NEWRY – A Sunday River spokesman said the resort’s snowmaking system allowed the ski area to open trails from the summits of Barker and Locke mountains Tuesday.

Snowmaking continues. From Monday to Tuesday enough snow was made to cover top-to-bottom trails, said Marvin Collins, vice president of operations at the resort.

Ski runs opened about 2 p.m. and were expected to stay open through the long Thanksgiving Day weekend. “We got our few cold days that we needed just in time for the holiday,” Collins said in a prepared statement issued Tuesday.

“We’ve employed a combination of traditional and low energy snow guns depending on elevation and temperature to lay down as much snow as possible,” he said. “The next few nights look cold enough for continued snowmaking and we’ll be taking advantage of every good hour.”

Sugarloaf/USA in Carrabassett Valley opened Monday afternoon.

Both ski areas are owned by the Utah-based American Skiing Co. but have a long-standing rivalry over which will be the first to open and the last to close for season.