eatskisleep
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Sad news. One of my favorite places to ski.
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Black Mountain, NH CLOSED
- Thread starter eatskisleep
- Start date
Sad news. One of my favorite places to ski.
Awful, but not surprising. Place is a gem as is, but really needs millions in investment to modernize to offer what the masses want in order to be competitive.
Very sad, but as said, not surprising considering there have been a lot of signs that the ownership is struggling to say the least.
Any indications as to if they are going to sell it?
Maybe we pass the hat so that we buy it and operate it?
Any indications as to if they are going to sell it?
Maybe we pass the hat so that we buy it and operate it?
I was looking forward to skiing it on indy. A childhood favorite and just a beautiful little place.
It will be a tough sell as it's sits pretty much dead south and requires either alot of snow or snowmaking to ski well. It melts out in spring so damn fast.
Will touring be allowed up there?
I have had a personal rule the past few years about not buying anything like a beer at the mountain and only broke it a couple times at cannon...never vail mtns. I'm breaking that rule on indy pass areas because these places need some cash in the drawer.
It will be a tough sell as it's sits pretty much dead south and requires either alot of snow or snowmaking to ski well. It melts out in spring so damn fast.
Will touring be allowed up there?
I have had a personal rule the past few years about not buying anything like a beer at the mountain and only broke it a couple times at cannon...never vail mtns. I'm breaking that rule on indy pass areas because these places need some cash in the drawer.
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Newpylong
Well-known member
They lasted a couple more years than I thought they would. Tough sell for a perspective buyer. The asking price that I was told is higher than it's worth.
Lodge, Snowmaking Pumps and Compressors in good shape.
Summit double, triple, snowcats, snowmaking pipe not in good shape.
Tough competition around it. Wildcat is already the retro area.
Lodge, Snowmaking Pumps and Compressors in good shape.
Summit double, triple, snowcats, snowmaking pipe not in good shape.
Tough competition around it. Wildcat is already the retro area.
jimk
Well-known member
I'm not too caught up in ski nostalgia. I like to look forward to new ski adventures, but I will feel a pang of sadness if Black becomes lost.
On a skiing smorgasbord trip from Wash DC area back in 2010, my son and I skied one day at Black Mtn, NH. The mtn was in decent shape and it was a lovely, quiet weekday throwback experience.
My memories from that early March 2010 visit:
Black Mountain is an absolute time warp. From the low prices, to the active horse corral beside the base lodge, to the vintage double chair with lattice lift towers, the vibe at Black isn’t reminiscent of the old days, it IS the old days. The first lift we took at Black was an ancient platter pull. Sentimental fool that I am, I felt a twinge of emotion halfway up the ride while reflecting on the 75 year history of skiers enjoying this mountain, the oldest ski area in the state. The place oozed with soul and though it may be long in the tooth, it’s still got some bite!
At first blush Black Mountain looks like a benign little mom and pop establishment. It’s extremely affordable. A family of four can ski weekends for less than $30 each and on the non-holiday Wednesday of our visit an afternoon lift ticket was just $15. There are some interesting and wonderfully sheltered green circle runs on the lower mountain, but any ski area that has been continuously operated since 1935 must have more going for it than nursery slopes and nostalgia. Warning, if you underestimate Black’s terrain you will get your backside kicked.
The longer Vince and I snooped around, the more challenges we found all over the 1100 vertical feet of Black, including numerous steep, little glade shots. Among the approximately 45 marked trails are some short, but very steep drops and tight, corkscrew type runs. It’s a funky mountain with many nooks and crannies. An abbreviated list of our black diamond explorations included Carter Notch and Lostbo glades, Hanger Cliff, and the short, but scary Mr. Rew trail - the single steepest thing we skied all week in New Hampshire. When making an extended visit to the Mount Washington Valley I can recommend Black Mountain as a budget-friendly, low crowd alternative capable of entertaining every skill level in a mixed ability group. I can also attest to the very tasty plate of french fries they serve in the base lodge.
On a skiing smorgasbord trip from Wash DC area back in 2010, my son and I skied one day at Black Mtn, NH. The mtn was in decent shape and it was a lovely, quiet weekday throwback experience.
My memories from that early March 2010 visit:
Black Mountain is an absolute time warp. From the low prices, to the active horse corral beside the base lodge, to the vintage double chair with lattice lift towers, the vibe at Black isn’t reminiscent of the old days, it IS the old days. The first lift we took at Black was an ancient platter pull. Sentimental fool that I am, I felt a twinge of emotion halfway up the ride while reflecting on the 75 year history of skiers enjoying this mountain, the oldest ski area in the state. The place oozed with soul and though it may be long in the tooth, it’s still got some bite!
At first blush Black Mountain looks like a benign little mom and pop establishment. It’s extremely affordable. A family of four can ski weekends for less than $30 each and on the non-holiday Wednesday of our visit an afternoon lift ticket was just $15. There are some interesting and wonderfully sheltered green circle runs on the lower mountain, but any ski area that has been continuously operated since 1935 must have more going for it than nursery slopes and nostalgia. Warning, if you underestimate Black’s terrain you will get your backside kicked.
The longer Vince and I snooped around, the more challenges we found all over the 1100 vertical feet of Black, including numerous steep, little glade shots. Among the approximately 45 marked trails are some short, but very steep drops and tight, corkscrew type runs. It’s a funky mountain with many nooks and crannies. An abbreviated list of our black diamond explorations included Carter Notch and Lostbo glades, Hanger Cliff, and the short, but scary Mr. Rew trail - the single steepest thing we skied all week in New Hampshire. When making an extended visit to the Mount Washington Valley I can recommend Black Mountain as a budget-friendly, low crowd alternative capable of entertaining every skill level in a mixed ability group. I can also attest to the very tasty plate of french fries they serve in the base lodge.
Edd
Well-known member
I visited last year and it was obvious things were going poorly. Felt like it was on life support.
Riverveteran
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Touring helped put them out of business.......Going by recent history.....
drjeff
Well-known member
Especially a minority of the touring crew who felt that the rules that Black had about not drinking beer that wasn't purchased on site post event didn't need to be followed.
Always sad to see the smaller Indie's loose the economic battle of operating a ski area
Yep. I would fully expect "No Trespassing" signs, barbwire, and perhaps landmines to deter folks from skinning up that area.
It's understandable. Besides the "dispute" with the touring community, there are potential premises liability issues if someone got hurt. I imagine that they have limited or got rid of most of their insurance because of cost.
It is all sad.
Smellytele
Well-known member
Skied there many times with my wife and boys. Always did if we vacationed in the Valley. Brought a friend and his son last year and they loved it. Loved to back right up to the snow and set up camp. skied right to the vehicle. I hope someone can get it going again. The upper mountain had some hidden steep gems and the bottom had some other hidden short wooded sections. Have many memories of the place with my family and it will be missed.
I had always hoped it would end up in the same ownership group as Wildcat. Make Black the race training, park and beginner ski school mountain instead of wasting Wildcat trails on such features. I think the two could compliment each other well.
NO way is Vail buying Black.....
I'm aware. I was hoping maybe your buddies up there could pry Cat from Vail and combine it with Black on a pass.
"YOU'RE RIGHT. WE ARE NOT BUYING IT, WE ARE TAKING IT OVER! SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, BITCHES!"
2planks2coasts
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Skied there a half dozen times or so over the past few years. Not sure I ever saw more than 6-7 other folks on the hill. Summit chair rarely ran. Pub was usually hoppin with locals.
Gave it a very fair shot....
Black might be viable, BUT the whole place needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Hopping into this thread hoping to learn more. I live across the street and was heart broken to receive the email today. This was a surprise to the neighbors I have talked to as well. They were mowing the trails and running the lifts this weekend. I had heard it was being marketed behind the scene but never confirmed the rumor. I know they had their problems with the initial uphill experiment but it seemed to be drawing folks since that drama died down.
I think mountain biking and some sort of sustainable power generation could help. Jackson gets its share of wind especially in that area & the old Shovel handle lift could take advantage of the southern sun with solar panels. Hopefully the horses stick around producing income during the summer months for the current ownership. That seems well booked although the rain this summer probably didnt help.
Have there been examples where the town has come through in a public/private partnership on any of these smaller mountains? I am all for a BlackCat hybrid!
I think mountain biking and some sort of sustainable power generation could help. Jackson gets its share of wind especially in that area & the old Shovel handle lift could take advantage of the southern sun with solar panels. Hopefully the horses stick around producing income during the summer months for the current ownership. That seems well booked although the rain this summer probably didnt help.
Have there been examples where the town has come through in a public/private partnership on any of these smaller mountains? I am all for a BlackCat hybrid!
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