RUMFORD – After a successful first year, Black Mountain of Maine and the University of Maine Ski Industries Program announce the return of the Alpine Snow Kids ski and snowboard lesson program and Black Mountain Snow Riders snowboard lessons.

The Alpine Snow Kids and the Black Mountain Snow Riders programs were developed and implemented by the students and faculty of the University of Maine at Farmington’s Ski Industries Program under the leadership of Leigh Breidenbach.

Alpine Snow Kids at Black Mountain of Maine is a weekend learn to ski or ride program for children ages 6 to 12 of all skiing or snowboarding abilities.

The program will run for seven weeks from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, to Sunday, March 9 (no lessons on Feb. 16 and 17) on both Saturdays and Sundays.

Season cost for the Alpine Snow Kids lessons is $125 and includes a lift ticket from 9 a.m. to noon each lesson day. The season cost for lessons with a full day ticket is $175. For Black Mountain of Maine season pass holders the cost is $100.

“We are happy to be offering a very affordable ski and snowboard lesson program to the area,” said Lodge and Program Manager Lisa Arsenault. “The cost breaks down to around $11 per lesson if the student attends both sessions each week. This is all part of Black Mountain of Maine’s goal of getting more people from the River Valley region out to ski. The Alpine Snow Kids program compliments our private lesson offerings very well.”

The Black Mountain Snow Riders snow boarding lessons program will run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Fridays for six weeks from Jan. 25 to March 7 (no lesson on Feb. 22). Cost is $25 a lesson, rentals not included.

The program is designed for children and adults. Beginners and anyone wanting to improve their riding skills are welcome.

“This is a flexible program, allowing students to attend as many or as few times as they like, paying as they go,” said Arsenault.

Instruction for the Black Mountain Snow Riders program is provided by UMF Ski Industries students.

Registration for the Alpine Snow Kids lesson program is due by Monday, Dec. 31. Neither the Alpine Snow Kids program nor the Black Mountain Snow Riders program provides equipment. Rental equipment is available on a limited basis for an additional charge. Season rentals for the program are available through Black Mountain at 364-8977 and Ski Depot at 897-5445.

To sign up for either program, visit www.skiblackmountain.org and click on “Lessons,” or contact the lodge at 364-8977.

During severe weather Black Mountain may not be open. Parents should call the lodge at 364-8977 for information.

The UMF Ski Industries program trained a number of Black Mountain instructors last season and will train more for the Alpine Snow Kids program this year. Black Mountain is looking for teenagers and adults interested in becoming instructors. Anyone interested should call 364-8977 or e-mail [email protected].

Instructor training will be run by Steve MacCullum, John Carey and Nicholas Poplawski. All three are seasoned instructors involved with the Sugarloaf Ski School and have worked with many of the current UMF Ski Industries students. The mountain’s instructors, once trained, will be assisted by UMF Ski Industries student instructors and be overseen by the UMF Ski Industries faculty.