Skiing Black Mountain (NH)
Saturday, May 3rd, 2025
Runs: 6
Distance: 4.10 miles
Elevation: 4,750 feet
Max Speed: 27.0 mph
Avg. Speed: 13.7 mph
Moving Time: 32 minutes, 56 seconds
Total Time: 3 hours, 54 minutes, 47 seconds
Oh man, it was officially time for the silliest ski day of the season! Black Mountain was having their closing day/90th birthday party, and Emma and I were READY. We went to a friend's wedding the night before and woke up to our 6:00am alarms to get up to the mountain in time for some breakfast and Veuve Cliquot mimosas. The ticket line was usually slow, and Emma only had her telemark setup since her alpine gear was up at Jay Peak!
Today's Report at Black Mountain - May 3rd 2025
Today is truly a historic day - we're the only ski area still open in New Hampshire, and for the first time ever, Black Mountain is skiing/riding in May! With highs in the upper 60s and the rain expected to hold off, it's the perfect setup for an incredible day of spring skiing and celebration of New Hampshire's oldest ski area.
Get ready for non-stop fun all day long:
- $9 Lift Tickets from 10am - 7:30pm
- Breakfast Buffet 9:30am -11am
- DJ Apres Party from 1pm - 7pm
- Jump Session from 4pm - 6pm
- Fireworks at dusk
- Outdoor Grill & Bar serving up food and drinks all day
- Bouncy House for the kids
- Live Music throughout the day
- Giveaways for the first 1,000 guests at the Alpine Cabin
Not skiing? No problem - foot traffic tickets are available so you can ride the lift up to the Alpine Cabin and join the celebration with fondue, champagne, and mountain views!
Cap it all off tonight with an unforgettable live band performance and a spectacular fireworks display lighting up the mountain sky.
Today is one for the history books - you don't want to miss it. Come ski, celebrate, and be a part of Black Mountain's incredible story!
They actually started spinning the double chair a half hour early than expected at 9:30am. We got on line around 10:20am and soon were on our way up for our first run of the day!
Run 1
Run 1: Summit Double - Chute - Upper Jackson Standard - Lower Jackson Standard
[0.65 mi; 7:07; 750 ft; 24.5 mph max; 5.9 mph avg]
It was so much fun having Emma on telemark skis, because she was STRESSED. She was asking me how tough the trail was, and asked that we get off at the mid station so she could warm up. The unloading ramp was ROUGH. Choppy, slushy, icy, and steep. We scooted into the Alpine Cabin to get our free t-shirts (I might have taken two...), and then it was time to head down! We followed Chute, which was narrow and scratchy to Jackson Standard, which had a slushy, flat beginning. My legs were NOT ready for spring skiing at this point in the day, but adrenaline soon kicked in. Emma was having a BAD time. She pizza'd right down Chute and attempted a few tele turns, but quickly bailed.
We made it to the steep section of Jackson Standard - I had a fantastic time on my descent, Emma... not so much. She took her time and I got some photos. I waited at the bottom while someone gave her a "woo!" and "free the heel!" - the same person then skied up to me and said "do you know what telemark means in Finnish? It means waiting" and "half a binding, half a brain!" I love 1) how ready he was for these quotes and 2) how he played for both teams, complimenting Emma to her face and insulting her to mine. Eventually, she did make it down and IMMEDAITELY decided she would rent an alpine setup.
Runs 2-3
Run 2: Summit Double - Upper Maple Slalom - Chute - Upper Jackson Standard - Lower Jackson Standard
[0.85 mi; 4:20; 1,000 ft; 27.0 mph max; 10.8 mph avg]
Run 3: Summit Double - Chute - Upper Jackson Standard - Lower Jackson Standard
[0.65 mi; 5:30; 750 ft; 26.5 mph max; 7.1 mph avg]
She did have to wait in the long line to get her rental stuff situated. I did a few laps to the car and we had our first wardrobe change of the day. Emma changed from her "grandma bumps" shirt to a Hawaiian shirt, and I changed from my "even Jesus said Jesus when he saw me ski" hoodie to a Hawaiian shirt. The rental guys were great - she ended up doing her forms online and once she introduced herself he said "okay you're fine just tell me what you need." We were back on the double a little before noon for our second lap, which was all the way to the tippy top! There was a patroller waiting at the top chair warning us to do a sharp turn, but we got flustered because our feet weren't touching the ground due to the low snow. Emma ended up pizza-ing me right off the snow bank! So silly. The women after us also crashed.
Upper Maple Slalom was just like Chute but steeper and truly not great to ski on - we were glad we did it, though! We got a cloudy view to the presidentials and soon were back at the mid-station area. The rest of our run was fine, and Emma was just thrilled to skiing normally.
We got right back in line, past the "Adventure Skiing" and "Better vibes at the Cabin" signs, and went back up. The lift lines were long but vibes were EXCELLENT. Everyone there had one goal: to have fun, and it was sweet. We saw rain was coming in, so we decided we'd get a drink at the cabin and ski down once it started to rain. Vibes at the cabin were also excellent. The DJ music was playing, people were dancing, and everyone was just enjoying the silly day. The sun had disappeared, but it was okay. Emma and I bopped around, enjoying our drinks, and once the inevitable rain hit, we skied on down. Jackson Standard was starting to get just a little bumpy. Personally, I did a horrible job skiing on the little bumps this lap - I'm SHOCKED I didn't fall.
Runs 4-6
Run 4: Summit Double - Upper Maple Slalom - Chute - Upper Jackson Standard - Lower Jackson Standard
[0.65 mi; 3:17; 750 ft; 25.4 mph max; 11.2 mph avg]
Run 5: Summit Double - Upper Maple Slalom - Chute - Upper Jackson Standard - Lower Jackson Standard
[0.65 mi; 4:06; 750 ft; 21.5 mph max; 8.3 mph avg]
Run 6: Summit Double - Upper Maple Slalom - Chute - Upper Jackson Standard - Lower Jackson Standard
[0.65 mi; 3:28; 750 ft; 25.7 mph max; 11.2 mph avg]
Now is when the silliness really began. Emma and I decided that once it started to rain, we'd ski down and change into our Ski Patrol Banquet clothes (which was 80s Prom themed). We committed. I did an easy quick change into my frilly tux shirt and tacky crushed velvet jacket while Emma shimmied into her beaded dress with shoulder pads. We looked RIDICULOUS, and got many comments. Again, the vibes were EXELLENT, so it was actually super fun! We rode the chair up looking insane and got a subsequent run in, looking INSANE. We took a turns getting photos of each other skiing in the formalwear, which might have become a new tradition. I convinced Emma to get a drink after Run #5 back at the cabin before our two more skip the last to round out the day. At the cabin, the DJ now had a live saxophone player! They brought up a new batch of shirts, and people were just having a blast. Patrol set up a jump off of Maple Slalom Chute (wild), and we made MANY friends at the cabin. My favorites were the women who kept calling us the prom king and queen!
We sat down in the sun chairs to enjoy the clouds, chatted with a few randoms, and once the rain began again, we started our final journey down. We were officially at carnage o'clock, where there were MANY people skiing down, and only some had skied spring bumps before (I will say, this time, I felt like I held my own!). The women who we met at the cabin screamed "PROM KING AND QUEEN" at us as they went by, and we finished strong. This was FUN skiing, and I repeatedly thanked Emma for teaching me how to ski, and thanked myself for pushing myself this season so I could handle these conditions!
Our apres involved staying in-character in the main cabin, where I had two (2) beers (I don't drink beer, so this was in fact a big deal) and we listened to some live music while we giggled about the day. Our final wardrobe change was on the way out - Emma put on her "Skiing Makes Me Horny" shirt while I had my "Where the hell is West Glover?" shirt. We wore these to the gas station just off of NH-16 south - the one with the GOOD cookies. Afterwards, it was time for a LONG drive home.
God, I LOVE Black Mountain. Gen, Sarah, Emma, and I all agree that next season we have our sights set on this mountain for a big storm day, because it's just so much fun! I am glad to have visited three times this season, and I'm excited to see what they continue to do in the future!
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