RUMFORD – Black Mountain of Maine only had one trail available when it opened for the season Tuesday, but it was enough terrain for 15 youths attending the first day of a three-day Christmas alpine racing camp at the Rumford ski area.

“It was a great day. The kids had fun,” camp instructor Ron Bonnevie said Tuesday afternoon despite the day’s drizzly weather that began as snow.

“This was an excellent way to start off. We got in a lot of runs, jumps and Super G (slalom) turns.”

Black Mountain partnered with the University of Maine at Farmington’s Ski Industries Program and the Chisholm Ski Club to host the camp and a nine-week junior alpine racing development program for youths ages 9 to 14.

Black Mountain also teamed with UMF to offer snowboard lessons for all ages, and the Alpine Snow Kids program, which teaches skiing or snowboarding to children ages 6 to 12 in two-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday for nine weeks.

“What they’ve given to us is not only good program material but training and a source of good expertise from a very highly regarded program,” Black Mountain spokesman Craig Zurhorst said Tuesday afternoon of the Ski Industries Program.

Bonnevie, 52, has more than 25 years of ski coaching experience, and is UMF’s director of coaches’ education. Assisting him with the racing end are UMF Ski Team seniors Justin Henderson and Kristin Guerrette, while Ski Industry students Nick Poplawski and John Carey, respectively, coach the snowboard and Alpine Snow Kids programs.

Bonnevie said several of the ski racing youths attending the Christmas racing camp started training with him at Titcomb Mountain in Farmington and Lost Valley in Auburn, but the mountains there are too small.

When asked what the future of youth ski racing is, Bonnevie quickly answered.

“Black Mountain has got some of the best blue (intermediate skill level) terrain. They’ve got uninterrupted blue fall-line skiing. It’s the perfect size to breed this sort of program. It’s not a huge resort; it caters to families; it’s got a 1,150-foot vertical (trail), and it’s very accessible from the lodge. All of this makes it easy to work here,” he said.

The Junior Alpine Racing Development Program is held Wednesday and Friday nights and on weekends. Participants will also be traveling to different ski areas across the state to compete in alpine-based slalom and giant slalom races.

They don’t get introduced to the much tougher Super G slalom racing until they’re either 13 or 14, Bonnevie said.

He wanted to bring the program to Black Mountain two years ago, but nothing clicked.

“This season,” Zurhorst said, “things came together very well, like timing, needs and resources, so, we seized the opportunity. We’re looking forward to a great season and turning out some good skiers, whether recreational or competitive. And, I hope that they learn to love the sport as much as we do.”