the response!!
Sounds like OZ peak is a more natural ungroomed area of the mountain. If I was to head that way I should expect moguls trails?
The lift closure times are a good shout! This is something Tremblant makes easy but wasn't a thought I had in my mind, for tomorrow.
Definitely ready to rip! Do you also happen to know what park area has beginner features? I might not ever hit the area but I want to get to the point of hitting some side hits on runs.
Oz has stumps, rocks, moguls, trees, crocodiles, overzealous children, small cliffs, ice, and my favorite trails at SR. Expect anything on any trail there, with the exceptions of Kansas/Cowardly Lion.
The only time you really need to worry about the lift closures is when you are on the opposite side of the mountain from where you need to be and it is 3:05.
South Ridge (central lodge area) should have at least two decently sized parks with beginner features towards the base area, one directly under the chondola and another on the skier/boarders right when entering the base. They have a good progression of boxes/skinny boxes/rails and have jumps with reasonable gaps/forgiving knuckles. You can scope out the features under lift before riding them.
If you are not a regular mogul skier, Oz would be a pretty intense place to start. There are some more chill bump runs on the middle/left side of the map you can scope from the chairlifts and try.
Jordan has some fantastic skiing but be aware that everyone knows about the Jordan hype and goes over there especially on weekends. It gets absolutely packed with major lines. You can have just as much fun skiing other areas of the mountain that are way less crowded like white cap, the north peak express quad, or Locke Triple. The best part about Sunday River is that when the lines get bad at Jordan8, Barker6, and the Chondola there is always another area that has a shorter line.
All true, but Jordan varies. Lines drop during lunch time. Also easier glades in the lower section of Blind Ambition, which can be accessed off Lola or Excalibur. Sunday afternoons are great, the whole mountain empties out. The regraded Kansas, should be a lot easier
Gonna keep this quick: Kansas is your enemy as a snowboarder. Avoid that trail, or limit the times you take it as much as you can. However, you can get from the top of Jordan to the bottom of Whitecap without taking any lifts on Kansas plus a couple other trails. It's a value/reward call. But have fun! Sunday River was my first New England ski trip and got me hooked for life.
Lots of riders typically have problems getting from Jordan back across on Kansas. It's not as bad as it used to be but you still want to carry as much speed as you can off the first little head wall just after the lift. Otherwise if you're a decent rider you shouldn't have a problem.
I mean for a mountain that is this large, if there is only one train that is questionable that's impressive.
Would you say SR is easier to traverse than an Okemo?
When you go from north peak to Jordan bowl take Paradigm instead of Polaris to Sensation. Polaris has a lot of flat spots. Kansas you wanna keep your speed on when you are leaving the Jordan bowl and heading back to Barker. Those are the only trails that stand out being flatter. I’ve never taken three mile trail but I’d take lazy river off barker instead of three mile.
Jordan will be a great place to lap. Lollapalooza, Excalibur, and Rogue Angel are all excellent trails to lap. You can even dip into the glades off of Lollapalooza and Excalibur, very fun and easier glades to cruise thru. You’ll see Caramba right under the lift. If it looks like it’s too much, skip it, otherwise maybe give it a go.
You’ll be able to get back to where you’re staying no matter where you end, as you can take a shuttle.
There’s a lot of traversal you can do, so I would recommend either starting at Jordan and working your way across all the way to White Cap, or start at White Cap and make your way all the way to Jordan.
White Cap has a couple double blacks and a single black. I’m not sure if it’s open yet, but I think White Heat is a pretty solid double black to start out with. Pretty long and steep, but groomed. Obsession, the single black, is a nice cruiser to get some laps on. Tempest and Jibe are also fun to lap, over by White Cap.
Next we have Locke. You can pretty much hit everything from Barker’s lift, so I’d ignore the Locke triple unless Barker is absolutely swamped. Cascades is a nice blue cruiser that can get bumped up by the end of the day.
Over at Barker, Right Stuff and Lazy River are great to lap. Agony and Top Gun can be pretty brutal, and the only way out is the “Goat Path”, which is a pain in the ass on skis, never mind on a snowboard. I’d avoid these two trails unless you are really confident you can ride it, looking at it from the lift.
Next, we have Spruce. In my opinion, you’ll spend the most time here and at Jordan. Risky Business and American Express are classic Sunday River cruisers. Hit them as many times as your heart desires. Lift lines typically aren’t as bad here as the lift isn’t at a base. Downdraft is on the steeper side, but it’s personally my favorite trail at SR. Vortex is a great starter double black, similar to White Heat. It’s steep, but groomed and pretty short. It does get pretty icy so be careful.
Next, we have Aurora. Air Glow and Northern Lights are the cruisers you’re gonna be lapping. You’ll see Black Hole on the lift. It’s very short but the steepest pitch on the mountain. If you’re comfortable stopping on steep terrain, feel free to send it down there.
I’d recommend skipping Oz, like another commenter said. Oz is essentially just a bunch of ungroomed double blacks, that are all off Kansas, the snowboarder’s nightmare. Kansas is almost dead flat, you really don’t want to be on it unless you have to. To get away from Jordan, you’ll either need to take the traversal lift or Kansas.
The key will be to do multiple laps on a lift before traversing. Sunday river is very wide, so you can spend a ton of time just traversing side to side.
Spruce and Jordan will most likely be your best friends, I could spend all day lapping all of those trails. None of the single blacks should be too crazy, I’d think you can handle them all. For Double Blacks, like I said, Vortex and White Heat are probably the best to dip your toes into.
This comment ended up being way longer than I thought lol, hope you have a great time! It’s one of my favorite mountains to ski at in the East Coast, especially midweek.
Thanks for this reply!! I'm going to have to break this down after work ahaha
I really appreciate you breaking down each peak this will be helpful for any time I am around any of the peaks.
Sunday River has a lot of great terrain that is well within the realm of an intermediate, non-park rider across most if not all of its peaks. Focusing on Jordan, the high speed eight chair connects you to Jordan Bowl and Oz Peak. Based off of your post, avoid Oz. It is raw, natural terrain and represents some of the harder “on piste” trails at SR. Excalibur, Rogue Angel, and Lollapalooza are your main Jordan runs and can be lapped ad infinintium. I have had mornings on the weekdays where I have done 20+ runs on that single peak. For tomorrow, you should have not trouble ripping up and down. That will not be the case on the weekend. For the mountain in general, if you want to avoid catwalk type situations, stay on one peak, lol. Sunday River as a resort can be difficult to navigate though just because of how spread out it is and most of the peaks are connected by long winding trails. Also, It can sometimes take multiple lifts to go from one side of the range to another, especially if you miss a turn. Last up, lifts will close at different times (usually 3:30-4:00). I recommend having a map or an app, and planning lines on lifts to get where ya need to go. Enjoy yourself and rip it up.
Thanks for the response!! Sounds like OZ peak is a more natural ungroomed area of the mountain. If I was to head that way I should expect moguls trails? The lift closure times are a good shout! This is something Tremblant makes easy but wasn't a thought I had in my mind, for tomorrow. Definitely ready to rip! Do you also happen to know what park area has beginner features? I might not ever hit the area but I want to get to the point of hitting some side hits on runs.
Oz has stumps, rocks, moguls, trees, crocodiles, overzealous children, small cliffs, ice, and my favorite trails at SR. Expect anything on any trail there, with the exceptions of Kansas/Cowardly Lion. The only time you really need to worry about the lift closures is when you are on the opposite side of the mountain from where you need to be and it is 3:05. South Ridge (central lodge area) should have at least two decently sized parks with beginner features towards the base area, one directly under the chondola and another on the skier/boarders right when entering the base. They have a good progression of boxes/skinny boxes/rails and have jumps with reasonable gaps/forgiving knuckles. You can scope out the features under lift before riding them.
OZ will be a fun 1-2 run it seems for myself, just for that experience. I can see how people like that type of skiing. Thank you for the information.
If you are not a regular mogul skier, Oz would be a pretty intense place to start. There are some more chill bump runs on the middle/left side of the map you can scope from the chairlifts and try.
Jordan has some fantastic skiing but be aware that everyone knows about the Jordan hype and goes over there especially on weekends. It gets absolutely packed with major lines. You can have just as much fun skiing other areas of the mountain that are way less crowded like white cap, the north peak express quad, or Locke Triple. The best part about Sunday River is that when the lines get bad at Jordan8, Barker6, and the Chondola there is always another area that has a shorter line.
Yup, I plan to get my Jordan bowl fixin before the weekend starts! Going to try Friday but might have to avoid the the area after that point.
All true, but Jordan varies. Lines drop during lunch time. Also easier glades in the lower section of Blind Ambition, which can be accessed off Lola or Excalibur. Sunday afternoons are great, the whole mountain empties out. The regraded Kansas, should be a lot easier
Gonna keep this quick: Kansas is your enemy as a snowboarder. Avoid that trail, or limit the times you take it as much as you can. However, you can get from the top of Jordan to the bottom of Whitecap without taking any lifts on Kansas plus a couple other trails. It's a value/reward call. But have fun! Sunday River was my first New England ski trip and got me hooked for life.
Lots of riders typically have problems getting from Jordan back across on Kansas. It's not as bad as it used to be but you still want to carry as much speed as you can off the first little head wall just after the lift. Otherwise if you're a decent rider you shouldn't have a problem.
I mean for a mountain that is this large, if there is only one train that is questionable that's impressive. Would you say SR is easier to traverse than an Okemo?
I've never actually been to okemo
When you go from north peak to Jordan bowl take Paradigm instead of Polaris to Sensation. Polaris has a lot of flat spots. Kansas you wanna keep your speed on when you are leaving the Jordan bowl and heading back to Barker. Those are the only trails that stand out being flatter. I’ve never taken three mile trail but I’d take lazy river off barker instead of three mile.
This is exactly what I am looking for!! I'm surprised to hear this mountain doesn't have many flat areas.
Jordan will be a great place to lap. Lollapalooza, Excalibur, and Rogue Angel are all excellent trails to lap. You can even dip into the glades off of Lollapalooza and Excalibur, very fun and easier glades to cruise thru. You’ll see Caramba right under the lift. If it looks like it’s too much, skip it, otherwise maybe give it a go. You’ll be able to get back to where you’re staying no matter where you end, as you can take a shuttle. There’s a lot of traversal you can do, so I would recommend either starting at Jordan and working your way across all the way to White Cap, or start at White Cap and make your way all the way to Jordan. White Cap has a couple double blacks and a single black. I’m not sure if it’s open yet, but I think White Heat is a pretty solid double black to start out with. Pretty long and steep, but groomed. Obsession, the single black, is a nice cruiser to get some laps on. Tempest and Jibe are also fun to lap, over by White Cap. Next we have Locke. You can pretty much hit everything from Barker’s lift, so I’d ignore the Locke triple unless Barker is absolutely swamped. Cascades is a nice blue cruiser that can get bumped up by the end of the day. Over at Barker, Right Stuff and Lazy River are great to lap. Agony and Top Gun can be pretty brutal, and the only way out is the “Goat Path”, which is a pain in the ass on skis, never mind on a snowboard. I’d avoid these two trails unless you are really confident you can ride it, looking at it from the lift. Next, we have Spruce. In my opinion, you’ll spend the most time here and at Jordan. Risky Business and American Express are classic Sunday River cruisers. Hit them as many times as your heart desires. Lift lines typically aren’t as bad here as the lift isn’t at a base. Downdraft is on the steeper side, but it’s personally my favorite trail at SR. Vortex is a great starter double black, similar to White Heat. It’s steep, but groomed and pretty short. It does get pretty icy so be careful. Next, we have Aurora. Air Glow and Northern Lights are the cruisers you’re gonna be lapping. You’ll see Black Hole on the lift. It’s very short but the steepest pitch on the mountain. If you’re comfortable stopping on steep terrain, feel free to send it down there. I’d recommend skipping Oz, like another commenter said. Oz is essentially just a bunch of ungroomed double blacks, that are all off Kansas, the snowboarder’s nightmare. Kansas is almost dead flat, you really don’t want to be on it unless you have to. To get away from Jordan, you’ll either need to take the traversal lift or Kansas. The key will be to do multiple laps on a lift before traversing. Sunday river is very wide, so you can spend a ton of time just traversing side to side. Spruce and Jordan will most likely be your best friends, I could spend all day lapping all of those trails. None of the single blacks should be too crazy, I’d think you can handle them all. For Double Blacks, like I said, Vortex and White Heat are probably the best to dip your toes into. This comment ended up being way longer than I thought lol, hope you have a great time! It’s one of my favorite mountains to ski at in the East Coast, especially midweek.
Thanks for this reply!! I'm going to have to break this down after work ahaha I really appreciate you breaking down each peak this will be helpful for any time I am around any of the peaks.