There are certain ways to get onto the slopes without a lot of other skiers getting in your way. One is to be at the mountain the night before a major storm closes all the roads; obviously, that requires a whole lot of luck. Another, however, is to go night skiing when it’s really cold; few skiers have the dedication to get out there in the freezing dark, particularly while riding up a chairlift in a biting wind.

There’s a solution to that quirk, though, and it’s at Sunday River. The Chondola, a gondola/chair hybrid, is the lift they chose to service their nighttime terrain. In fact, it’s because of  the Chondola that they even have night skiing. Since it goes up to North Peak, you get a decently long run back down without having to change lifts, and since it has the gondola cabins, you can get out of the wind.  It all makes sense. But, the only way to know if reality matched theory was to try it out and we did, on Saturday, to see how their new system was working out.

With temperatures down around 10 as night began to fall, and a bitter wind starting to whip the hill, the crowd was thinning out quickly as we headed to the slopes.  The line for the Chondola was short; we probably waited a minute or two to get on. Up top, there wasn’t the usual clutch of people in the way as we got off; ski off the lift, put pole straps on, and off we went.

Frankly, we were surprised at the conditions. Yes, they groom the night skiing trails between 4 and 5; no, they can’t lay down typical Sunday River flawless corduroy. But, given that this had been a busy Saturday, conditions were remarkably pleasant…very little “scratchy” terrain, no boilerplate at all.  Particularly out on the sides of the trail, there was a fair amount of loose snow to play in.  And, the side away from the lights was the best place to be, anyway; Sunday River’s lighting system is certainly adequate, but it doesn’t exactly turn night into day like some of the mountains that specialize in night skiing.  Near the lights, there are deep  shadows that can be disconcerting to ski in and out of; as you get farther away from the lights, levels even out somewhat, making it a lot easier to see.

Also, there are not a lot of trails lit. For “conventional” skiers like us, that means one long green circle run (Dream Maker /Southway/Sundance) and one good blue square run (Escapade).  But, they also have Whoville and the South Ridge Jib Park open, and that dramatically changes both the mix of the skiing and the options for families.  Parents who want some time to themselves in the evening can send the kiddies off to ski and play; teens who think hanging with the ‘rents is as boring as watching paint dry have an excuse to slip away and play with their peers. It definitely changes the evening entertainment mix at Sunday River, gives people who get to the mountain late, or were busy during the day, an opportunity to get out and carve a few turns.

Overall, we enjoyed a couple of hours of skiing when we would normally have been done for the day.  The only time that it was a little scary was when we were coming down close to the Chondola, and suddenly saw the ropes closing off a trail  at about the right height to clothesline us.  Again, this is a relatively new system, so there are areas that could be better lit; keep your eyes open and your speeds controlled!  And, with any luck the “12-Hour Skiing” concept will be so succesful that they’ll open more terrain and expand their lighting…but, for now, it was at least an option that let us get out when we normally wouldn’t have been able to.  With prices as low as $2 (as an add-on to your regular lift ticket), it’s an inexpensive way to make more of your time at the mountain.