Black Mountain of Maine

Infobox ski area
name=Black Mountain of Maine
logo=BlackMountainOfMaineLogo.jpg
picture=
caption=
location=Rumford, Maine, United States
nearest_city=Lewiston, Maine
lat_degrees=44
lat_minutes=34
lat_seconds=48
lat_direction=N
long_degrees=70
long_minutes=37
long_seconds=3
long_direction=W
vertical=ft to m|1150|abbr=yes
top_elevation=
base_elevation=ft to m|1000|abbr=yes
skiable_area=
number_trails=20
longest_run=
liftsystem=4 (2 chair, 2 surface)
lift_capacity=
terrainparks=1
snowfall=
snowmaking=90%
nightskiing=6 trails
external_link= [http://www.skiblackmountain.org www.skiblackmountain.org]

Black Mountain of Maine is a ski resort in Rumford, Maine which is most famous for its Nordic skiing facilities, and has hosted several national cross-country skiing championships on its 17km of trails.

The downhill skiing area was expanded in 2005, and has 20 trails serviced by two chairlifts, a T-bar, and a rope tow. It also has a terrain park with a half-pipe, and a separate snow tubing area. In the summer, there is a swimming pool for children and teens of the Rumford-Mexico area, a day camp, and bike and hiking trails.

History

In 1924, the Chisholm Ski Club was organized in Rumford, and soon after built a ski jump in town followed by cross country trails and eventually a small ski slope. This early site held statewide cross-country competitions.cite web|url=http://www.chisholmskiclub.org/about_us.html|title=Chisholm Ski Club|accessdate=2007-05-16] cite web|url=http://www.nelsap.org/me/sprucestreet.html|title=Spruce Street Tow|first=Paul|last=Jones|accessdate=2007-05-16]

In 1950, the cross-country portion of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was held at this early Rumford ski area, after the planned site of Lake Placid, New York did not have enough snow. [cite web|url=http://www.skiinghistory.org/historicdates.html|title=Ski History Dates|publisher=International Skiing History Association|accessdate=2007-05-16] The competitors were housed with town residents as there were not enough hotel beds available. [cite web|url=http://travelvideo.tv/news/more.php?id=A10797_0_1_0_M|title=Family friendly ski slopes cover Maine's Western mountains|date=2007-02-16|accessdate=2007-05-16] The following year, the site also held the tryouts for the 1952 Olympic United States Ski Team, and two skiers from Rumford (Chummy Broomhall and Bob Pidacks) made the team.

The ski jumping and downhill slopes had moved to a new area after World War II, but these proved insufficient. In 1962, the Chisholm Ski Club opened all-new facilities at Black Mountain.cite web|url=http://www.familyskitrips.com/Pages/weekJan05.htm|title=Black in a new light|last=Burke|first=Heather|date=2005-01-30|publisher=Maine Sunday Telegram|accessdate=2007-05-16]

The cross-country trails were designed by Rumford native and two-time Olympian Chummy Broomhall, who 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. They have since held the 1976 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the 1991 US National Biathlon Championships, the 1993 U.S. Masters Cross Country Championships, the 1996 U.S. Junior Olympics, and the United States Ski and Snowboard Association Cross Country National Championships in 1993, 1999, 2003, and 2004.cite web|url=http://www.mainewsc.org/pdf/news_november2003.pdf|format=PDF|title=What's up at Black Mountain of Maine?|last=Phillips|first=Pete|date=November 2003|publisher=Maine Winter Sports Center|accessdate=2007-05-16] [cite web|url=http://www.fasterskier.com/racing773.html|title=Black Mountain of Maine – Ready for the 2004 National Championship|last=Aalberg|first=John|date=2004-01-02|publisher=FasterSkier|accessdate=2007-05-16]

The downhill area was much more modest, with a single T-bar lift servicing a few trails with a vertical drop of ft to m|470|abbr=no, and did not expand much for many years. In 2003, the ski area was purchased by the Maine Winter Sports Center, and shortly afterwards significant improvements were made. A new double chair was installed in 2003, and a triple chair to the summit was opened in early 2005, increasing the number of trails to 20 and the vertical drop to ft to m|1150|abbr=no. A new ft2 to m2|13000|abbr=yes|precision=0 lodge was also built. [cite web|url=http://www.seacoastcareers.com/2004news/12192004/travel/54869.htm|title=Maine ski lodges undergo major expansions|first=Clarke|last=Canfield|date=2004-12-19|publisher=Associated Press|accessdate=2007-05-16]

In mid-2004 the resort banned tobacco use at the mountain. [cite web|url=http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/933371.shtml|title= Maine ski area bans tobacco|first=Chris|last=Churchill|date=2004-08-27|publisher=Morning Sentinel|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040901144749/http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/933371.shtml|archivedate=2004-09-11|accessdate=2007-05-16]

References

External links

* [http://www.skiblackmountain.org/ Black Mountain of Maine]
* [http://www.nelsap.org/me/sprucestreet.html History of skiing in Rumford before Black Mountain]