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SAM Magazine—Bethel, Maine, Oct. 14, 2015—On the heels of a relatively warm early fall across much of the country, Maine's Sunday River Ski Resort plans to open for the 2015-16 season on Monday, Oct. 19. If all goes according to plan, it will be the first resort in North America to open this season.

SAM Magazine—Bethel, Maine, Oct. 14, 2015—On the heels of a relatively warm early fall across much of the country, Maine's Sunday River Ski Resort plans to open for the 2015-16 season on Monday, Oct. 19. If all goes according to plan, it will be the first resort in North America to open this season.

The current forecast for western Maine shows temperatures dipping into the 20s and even the teens heading into the weekend, allowing for an extended snowmaking window on Sunday River's Locke Mountain peak. The resort aims to open the upper T2 trail on Locke Mountain and will have guests load at the Locke triple lift mid-station. The resort expects to open for Monday, then begin its early season schedule, open weekends only until mid-November.

“We can't make any promises, but this forecast looks very favorable,” Dana Bullen, resort president and general manager, says. “Our snowmakers are dedicated to opening as early as possible and this year is no different. But, we wanted to let our passholders and guests know so they can make their plans.”

Lift tickets will be $29 and can be purchased at the Barker Lodge, with the lift running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday River traditionally opens around Halloween. If the resort can pull off Monday's opening, it will mark the earliest opening in almost 20 years, with the exception of 2009—when the area opened on Oct. 14.

Several other ski resorts across North America are likely to jump on the early-season bandwagon in the next week or two, such as Colorado's Arapahoe Basin, which tentatively plans to open on Oct. 24, and Norquay, Alberta, with its eyes set on Oct. 31.

According to snocountry.com, there are currently just five resorts open around the world: Hintertux, Austria; Valle Nevado, Chile; and three resorts in New Zealand.