Press
Easternslopes.com
Resort Review: Black Mountain
By Tim Jones
http://easternslopes.com/2010/02/11/resort-review-black-mountain/
Jaunted.com The Pulp Culture Travel Guide
Find Love Up Above with Chairlift Speed Dating
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/2/9/102513/7932/travel/Find+Love+Up+Above+with+Chairlift+Speed+Dating+This+Weekend
Concord Monitor
Retro Black in White
By Tim Jones
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100209/SPORTS/2090355
Skiing, Sculpting and Socializing at Black Mountain's 75th Birthday Anniversary
Written by David Shedd , Publisher and Senior Editor of Easternsloples.com
(Practically) Free Skiing at Black Mountain
By Chick & Susan Frodigh
For the best ski deal we've found all year (and we’re bargain-hunters extraordinaire), we suggest you pack your ski gear and a light wallet and head for Black Mountain nestled in heart of New Hampshire’s Presidential Mountain range. Ski for free any day after 2pm with the purchase of a full-price, next day lift ticket. Or how about a weekend rate of $99 for 2 adults and 2 juniors? Black's “Family Passport” was rated "Best Bargain" two years in a row by SKI Magazine. It gets even better if you go during the week. And these ticket prices are not gimmicks because Black just celebrated their 75th birthday. Affordability has always been at the forefront of what this mountain is all about.
We first discovered Black Mountain, the oldest ski area in New Hampshire, a couple of years ago with our two children – Charlie and Katie. Skiing or riding at Black Mountain is a rare treat in an industry which often requires an appointment with your banker to plan a family ski trip. Nestled in the White Mountains, you arrive at Black Mountain after crossing the red-covered bridge in the quintessential New England village of Jackson, complete with white-steepled church, horse-drawn sleigh rides, shops, charming country inns, and restaurants.
History of Black Mountain
Black Mountain dates back to 1935 where it was known as “Moody’s” by farmer and innkeeper Edwin Moody. He and local inventor, George Morton, and Phil Robertson of the local electric company at Goodrich Falls hydro-electric dam put up a tow rope to entice the lodgers up to his inn. In 1936 it was purchased by Bill & Betty Whitney who not surprisingly changed the name to “Whitneys’ Inn.” They then proceeded to make improvements to the rope tow by ordering 72 shovel handles from Sears Roebuck & Co. so the skiers could get a better grip. High tech is all relative and now we better understand the saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” The lift was later named the Shovel Handle.
Today the Shovel Handle Pub at Whitney Inn proudly bears its name. This pub, visible as you exit Black Mountain’s parking lot should not be missed when visiting the North Conway ski area. We popped in briefly and enjoyed some live music and definitely will plan to spend more time there on our next visit. In 1948 the area was expanded to Black Mountain when Bill and Betty teamed up with Stanley and Halsey Davis to expand their ski area’s trails to Black. Today it is owned by the Fichera family who carry on the mountain’s tradition of being a family-friendly, affordable skiing destination. (Practically) Free Skiing at Black Mountain
By Chick & Susan Frodigh
About the Mountain
At 1100 vertical feet, you will not be bored at Black. There are 40 trails with roughly equal numbers of beginner, intermediate and expert trails and serviced by four lifts – a Triple Chair, Double Chair, J-Bar, and Platter Pull (a round disk is slipped between your legs and which you lean on). This was Katie’s favorite. In addition to its affordable price, what sets Black Mountain apart is its employees. The lift attendants in particular were super friendly and had something positive to say to each guest.
If you’re looking for high-speed quads and Type A service, don’t go to Black Mountain. It’s not the place for you. Chick recalls, “Riding the double chairlift with my son took me back about forty-plus years when I would casually ride up on a double with my Dad at Gore Mountain in New York’s Adirondacks.” Many of Black Mountain’s guests can boast that they grew up on Black Mountain and they want to maintain that authenticity of the sport for their kids. Lori Pecor, Director of Sales, Marketing & Events at Black feels, “ . . . the main reason we know our guests feel like old friends the moment they arrive, is because they really are.”
The Moose Got Loose
During our visit, after the last run of the day, we were treated to our very first moose-sighting. A baby moose had wandered up one of the trails with no family members in tow. Surprisingly, the next day it was still there. We spotted it from our ride on the double chair lift in a wooded area between two trails and skied down to it for a photo-op from about 10 yards away. So cool. Also cool were some equine friends at the base of the mountain where Black Mountain Stables offer pony rides.
While the pricing is cause for excitement, more important is the rustic charm and friendliness of the staff that embodies Black Mountain. So wish Black Mountain a Happy Birthday by giving yourself the gift that keeps on giving--Classic New England skiing at a great value. For more information, visit www.blackmt.com.
Chick & Susan Frodigh are contributing writers to The Patriot Ledger and the Pembroke Express. They live in Pembroke, Mass. with their two children and are always on the lookout for a great adventure.
Black swings with 75th gala
By Tom Eastman
Conway Daily Sun
Feb. 2, 2010
JACKSON — It was a sellout dancing crowd at Black Mountain's base lodge Saturday night for the venerable resort's 75th birthday gala, as the Valley's Swingtones Big Band played a smooth series of sets that got everyone “In the Mood,” Glenn Miller Orchestra style.
The day's events included skiing at Black, a dinner, torchlight parade, birthday cake and address by ski historian Ian Scully, who presented a brief overview of Black's history. Scully is creator of the ski documentary, “Austria's Influence on American Skiing.”
Also featured at Black was the annual N.H. Sanctioned Snow Sculpting.
This year's 2010 “People's Choice” was awarded to Greg Grady and Stephen Torpazio. First Place was awarded to Jonathan Pullan, Stephen Pullan and Jay Tremblay, who will be representing New Hampshire at the Nationals in Lake Geneva Wisconsin in 2011. The Pullan brothers — who hail from East Conway — have also won in the past.
The
Invitational first-place winner was awarded to Bryny Urquhart and Molly Urquhart of Maine.
••••
Sunny, affordable and historic, Black Mountain has been a New England tradition since 1935 and, as the marketing director puts it, "continues to walk the very fine line of today and yesterday."
Back when it started, Black was known as Moody's, as farmer Edwin Moody had his farmhouse which took in some lodgers and a hill behind the house. In 1935, he and local inventor George Morton and Phil Robertson of the local electric company at Goodrich Falls hydro-electric dam put up a tow, and soon skiers were flocking to the place.
“Phil [Robertson] needed a day time power customer because they were dealing with hyrdo-electric — that's part of the story behind the lift at Moody's. They could not turn off the river, obviously, and it made sense to try and develop a big customer during the day that would counteract the draw they needed for the nighttime when everyone would be turning on their electric lights,” notes Jeff Leich of the New England Ski Museum, who was among the ski luminaries who attended Saturday's gala.
In fall 1936, Bill and Betty Whitney bought the farm, and renamed it Whitneys' (that's a possessive plural, Betty always said, because it took two people to make a go of the ski and innkeeping business).
That 1936-37 season was the same first winter for Carroll Reed's Eastern Slope Ski School, the American branch of skimeister Hannes Scchneider's ski school in St. Anton, Austria. Although they skied on a combination of frozen sheep manure and smashed apples at the nearby golf course of the Eagle Mountain House for much of that first winter, the ski school was a resounding success, and the area then known as the Eastern Slope Region was on its way to becoming a ski resort.
The following winter, Bill Whitney retrofitted Black's rope tow by turning the bullwheel horizontal so it would not slip off so easily.
He also ordered 72 shovel handles from Sears Roebuck — he attached the handles to the slippery rope, making it easier for skiers to hang on.
Henceforth, the lift acquired a nickname — the Shovel Handle. Today, the Shovel Handle Pub at Whitneys' carries on the old tow's name.
In 1948, Bill and Betty teamed up with Stanley and Halsey Davis to expand their ski area's trails to Black.
Now owned by the Fichera family, Black harkens to its roots as a family-friendly, affordable area that offers classic New England skiing on sunny, meandering trails that all give beautiful views of the surrounding landscape.
Other events this 75th anniversary season include the fourth annual chairlift speed-dating Feb. 13; the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge Feb. 18; Shovel Handle Pub Race Feb. 27 (rescheduled from Jan. 17), a race that is named after Black's original overhead cable lift; Deck Party March 13; 10th annual Red Parka Pub Downhill Regatta March 25, and the end-of-season pond-skimming splash party March 27.
Black Mountain is located on Route 16-B, high above Jackson Village.
Take Route 16 north to Jackson from North Conway, and drive through the Jackson Covered Bridge on Route 16-A and follow the signs to Route 16-B. For more information, visit www.blackmt.com or call 383-4490.
••••
Tom Eastman is an award-winning snowsports journalist and a staff writer for the Conway Daily Sun.
••••
CUTLINES:
Marv Haber and the Swingtones kept the dance floor hopping at Black Mountain's LOSTBO Pub during the 75th anniversary gala Saturday evening, Jan. 30. (TOM EASTMAN/CONWAY DAILY SUN PHOTO)
A torchlight parade was part of Black Mountain's 75th birthday gala.
(TOM EASTMAN/CONWAY DAILY SUN PHOTO)
Also featured at Black was the annual N.H. Sanctioned Snow Sculpting.
(TOM EASTMAN/CONWAY DAILY SUN PHOTO)
The day's events included skiing at Black, a dinner, torchlight parade, birthday cake and address by ski historian Ian Scully, who presented a brief overview of Black's history. Scully is creator of the ski documentary, “Austria's Influence on American Skiing.” (TOM EASTMAN/CONWAY DAILY SUN PHOTO)
�
Rustic Ski Resorts that Rock by Heather Burke
http://www.familyskitrips.com/newengland/rustic_new_england_ski_resorts.htm
�
