Standing outside the Black Mountain Ski Lodge are, from left, Deanna Kersey, marketing director; Roger Arsenault, chairman of the Board of Directors; Sherry Milligan of the Board of Directors with Coco; and Ski Manager Jim Carter. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

RUMFORD — Black Mountain of Maine has received $1.2 million in grant that will enable the ski area to make snow faster and hopefully lengthen their ski season, according Roger Arsenault, chairman of the Board of Directors.
“This means better snow and earlier opening on everyone’s favorite trails. These upgrades will take our snowmaking capabilities to the next level. We’re talking a longer season with more snow coverage,” he noted.
The work is slated to kick off in the summer of 2025 with the intention to have everything in place for the 2025/26 ski season.
The mountain received $483,000 from Northern Borders Regional Commission to purchase 14 new fixed snow guns. The second grant was Congressional Direct Spending (CDS) $775,000. With the ski area is going to at least double the size of the snowmaking pond so they’ll have an ample water supply to make the snow. Office manager Todd Reutlinger did the application work for these competitive grants.
Arsenault said they’ve wrapped up the required federal environmental review for the NBRC grant, signed on with Maine Land Development for the pond engineering, and started surveying. These are matching grants, and they’ve got about 65 percent already committed out of the $150,000 needed.
He said the new fixed snow guns will be placed on the St. John and Allagash trails, which are the most popular at the mountain. “When there’s snow on it, that’s where everyone is. And when there’s snow on it, I think sales are good.”
Deanna Kersey, marketing, noted one of the questions she gets towards the beginning of the season, before they announce the trails are open, is “Is the Allagash open? On an intermediate level, it’s a great way to get down (the mountain).”
Arsenault said that with this new expansion, “we’ll have what’s called power guns…When we’re all said and done, we’d be able to push a button and start snowmaking on the Allagash with less manpower than we need now. And we’d be able to cover that trail in a much shorter amount of time.”
And the 13 snowguns they have now can be fixed and not have to be moved around.
Along with the grant to increase the size of their snowmaking pond, he said they will install brand-new snowmaking pumps with a state-of-the-art pump house with one to three pumps and room for a fourth in the future.
“What we’ll have is adequate horsepower to do the entire mountain, and be able to make more snow quicker because of the pressure and the gallons per minute. We’ll probably use as much power, or a little more, but a heck of a lot less labor. The two weeks, at both ends, will go to our bottom line, change our financial picture. We’ll be more stable,” said Arsenault.
This will also potentially extend their ski season — two weeks earlier in December and two weeks later at the end of the season. But he cautioned that in the end, it’s still weather permitting.
Jim Carter, manager for 15 years, said the construction work over the summer will not affect the events taking place at the ski lodge. He noted that the season for the popular tubing park will also be longer, and it certainly will open earlier.
Arsenault added, “There’s a lot of calls for it (tubing) for Christmas vacation. Right now, that’s pretty much the last thing that gets open.”
Carter said, “With the new system, we’ll be able to produce more snow faster, especially during those colder nights.”
Arsenault said, “Even though the snow isn’t perfect in December, people are just chomping at the bit to get out. Two weeks before the holiday (Christmas) and guaranteeing the holiday, weather permitting, is a big deal.”
Kersey said they have a live fundraising auction upcoming on Nov. 16 at the ski lodge, with proceeds going towards the capital campaign project. “We’ve gotten a lot of donations for that.”
To donate, she said items can be dropped off at the mountain, or at Davis Florists on Congress Street in Rumford. Donations made by Nov. 1 are guaranteed a blurb on Facebook about their business.
Examples of donations include gift certificates, rafting trips, fishing trips, art and handmade items.
Kersey said there is a place on their Black Mountain of Maine website (https://skiblackmountain.org/) to make donations, or they can mail a check or drop it off at the mountain.
For this ski season, Black Mountain is planning for a Dec. 26 opening, which coincides with the schools’ Christmas vacation.
Arsenault pointed out the large trail (Androscoggin) directly behind the lodge, which is the first trail open for the season. “The reason is that on Dec. 15, we’ll try to do the (snowmobile) hill climb. It’s a profit center for us and also good will to the snowmobile industry when there’s no snow elsewhere.”
He noted, “We’re here for the community. We appreciate the local support. We’re a non-profit.”

See here are nine of Black Mountain’s 13 snow guns. Next year, the ski mountain will be added 14 new fixed snow guns, which will take their snowmaking capabilities to the next level. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times