The April Fools Awards

Every April 1st we see the best of the best put out their cleverest and snarkiest ski area gags and guffaws, often eclipsing the conventional hype promoted for normal operations. Whether from the peanut gallery with promises of Vail Resorts reimbursing Epic passes after a lackluster season to the latest intergalactic gondola at a ski area best known for its beloved T-bar, the Get On Snow powers that be decided it was time to recognize those who tickled us the most on the interwebs, and we have culled the cast of unknowing entrants down to our own version of the Final Frozen Four:

Black Mountain Merges with Wildcat

This one jumped out for us, using the familiar merger-mega-lift expansion concept with some truly home-spun mountains in New Hampshire along with some very diligent wordsmithing, right down to playfully calling out and embracing Black Mountain owner Erik Mogensen's last name that has no doubt been constantly re-cast as "Morgensen." No lazy shortcuts here with hometown Jackson becoming newly minted as "Jaspen," a new 27,000 foot, 22-minute gondola ride connecting Black with Wildcat and "Morgensen" firing up the snowguns in April to get a head start on the 2026 season. Well done, Sir!

JACKSON, NEW HAMPSHIRE- Black Mountain, through its parent company, Entabeni Systems, and the Indy Ski Pass, announced today that it is purchasing the Wildcat Ski Area.

The combined vertical will surpass nearly every ski area in New England. Black Mountain’s Base starts at 1,250 feet, with the summit of Wildcat topping out at 4,105 feet.

The area will share a common season pass called the BlackCat Pass, providing unlimited access along with guaranteed top-to-bottom skiing from at least November 15th to June 15th each season. This represents 1,408.6% increase over Wildcat’s current operating schedule as overseen by Vail Resorts. The resorts will be directly linked by a new gondola spanning over 27,000 feet. The new gondola will feature an exterior speaker system that will provide a near-constant DJ experience over the 22-minute ride between Black Mountain and Wildcat’s summit.

Importantly, the combined new ski area will form its own township, annexing Black Mountain from the town of Jackson and into a new municipality named “Jaspen”.

In order to accommodate a large increase in visitation to the area, on-street parking will be allowed across a 12-mile section of State Route 16 and 16b between the two base areas. Morgensen personally pushed for a first in New Hampshire “parking lot wide” liquor license for the iconic C-Lot at Wildcat. Vowing to bring back the tailgate culture skiing and riding in the Mountain Washington Valley had become famous for, Morgensen said, “Nothing could be more “Ikonic” or even “Epic” than a return to the C-lot celebrations”. Further, he expected the two base areas to work collaboratively to share DJ and Champagne resources. The new ski area plans to hold a significant number of “special” events, including nightly fireworks displays.

Vail Resorts could not be reached for comment, other than a brief social media post that was promptly deleted after being discovered that the publicly traded company’s Artificial Intelligence bot had responded outside its programmed norms. The deal requires regulatory approval, but Morgensen said he will start making snow at Wildcat within the next week to get a head start on next season.

Stratton Cracks Down on Ski Rack Bums

Among the organized chaos of a day on the mountain is the societal expectation that we dutifully place our boards and poles against racks to prevent willy nilly anarchy, like those great western shows like Bonanza and Gunsmoke where they tie their horses to the hitching post with that little whippy move with the reins before the inevitable saloon brawl. At Stratton, there's a new sheriff in town to crack down on those rampant snow slouches with a Base Area Rack Enforcement squad clamping boots on the miscreants with a good dose of rack-shaming and perhaps a hefty fine before getting back on snow. Book 'em Dan-O!

Due to the high volume of skis and snowboards left unattended on the ground and not secured in designated racks in and around our base areas, the Base Area Rack Enforcement (B.A.R.E) is now stepping in to maintain our appearance.

Starting today the B.A.R.E team will be actively monitoring all base areas. Any skis or snowboards left unattended outside of designated racks for more than seven minutes will be subjected to enforcement, including the placement of a temporary boot on the equipment. To have the boot removed, guests must report to the B.A.R.E. Office in lot 3.

We appreciate your understanding and support as we handle this reoccurring problem.

If you see something, say something. Please call 1-888-BARE to report any and all unattended skis or boards on the ground.

Six Flags Mad River Glen

Vermont's Mad River Glen is a rarity in the industry: A non-profit cooperative that still bans snowboarders along with just two other areas (Alta and Deer Valley), and which is eternally devoted to the preservation of its iconic single chairlift. With its equally impressive devotion to having a good sense of humor, MRG can always be counted on for an April 1st promise that might include replacing the single chair with a high-speed heated 8-pack bubble lift. Founded in 1948 by Roland Palmedo who wanted to create a haven from the already bustling Stowe Mountain Resort, the "Ski It If You Can" anti-resort recently acquired over 1,000 acres of surrounding terrain for conservation and backcountry skiing, so they could not resist the announcement of the Mad River Adventure Park, complete with water slides, mountain bike park, zip line and wake-board-free fun. Cowabunga!

Hunter Mountain Bans Chatty Cathies

Hardly known for its quiet solitude, Hunter Mountain really stepped up with this stripped-down, no frills Insta post that captures how well they know their mountain, their customers and their audience. Whether you're a Joey from Jersey with a Jets jersey, or just one of us who haven't actually skied Hunter but have heard all the stereotypes, this one checks all the boxes. Invoking Cousin Tony and bemoaning chairlift debates over bagels and pizza, Hunter announces its Quiet Chairlift Policy where guests are asked to shut their pie hole until their boards hit snow. The promise of a more peaceful experience and mountain-wide tranquility is the sassy reward for this gag, especially for anyone who would like to gag some of those chatty lift-mates. Even more entertaining are the scores of InstaHunta comments that range from those who played along with the gag with mock rage, to those who only wished this outlandish policy were true, to those who were genuinely fooled and wondered what the world had come to. Among the top comment confessionals is from one loyalist who was momentarily fooled: "I'll admit when I was 12 I once spoiled the Sopranos for another skier while on the chairlift and my dad was appalled." Now that's pure gold!

And The Leg Lamp Goes To...

It wasn't easy choosing an overall winner from this pantheon of practical jokers on snow, but looking at who best hit our giggle-o-meter for surprise juxtaposition and clever copy, and with particular note of how their audience engaged, we have to bestow the prestigious and much-ballyhooed G.O.S. April Fools Leg Lamp Award to Hunter Mountain. Congratulations, it's a major award!

Hunter Mountain - Best in Snow Fools