Thanks the snowmakers, Sunday River seemed to be back on a forward track when I visited yesterday. A lot more terrain was open and even more should be ready by the weekend.

I am told that the amount of snow that had been made in the past 24 hours would have covered Portland's Monument Square to a depth of 117 feet, or 56 football fields to a depth of one foot.

The South Ridge area opened yesterday, and I skied down with my friend Sandy Hatch to check out the updated ski and snowboard shops in the South Ridge Base Lodge.

Sandy Hatch of Conway, N.H., stands at the top of Sunday River's Barker Mountain yesterday
ALL PHOTOS SCOTT ANDREWS

Sandy checked out a lot of the children's stuff, including the SpongeBob SquarePants skis and snowboards. That's new this year -- an American Skiing Company exclusive -- thanks to a deal with Nickelodeon-Viacom, the owner of that likeable, goofy cartoon character.

SpongeBob SquarePants skis, made for children, are new this year and Sandy checked out a pair

She also tried out a number of hats, each one goofier than the next.

Sandy tried out a number of hats in the Sunday River ski shop

Some of the hats were pretty goofy

Looks like Sandy's running for political office

Twenty five trails served by four lifts is a likely projection for the weekend, but check out Sunday River's website for more up-to-date info.

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