SAM Magazine—Bethel, Maine, Dec. 22, 2023—Despite significant damage from a Monday weather event that dropped 5 inches of rain on Sunday River in a short period of time, the resort is on track to reopen with limited terrain tomorrow, Dec. 23. Waterville Valley base area operations manager Marrisa Preston jumps in mid-storm to clear the main base area drain.

Crews have been working to make restorations around the resort, which include installing a temporary bridge to access the Grand Summit Hotel, repairing road washouts, replacing culverts, and clearing debris from base areas. 

“Despite facing power outages in their own homes, our lodging teams have gone above and beyond to ensure our guests are well taken care of,” the resort shared in its latest operations update. “Simultaneously, our food and beverage teams have worked tirelessly to provide food for our team members and contractors. Their undeterred spirit and commitment is (sic) what makes our community shine, and we are fortunate to share these wins that bring us together.”

Skiing and riding tomorrow will be limited to the Barker Basin, with the Barker 6, Locke Triple, and Spruce Triple accessing advanced terrain only. Barker Lodge will be open for all services. South Ridge will not have ski access.

Access on Dec. 23 and 24 will be limited to season passholders, ticket pack holders, Ikon passholders, guests with pre-purchased lift tickets, and those staying at resort lodging.

A 36-hour push to remediate damage and recover trails allowed Sugarloaf, Maine, to reopen yesterday following the storm. Although, the mountain advised visitors to check their “normal” route to the mountain as road closures persist around the region, following major damage to road infrastructure in the Carrabassett Valley. 

Waterville Valley, N.H., is open with 5 lifts and 30 trails after the rain washed away a significant amount of snow coverage. The resort was 61 percent open prior to the storm, said GM Tim Smith.

Waterville ops teams focused on getting the dirt the storm had washed on top of the snow off the surface, a process that was slowed due to continued water runoff in the aftermath of the storm, said Smith. A burst of cold weather helped the ground refreeze and allowed for new snowmaking.

Waterville was lucky, all things considered, said Smith. The resort received 5 inches of rain, but “the drainage work we did this past summer paid off big time,” he explained. “We had no damage to our access road, and the community only had a few areas that didn’t hold.

“Our Nordic director, Ian Cullison, spent all day [Monday] inspecting areas and giving heads up to responsible parties or jumping in to prevent damage. Actions like these were the true saving graces, and I can’t express how phenomenally our team performed. … These acts of valor were easy to see over the past few days, from the lodging team working with guests during the power outage to the ski school cleaning up water damage in the base lodge, or the group sales team, who arranged for our transportation team to take over 100 UK students around to indoor attractions to supplement for the lack of skiing. 

“I could go on all day with stories of the superhuman feats the team was able to perform,” Smith added, a sentiment echoed by the many resorts in the Northeast about their staffs and communities as they raced to recover ahead of the holiday.

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