Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Black Mountain that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Black Mountain stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Black Mountain review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Black Mountain
Total (2.3)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
This place is just overall great! Quiet atmosphere, no lift lines, excellent snow quality, even the people who frequently ski there are very warm and friendly. You dont get that at an overly advertised crowded ski area. Another positive note is the mountain appears to face due south and is sunny a lot of the time. Also, sometimes they have horses at the bottom in a pen and you can pet them.
Shawn M
Skiing the way it was meant to be.
Dave B
This place is great- small, inexpensive, never crowded, as well as good snow and beautiful scenery. Usually sunny and warm, too. Super chill vibe, and totally family friendly.
Mike
Classic old school New England skiing in a warm and friendly environment. Somewhat dependent on natural snow, so conditions are weather dependent. Lifts are slow, but no lines and you have the slopes to yourself. Trails follow contours of the mountain, great variety. Come for the skiing and the company. Go elsewhere if you're looking for a coddled Resort experience
Djbarnes
We've skied at Black for many years. It is a family friendly mountain that is usually much less crowded than other mountains in the area. If there is a good amount of snow, and the mountain is mostly open then Black is great and is one of our favorite places to ski. The layout of the runs is very good and there is a nice combination of blacks (especially at the top), blues, and greens. If the snow isn't very good, Black tends to be much less enjoyable. They can't compete with other areas in terms of snowmaking and grooming.
Black used to be much more economical for families. They used to offer a family passport which was a great deal for 2 adults and 2 juniors (used to be $99 and was up to about $139 last time we used it). They have recently (2016) gotten rid of that option. I asked at the mountain recently and was told they got rid of it because people were reselling them in the parking lot. So yesterday my family had to pay about $50 more to ski than we normally would have because the family passport was gone. Because Black thought they were losing money, I know have to pay them more. That is actually pretty annoying to me and makes Black seem much less family friendly than in was in past years. Other skiers were similarly annoyed since we were discussing it on the lifts.
The main issue with Black is the lifts. They have an older, slow triple that goes 80% up the mountain and an even older and slower double that hits midstation (near where the triple ends) and then the top. Black doesn't seem to run the double much lately. I was there yesterday after more than a foot of snow fell and the place was crowded but the double was not running. I asked and they said the top wasn't open (really? after so much snow?). So the crowds were forced to merge onto the triple and we couldn't ski the top. Then, at about 1pm, the triple broke down and they got the double running (after 30 min) and gee - the top was now open. So this proved to me that Black was not running the double to save money - since the top was clearly able to be skied. Yesterday, due to the fresh snow, Black was the most crowded I've seen lately and the parking lot was full. So if they choose not to run the double on a day like that, when are they going to run it? Just tells me that money is more important to them than skiers (goes along with that family passport thing above).
So we still love skiing at Black, but the mountain definitely has much less of a "family friendly" feel to it than it did in years past. We now ski at Black much less than we used to. After yesterday's issues with the family passport being gone and the lift fiasco I'm not sure we will want to return more often.
Kinda sad since when the snow is good, Black is such a nice place to ski.
Chris K
Black is traditional New England skiing at its best. Very friendly staff, good food at a great price, decent trail options, and no crowds. I drove by here for two decades to every other mountain in the valley and beyond, but was so happy my first time here (and every subsequent time). Cursed by a southern exposure, Black has a shorter season and fewer trails open at the shoulders of the season. The value for my dollar and small crowds brings me back.
Elizabeth Massingham
This is the worse mountain I have ever skied at there is no challenges what so ever and all mountains should be considered bunny hills, unless you are a 4 year old learning to ski I suggest you should never go to this mountain. The trails are horrible and not taken care of at all there are ice patches and branches every where and the workers are just rude. The lifts close at 3:30 so you don't have a lot of time to ski unless you get ready quickly. There are about 5 trails over all and they are all in awful condition. Skiing in a dump would be an upgrade. I highly suggest never coming here.
MTC
We discovered Black Mountain a couple of years ago and keep coming back! We tried King Pine and found it to be a bit small. We tried Attitash and Cranmore and always felt a little "lost in the shuffle"... Wildcat was fun for the adults, but we never felt comfortable letting our kids roam free in the elements. Black is PERFECT. Small, but a great variety of terrain. Although the overall elevation isn't huge, there are wandering trails that allow for some nice longer runs. There are never any lift lines. Many of the families who ski at Black have been coming for generations -- it's a tradition. Wonderful family-friendly atmosphere as a result. Also, the kid programs are small and the coaches are adults so it's not just day care on snow with babysitters. They really seem to care about teaching and having fun on the safe side and raising ski-lifers.
Andrew
We visited Black mountain for a Friday/Saturday of skiing. Upon getting there we tried to use the tickets we had, we were told that they weren't valid because it was a holiday. Upon asking what holiday it was I was told school vacation. No where on their web site do they list holidays, do they tell you when you can or can't use tickets or what the blackout dates for any tickets are. I asked to see the manager so I could let him know that we had checked the web site for blackout dates and couldn't find anything listed. The manager was called and came down to see us, it was at that time the manager (also the owner) walked up and told me he wouldn't honor the tickets and I wasn't going to bully him either. I tried to explain that we had checked the website and wanted to make sure he understood our position and that we had driven up in a snow storm to ski there. He also told me that our kind wasn't welcome there and we could leave. Turns out on Saturday another couple had a very similar issue and almost didn't end up skiing because of the same guy treating them the same way. I enjoyed the mountain, it's a small mountain with great terrain, the lift lines are never long and most of the people you meet are very friendly. Short of the owner it was a great experience, we almost left but decided to not let him ruin our day and stayed. If you are looking for an experience based on customer service this may not be the mountain for you. If you want a nice all around mountain with great terrain I would give it a shot.
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