We hope you’re enjoying the trails this spring! We wanted to share some great safety news that the club has purchased a second AED, which is in the Biathlon Haus. Other than that, here's what's happening at the club this spring!

Mountain Biking Updates 

We're cleaning up the East Chalet for use in the summer. Members are welcome to use the chalet at any time. There is a changing area inside, if people want to change clothes before or after riding. 

One of the first trails at Blackhawk is back! It's an "old school" hand-built trail in the Gully. It's a 2-way technical trail that should be rideable by intermediate riders. We're still thinking about names, so try it out and let us know what you think (bike@blackhawkskiclub.org). We added a bridge to the trail last weekend!

Weekly Thursday Evening Club Rides!  

Club Rides for members of all ages and abilities are happening Thursdays at 6pm now through August at the Eastside trailhead. Most of us ride for 1-2 hours and stay after riding to socialize and enjoy snacks and beverages. Rides will only happen when the trails are open. We will post the conditions here. If you’re an experienced rider and know our trails, we’d love for you to come out and help lead a group of riders. If you have questions or want to help organize the Club Ride, email us at bike@blackhawkskiclub.org.  

New Gathering Areas!

Thanks to design work by Austin Sheehan and elbow grease from many volunteers, we've completed and already begun enjoying our newest gathering area in memory of Dirk Racine. Thanks to the Racine family's generous gift, we are creating 2 new gathering area at the East Trailhead and West Chalet and improving 2-3 additional areas, adding comfortable and durable furniture and other amenities. Please contact us (bike@blackhawkskiclub.org) if you want more information or would like to help. 

Trail Improvements

Jeremy Witek has returned to Blackhawk to improve our existing trails. He has recently completed a revision of the Gully Jumps. Please "pre-ride and re-ride, before you free-ride." Next, he will revise the "Don't Worry" climbing trail to come through the bridge on "Be Happy".  The upper half of "Don't Worry" now goes left, under the wood step-up structure, to the Hub. Next, he'll modify the "Ziggy Down" trail to be an easy, green, fun, and flowy trail renamed the "Springs Flow Trail." The new "Springs Flow" trail will go down the old section of Don't Worry, cross Hill 2, and go down to the Springs Trails. 

On the East side, the return of the Pines Jump Line (to be renamed "You Can Do It"), goes along the trail, for better sessioning. And from this new return, riders can loop the Skills Park. 

Ninja Bike Clinucs June 1-2

We're hosting some NINJA bike clinics this weekend, June 1-2. There's still some room in the women's clinics, if you're interested in signing up.

GRiT Try It Out Event

Girls Riding Together is an initiative of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) to get more female-identifying student athletes and coaches on bikes, and earlier this month, the NICA teams in the Wisconsin Cycling League that train at Blackhawk co-hosted a "Try It Out" event on our trails. It was well-attended and a ton of fun, and we look forward to another great year of partnership with our local NICA Teams. 

Outdoor Exploration Updates 

Due to upcoming wet weather, the Memorial Day campout and Orienteering Challenge are postponed. New dates TBD. 

Summer Ski Jumping 

Are your kids looking for something different to do this summer?  Why not try Summer Ski Jumping? There is no snow required for this type of skiing. All you need is a sense of adventure and alpine equipment. If your athlete can ski down hills 1 and 2 confidently, we can teach them how to ski jump. Get more information on the ski jumping web page, and if you have any questions you can email jumping@blackhawkskiclub.org 

Become a Ski Patroller at Blackhawk-Classes Start July 11! 

If you have ever considered becoming a ski patroller, there are a few spots remaining in our Outdoor Emergency Care training class which will start Thursday, July 11th at Blackhawk. 

In this fun training class, you will garner life-long skills to manage injuries from head to toe. It is not required to have had prior medical knowledge or training to participate. 

Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm and finishing with a practical exam in November.  

If you have ever thought about patrolling, now is the perfect time to get involved. 

Patroller benefits include: 

• Give back to the sport most of us are intensely passionate about 

• Learn and get certified in first aid and safety through Outdoor Emergency Care and Toboggan Transportation classes 

• Make friends, and share in the camaraderie of caring people that make up our patrol and club 

• Enjoy the many perks of being a member of Blackhawk Ski Patrol which includes a reduced family membership to Blackhawk Ski Club  

• Enjoy membership benefits of The National Ski Patrol including continued education, discounts on outdoor gear, and discounts at some ski resorts 

If you are interested in the class and want to learn what it takes to become patroller at Blackhawk, please email Rob Kudrle, Ski Patrol Director, at skipatrol@blackhawkskiclub.org. 

You can also visit our Patrol website page on the Blackhawk website for more information. 

Spring Biathlon Updates 

Our summer youth biathlon programs start the second week of June. Families can sign up on the Blackhawk membership page by May 31. 

Last fall, Blackhawk granted the biathlon club money to purchase 9 lead traps to replace our current paper target system. These traps will contain the lead bullets that end up in the berm behind the targets.  

Many thanks to the wonderful Mark Torresani, who has retired as head coach and race director but will continue to coach middle school biathletes one night a week. Joe Hamel will succeed Mark as interim head coach and race director. 

Spring Nordic Kids Update 

Spring Nordic Kids wrapped up last week after lots of hiking, climbing hills and spying the many signs of spring at the club. Kids learned to navigate the orienteering course and the many trails now open for hiking.  This fall/spring program is open to all young members regardless of their ski interest, though we hope they will come back to try out cross-country skiing next winter!