April skiing is a luxury most mountains can’t afford, and May skiing is a rare thing usually reserved for those willing to hike up with their gear, but Black Mountain is still spinning lifts and will have its latest closing day in 90 years.

On Saturday, May 3, Black Mountain will celebrate its 90th birthday party and closing day for the season with discounted lift tickets for $9 running from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Black Mountain has never stayed open this late before, and it’s doing so this year thanks to new ownership. Erik Mogensen, director of Indy Pass and Entabeni Systems, a ski consultancy firm, bought the mountain last year to save it from financial hardship.

Mogensen uses data-driven models to keep the sport accessible and profitable while competing with larger resorts in the Northeast, according to the Associated Press.

Black Mountain has digitized many of its systems to offer better and more personalized customer experiences throughout the season and make the business more sustainable. Last year, the mountain closed on March 16th, and the new ownership’s changes have helped the mountain stay open well into the spring.

“We’ve been laying the groundwork for our longest season since day one,” Morgensen said. “We improved snowmaking systems, restored consistent summit access via the double chair, and rebuilt skier amenities/services.

Black Mountain is the last ski area in New Hampshire that’s open, and it will be one of the last on the East Coast to close. Sugarbush and Jay Peak in Vermont plan to close Sunday and Killington is still selling tickets through May 18.

Black Mountain’s season will go out with a bang, including fireworks, live music, dining specials, and a jump jam and aprés party at the Alpine Cabin with a live DJ.

Keeping the lifts running this late in the season is “not an easy task for a southern-facing mountain with low elevation,” Morgensen said.

You can say that again.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com