Winterfest Weekend - January 17 & 18

Despite the Chilly temps on Saturday, the crowds piled in and WinterFest was a hoppin good time!  Just ask the Wild Quack Duck! –If he wasn’t hammin’ it up on the slopes, he was in the Lostbo pub enjoying lunch and cold beers!  Or our Haflinger Belgian Horse, Butternut, who kept busy stealing kisses from riders between their Hammerhead sled rides.  The day kicked off with Eastern Mountain Sports ems.com offering Tele gear demos and Joe Jones Ski & Sports with the latest in Burton Boards.  (By they way, all month long at Joe Jones Ski & Sports in North Conway, buy a Burton board and receive a ticket to Black for your first day of riding FREE!)  Hammerhead sleds out of Essex Junction, Vermont showed up around 10:30 and entertained the masses all afternoon with rides on their spectacular, new age sleds, that allow riders to steer, twist and turn down the mountain.  If you have not heard of this company, definitely check out their site to find out where they will be next, because they are tons of fun!  Skiers and riders enjoyed our Scavenger Hunt and Snow Golf games that began at the base and took them all over the mountain looking for clues!  And all of this led up to our main event, the 3rd Annual Jackson Chamber Wild Quack Duck Race!  At 2pm sharp, 200 ducks were released from the top of the ‘man made luge track’  skillfully constructed by our snowmaking crew; and within seconds every duck reached the finish line.  In the end, Brady Ash’s duck took first place and she went home with 25% of duck ticket sales!!  30 other awesome prizes were awarded as well, thanks to the generous support of many local businesses.  We would like to thank all who participated in the duck race for their part in these fundraising efforts and the overall success of the event. Last but certainly not least, was the Apres party in the Lostbo Pub where the crowd gathered to enjoy great company, delicious food, well earned beverages and excellent music by the Groovestones!  For those of you who missed out, check our calendar because they’ll be back!  You can also hear for yourself at http://www.myspace.com/groovestonemusic

Overall, it was just another awesome day at Black!

The Ride and Ski New England Tour January 10th and 11th 2009

The Ride and Ski New England Tour was, once again a Hootin and Hollerin’ Good Time! After a fabulous day of skiing we all hooked up in the Lostbo Pub where Jeff Dionne of RSNE had even more fun in store for us! Between sets of excellent live music by Pat Foley (if you have not heard this very talented musician, I encourage you to listen for yourself at http://www.myspace.com/patfoleyrocks ), Jeff entertained us with hilarious games and trivia and gave away amazing prizes! Pretty much everyone went home with something cool, but the real lucky folks walked away with things like Smith Optic glasses, helmets & goggles, Go Pro Helmet Cams and Skull Candy headphones! Our brilliant bartender, Joey DiRienzo, concocted a new Tequila Cocktail especially for the occasion and Jeff asked the crowd to name it.

Since the first place winner deemed inappropriate for public viewing, we decided to settle on 2nd place, ‘The Lostbo Libation’. Overall, the skiing was great, après was a blast and we can’t wait until Jeff returns with his 8th annual RSNE weekend tour! So if you missed it –be sure to put it on your calendar for next year!!!!

The Black Mountain Kick Off The Season Party December 6th 2008

The Black Mountain Kick Off The Season Party on Saturday was a huge success thanks to the participation, hard work and generosity of many members of our community. The event began at 4pm with pony rides outside, on snow and at dusk with the moon rising over the mountain. Many children enjoyed the enormous pile of snow our excellent snowmaking staff had blown especially for them. Inside the base lodge a Chili Challenge was in full swing, that soon left our guests pleasantly full and with the very difficult decision to choose 1st and 2nd place winners. These talented chili chefs came from Eagle Mountain House, J-Town Deli, Inn at Thorn Hill, Pear Mountain Café, Raffertys Restaurant and Pub, Whitneys Inn, Wildcat Mountain and Black Mountain. Though every chef earned several votes, the friendly competition ended with Raffertys Restaurant and Pub at first place and Eagle Mountain House at 2nd place. It was certainly very difficult for all of these chefs to take time away from their busy establishments on a Saturday evening to participate in this event, and their time, efforts and chili were much appreciated.

While dining on chili, our guests enjoyed the spectacular sounds of several very talented local musicians including Bob Morency, Gale Johnsen, Steve Davis, Mary Jo Adams, Allison Cooke and Phil Ostroski. Again, this group offered their time and talents as a kind gesture to their community and we thank them all. Carrie Petrowski of Pear Mountain Café performed famously under the pressure of 25 children waiting in line for her face painting clinic and John Williamsl walked away with a new pair of skis for showing up the most ‘Black’d Out’ in layers upon layers of Black Mountain garb.

The bonfire was torched around 6pm and everybody bundled up and followed our local snow goddess, Carlene Sullivan of Symmetry Yoga, outside to begin the snow dance ritual. As Carlene led us through the history of the snow dance and taught us the proper procedure of praying to the Gods, she was decked out in her Tele gear and tank top on a very chilly evening (because the snow God must see skin in order to bring snow). After the required 8th step of the ritual, and a crowd moaning in exhaustion, the snow dance officially ended. And if the measure of success is directly related to our burning quads, then good news - we have a very snowy winter ahead!!

After the snow dance we all went inside for hot cocoa and dancing to a band out of Sandown NH, The Monkey Fist Incident. If you have not heard this duo, may I suggest that you visit our website at blackmt.com to find out when they will be back because THEY WILL BE BACK! With a wide range of music, incredible vocals and rhythm guitar, John and Jim had a little bit of something to offer every guest in the room. Eastern Mountain Sports and Joe Jones Ski & Sports showed up with a pile of gear and we thank them for taking time away during the busy holiday season to add to the fun. And Photographer and Videographer Meg Simone was onsite to capture every memorable moment on film. Last but certainly not least, much thanks to all of the folks who helped put this event together, and there were a lot of them! From employees, to neighbors to season pass holders…it was once again a reflection on not only their loyalty to Black Mountain, but to their community as well. And of course, to all who attended, the party would not have been a party without you!

With the holidays fast approaching and the constant reminder of the difficult economy looming over our heads, this event was just what I needed to replenish my faith in the future. To experience a community coming together as a team, with only one motive in mind, to offer their neighbors an evening of fun, laughter and togetherness. As a relatively new member of the Mount Washington Valley, I felt honored to be among such an incredible group of people.
On behalf of all of as at Black, Happy Holidays!! We’ll see you at the Mountain!