NEWRY - Maine's Sunday River has opened for the season, becoming the first ski area in the Northeast to do so.

Regular operating hours go into effect Friday when the mountain opens at 9 a.m. for intermediate and advanced skiers and riders. Boyne USA Resort's other Maine ski area, Sugarloaf USA, also opens to skiers and riders on Friday.

Sunday River General Manager Dana Bullen says the early opening gives the resort a jump on the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanks to snowmaking, the resort plans to offer top-to-bottom terrain, including slopes for beginners, as soon as Friday.

He says the early start is thanks in large part to the nearly $1 million spent this summer to upgrade the resort's snowmaking system.