Black Mountain of Maine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black Mountain of Maine |
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| Location | Rumford, Maine, United States |
| Nearest city | Lewiston, Maine |
| Coordinates | 44°34′48″N 70°37′3″W / 44.58000°N 70.61750°W |
| Vertical | 1,380 ft (420 m) |
| Base elevation | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Runs | 46 |
| Lift system | 3 (2 chair, 1 T-bar) |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowmaking | 90% |
| Night skiing | 16 trails |
| Website | www.skiblackmountain.org |
Black Mountain of Maine is a fun ski resort located in Rumford, Maine. It's super well-known for its amazing Nordic skiing (also called cross-country skiing) trails. In fact, many big national cross-country skiing championships have been held here on its 17 kilometers of trails!
The downhill skiing area at Black Mountain got a big upgrade in 2005. Now, it has 46 different trails, including 17 cool "glades" (skiing through trees!). Two chairlifts help skiers get up the mountain. There's also a special terrain park with a half-pipe for tricks, and a separate area just for snow tubing – perfect for some sliding fun!
Contents
History of Black Mountain
Early Skiing in Rumford
Skiing has a long history in Rumford, Maine. Back in 1924, the Chisholm Ski Club was started. This club quickly built a ski jump in town. They also created cross-country trails and a small ski slope. These early areas were used for statewide cross-country competitions.
Hosting World Championships
In 1950, something really cool happened! The cross-country part of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was held right here in Rumford. It was supposed to be in Lake Placid, New York, but they didn't have enough snow. The people of Rumford were so welcoming that they even let the athletes stay in their homes because there weren't enough hotels!
The very next year, the resort hosted tryouts for the 1952 Olympic United States Ski Team. Two skiers from Rumford, Chummy Broomhall and Bob Pidacks, even made the team!
New Facilities at Black Mountain
After World War II, the ski jumping and downhill slopes moved to a new spot. But these new areas weren't quite big enough. So, in 1962, the Chisholm Ski Club opened brand new facilities at Black Mountain. This was a huge step forward for the resort.
Chummy Broomhall's Legacy
The cross-country trails at Black Mountain were designed by a local hero, Chummy Broomhall. He was from Rumford and even competed in two Olympics himself! Chummy also designed the cross-country trails for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California and the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York.
Thanks to his amazing designs, Black Mountain has hosted many important cross-country events. These include the 1976 NCAA Cross Country Championships and several United States Ski and Snowboard Association Cross Country National Championships.
Modern Upgrades and Expansion
For many years, the downhill skiing area was pretty small. It had just one T-bar lift and a few trails. But that all changed in 2003 when the Maine Winter Sports Center bought the ski area.
They started making big improvements right away! A new double chairlift was added in 2003. Then, in early 2005, a triple chairlift opened all the way to the summit. This increased the number of trails to 20 and made the vertical drop much bigger. Many local skiers remember the day the triple chair opened as a very exciting time! A large new lodge was also built for visitors.
In 2004, Black Mountain of Maine became a tobacco-free resort, making it a healthier place for everyone to enjoy.
