NEWRY — Artists use all types of material to make a masterpiece. For Andrew Bresette, those materials are air pressure, water and the right temperature.

Bresette is the snowmaking manager at Sunday River ski resort and has been in the business of snowmaking at Sunday River since 1989.

"I needed a job, and it was supposed to be just a one-time winter job," he said. "I just stuck with it."

Bresette's day on Friday started at 11 a.m., where he held a snow plan meeting with his crew. He has approximately 60 employees he supervises during the season.

"We watch the weather hoping for good temperatures, and we decide how many guns we are going to run." he said.

The plan of action for Friday night was to run 250 to 300 guns. By 7 p.m. approximately 60 guns had already been fired up.

The optimal temperature for making snow is 10 degrees with a slight breeze, Bresette said, but crews will start the snowmaking process at 28 degrees.

Those magic numbers have been missing from Maine so far this winter.

November was the warmest month on record for the state, according to the National Weather Service, and December has seen temperatures linger in the mid-40s.

Bresette said it is one of the worst seasons he has seen so far. He said he has observed a shift to warmer winter weather in the past few years.

Even with warmer temperatures, Sunday River's snowmakers have been hard at work. The resort opened Oct. 29 this year, making it the fifth consecutive year the mountain has had enough snow to ski before Halloween.

Darcy Morse, director of communications, said the resort has been making snow for more than 30 days now.

"Our plan is to continue to make snow every chance we get," she said. "Sunday River has nearly 100 acres open, which is hands down the most open terrain in New England."

As Bresette's day progressed, he hoped to add more acres to that number. Temperatures were at 30 degrees around 5 p.m. at the lodge, but a few guns near the top were already spraying snow.

Crews worked through the night, walking down the mountain checking the guns and the quality of snow being produced.

Bresette said one of his favorite parts about making snow is that he gets to be outside all the time.

"It's peaceful up here, especially when the stars are out," he said.

Bresette said crews get to see a lot of wildlife, as well as an occasional loose dog, wandering the mountain top. He said people will also find their way up to the lower shelf of the slope and have to be escorted back down.

During his Friday walk on the upper punch trail, Bresette stepped out into the steady stream of one of the snow guns and watched flakes fall on his outstretched arms.

Bresette said it was a test of the condition of the snow.

"If it's wet, it sticks to your arm, but if it's the right kind of snow for the slopes, it bounces off," he said. "We should have a heavy wet base but a dry top coat to ski on."

As crews continued to check on the progress of the snow guns, they radioed in results to John Martin, the control room operator, who has been working at the resort for 14 years.

Martin's job is to keep track of the weather, air pressure and water lines that feed the snow guns, along with each crew member who is on the mountain.

Bresette said some dangers are present with the job and making sure everyone is safe is a priority.

"We get a lot of falls, broken bones, twisted ankles," he said.

Part of Martin's job is to make sure everyone is accounted for.

He is also in control of running and monitoring the massive snowmaking system.

The mountain boasts 1,700 hydrants and more than 72 miles of pipe. The main water source is Sunday River, which is about 4 to 5 miles from the pump house on Barker Mountain.

"We have the ability to pump 8,500 gallons of water a minute through the lines," Martin said.

The most expensive part of the operation is the supply of air, Martin said.

"The horsepower used to get air pressure costs the most," he said.

Both Martin and Bresette said the reasons behind Sunday River's success in snowmaking are dedication and aggressiveness.

"It's the dedication of the resort and the staff," Martin said. "We have the best snowmaking system around, and we utilize that, and we have the same quality of snow from top to bottom."

Hoping for lower temps, Bresette left the control room and headed back up the mountain to check the snow guns again.

"Once the temperatures are right, watch out: we'll be going full blast."