Abenaki ski area in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, claims to be the oldest community-run ski area in the United States. It dates back to 1936 which actually makes it one of the oldest still operating ski areas in the U.S. period! Owned by the town of Wolfeboro and with the help of the non-profit Friends of Abenaki, the ski area has state of the art snowmaking and grooming. The primary lift is still a rope tow and much like Cochran’s it caters to kids programs.

Harry Baxter was born in 1929 and grew up in Wolfeboro where he learned to ski at Abenaki. He skied on the Brewster Academy’s ski team. After high school he was drafted into the Army and served as Staff Sergeant Combat Engineer in the Korean War.

Once out of the Army, Baxter returned to skiing and became a certified ski instructor in the Hannes Schneider Ski School at Cranmore in North Conway. In 1961 he was named the Assistant Manager and Ski School Director at Mt Whittier, a now-lost ski area that played a big part in my learning to ski!

Baxter believed everyone should have a chance to ski. He pioneered programs for veterans with service related injuries and the visually impaired. Sugarloaf in Maine hired Baxter to head their ski school in 1965. Sugarloaf promoted him to General Manager in 1968. Under his leadership skier visits increased significantly and he played a key part in having Sugarloaf host a World Cup race in 1971.

Baxter then moved to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in 1974 to become Marketing Director and Vice President of Public Relations, roles that he would have until he retired in 1995. Today it’s hard to picture Jackson Hole as it was 50 years ago. Of course it still had the challenging terrain and the big vertical, but as a winter destination, it hadn’t been fully developed. Teton Village at the base was still small and the town of Jackson was half shuttered during the winter months.

Harry Baxter would help transform JHMR into the world class winter destination it is today. He coordinated a better transportation system between the town of Jackson and the resort. He was also instrumental in negotiating with the National Park Service to expand the airport and support jet service. Baxter established events such as Pole, Pedal, Paddle which was a spring celebration consisting of five legs: a ski race, a running leg, a cross-country ski leg, a cycling leg, and a river paddle!

Harry Baxter passed away on January 28, 2025 at the age of 95. He was still living in Jackson and I wonder what he thought about the way it has turned out? The ski area limits ticket sales and parking is paid. There are free lots with shuttle service, but they’re about 5 miles from the area. It’s quite a change from the Abenaki slopes where he started skiing.