Skiing Black Mountain of Maine
Sunday, February 16th, 2025
Runs: 6
Distance: 6.55 miles
Elevation: 6,837 feet
Max Speed: 29.3 mph
Avg. Speed: 9.8 mph
Moving Time: 40 minutes, 37 seconds
Total Time: 2 hours, 26 minutes, 50 seconds
Powder Day! In the spirit of changing our plans, we opted to stay local for day #3 and hit Black Mountain of Maine. We were expected to wake up to some snow (we did, 4-6") and then it was supposed to snow all morning, stop for a bit in the early afternoon, and then continue the rest of the day with a soft possibility of sleet/freezing rain. Our plan was to get to Black Mountain first thing in the morning - Gen and I would ski and Sarah and Alec would snowshoe (such a lovely married couple!) and we'd meet up for lunch and mid-day apres in the lodge to drive home in the weather lul. I was a bit stressed about driving in the snow after the fateful day in Nashua, but thankfully it was close!
Trail Report
February 16th 6:00am
Good morning snow lovers. We've got 5" of fresh and it's still coming down. Our friends at WGME show us on the line between 8-12" and 10-16". Yes please.
We're 100% open for skiing and riding with packed powder and powder conditions across 30 trails. Expect fresh powder mountain-wide (even on groomed trails) as the snow is predicted to continue throughout the day. School break is underway and we're open all week from 8am-4pm for skiing and snowboarding and the tubing park will be running 12pm-4pm every day. The Osekare Uphill Trail is open with Exit 2 being the preferred exit. The uphill trail is open 24/7. Exits 1, 2, 3, and 4 are open when the lifts are spinning. Exit 5 is always open.
Today in the Last Run Pub it's the return of Steve Moore from 1pm-4pm with his incredible mix of Acoustic Americana, Folk, Country, Blues, R&B, Soul, and Classic Rock & Roll. All ages, and there's no cover charge. #ThankASnowmaker #ThankAGroomer #BMOMit
We made it to the mountain just before 9 and it was delightfully not too busy! Gen and I got booted up and soon enough, we were getting out there! Last time I'd skied while it was actively snowing was at Jay last season and it was a CHALLENGE, so I was interested to see how today would go.
Run 1: Summit Lift - Allagash
[1.19 mi; 7:03; 1,135 ft; 22.5 mph max; 10.1 mph avg]
Our first run of the day was down their wide blue - Allagash. The snow was LOVELY. Not too many tracks were out, so we had that lovely experience of our skis disappearing beneath the powder. Turning felt different, but I soon figured it out. The deeper spots were argulably easier with the new, soft snow, and we continued to wiggle our way down.
Run 2: Summit Lift - Upper Androscoggin - Kenduskeag - Androscoggin - Upper Sunday - Big Eddy Glades - Ellis
[1.00 mi; 6:02; 1,135 ft; 23.7 mph max; 9.9 mph avg]
Next up we followed Upper Androscoggin to Kenduskeag. Kenduskeag wasn't groomed the night before, so I offered it up to Gen as a "you want to see how the ungroomed stuff feels?" It was fun and DEEP - 2" at times. We took it slow and had a blast! From there, we followed Androscoggin to Upper Sunday - which was our pick of the day. Wide and fast with the world's softest snow! I got a great video of Gen skiing on Upper Sunday with the snow just dumping all around. I dipped into the Big Eddy Glades next, which was basically 20 pine trees planted with plenty of space in between. I used it as a chance to practice tighter turns in the deeper snow.
Run 3: Summit Lift - Androscoggin - Uppper Sunday - Big Eddy Glades - Ellis
[0.98 mi; 5:49; 1,132 ft; 29.3 mph max; 10.1 mph avg]
We skipped Kenduskeag for the next run, following Androscoggin all the way from Upper Sunday, back to the Big Eddy Glades. Gen followed me into the "glades" this time. The trails were starting to get bumped up, which was also exciting! I've been slowly getting better at bumps. SLOWLY.
Run 4: Summit Lift - Upper Allagash - Saint John - Allagash - Sandy
[1.15 mi; 9:03; 1,158 ft; 18.4 mph max; 7.6 mph avg]
We went back to the Allagash side for Run #4, this time hitting Saint John, which was similar to Kenduskeag, just longer. Lots of folks down in the snow at this point - it was nice to see we weren't the only ones "figuring it out!" Allagash was nice and fun, and we took Sandy out which was completely fine. Unfortunately, some kids came out of the woods like speeding bullets and scared Gen, knocking her down - she slammed her knee into the slope which didn't feel good. That aside, we were both feeling the burn and getting a little tired, but I was having an absolute blast!
Run 5: Summit Lift - Androscoggin - Upper Sunday - Big Eddy Glades - Ellis
[1.00 mi; 6:21; 1,142 ft; 22.3 mph max; 9.4 mph avg]
Run #5 was going to be Gen's "two more skip the last," so we hit Androscoggin back to Upper Sunday, which was just another lovely victory lap. I followed her in for a second to get some water, and we ran into Sarah and Alec, who were fully snow covered at this point. They had a great snowshoe! They did get yelled at for hiking on the cross-country ski tracks accidentally, but otherwise they said they had a great time. The three of them began to get changed while I went out for my two more skip the last.
Run 6: Summit Lift - Allagash
[1.23 mi; 6:18; 1,135 ft; 19.9 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]
Time for one more run down Allagash! I shared the lift with a really nice instructor named Colin who I chatted with for a while - he ended with "thanks for coming back to Black Mountain" - which was super nice. Allagash was bumpy and fun! Still some folks in snowbanks, but I am proud to say my skis stayed on!
Back at the lodge I changed, we all got some lodge food and a drink upstairs before driving some on every possible road condition - including one unplowed one which was... exciting? Back at the AirBnb, Sarah and I explored the back yard through 2-3' of snow, found a hammock and a lovely view of the Swift River, and then Sarah, Gen, and Alec went into the basement to check out the sauna while I took a shower and started to journal. We cooked dinner that night (pasta & meatballs with side salad) and Gen and I introduced them to "Hot Dog... The Movie." It was an awesome day!
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