Black Bear Cubs Program

Black Mountain is pleased to offer seasonal ski programs for athletes from ages 5 to 13 years old. Our goal and primary focus is on building skills that will enable athletes to ski on all terrain including groomed and ungroomed terrain, glades, and woods, and most importantly, to have fun and build a life-long love of skiing We believe that building sound fundamentals is critical to skiing all terrain, whether it be shredding groomers or skiing lines in the back country. Our program is unique in that we offer Alpine Touring as a key component of the program. In addition, the small size of our program compared to other mountains in the area provides an intimate coaching environment and small instructor-to-student ratios. Our coaches are dedicated to nurturing a love for skiing while ensuring safety and improvement. Emphasis on teamwork, group dynamics, and social interactions, make every session an opportunity to grow both on and off the slopes.

Black Bear Cubs Seasonal Ski Program for 5-8 Year Olds

The Black Bear Cubs Seasonal Ski Program is designed for kids 5 – 8 who are eager to develop their skiing skills in a fun, supportive, and challenging environment. This program offers a structured, progressive approach to all mountain skiing, helping young skiers build confidence over the course of the season.

Key Features:

Progressive Skill Development: Focus on technique and confidence while building balance, rotation, and speed and edge control.
Building teamwork and the ability to interact socially in a group environment.
Laying the groundwork for a life long love of skiing though fun and dynamic drills, games, and activities.

Each week, participants will enjoy expert instruction from dedicated coaches, with sessions focused on building confidence and ability. The goal of the Black Bear Cubs Program is demonstrated ability to link parallel turns on groomed blue terrain, and ski confidently on more advanced terrain such as ungroomed slopes and glades.

To enter the Black Bear Cubs Program, participants should be able to negotiate novice terrain, turn and stop, keep up with the group, get along with others and follow directions. In addition, athletes must be able to ride all lifts on Black Mountain with assistance from a coach. An assessment will be conducted on the first day of the season to determine if new participants can meet the minimum standards for the program.

Schedule: Black Mountain’s seasonal programs train from 9 AM to 1 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays during school vacation weeks (Massachusetts and SAU 9). The season begins on Saturday, December 28th and will run until Sunday, March 16th (Weather permitting), and will include the following days:

December 2024: 28, 29, 31

January 2025: 2, 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 25. 26

February 2025: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23

March 2025: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16

Training begins promptly at 9:00 AM (dressed out and on snow) and ends at 1:00 PM, with a break for lunch from approximately 11:30 – 12:00. For those parents that do not intend to remain at the mountain during the ski day, please provide contact information and ensure that you are on-site to meet your athlete promptly at 1:00PM.

Cost: $950 per athlete. Season passes are required and are not part of the program cost.

Equipment requirements: Properly sized skis, boots, poles, helmets, goggles and suitable warm clothing. Since our athletes will ski on varied terrain across Black Mountain, we encourage parents to purchase equipment for their athletes that are suitable for all mountain terrain. Please contact the Program Director for any equipment or clothing questions.

will be conducted on the first day of the season to determine if new participants can meet the minimum standards for the program.