So which New Hampshire ski area was the first to open this season? It was Black Mountain in Jackson, New Hampshire which opened on Saturday, November 15th! Jay Kaknes of Stowe had the answer to last week’s trivia naming Black Mountain.
So what’s the big deal? I heard someone ask. Well, if I tried to create a Vermont equivalent, it would be like hearing that Saskadena 6 was the first ski area to open for a season in Vermont! Black Mountain is a small ski area with 1100 feet of vertical and is the oldest lift-served ski area in New Hampshire. That makes it very similar to Saskadena 6 and small family ski areas don’t usually get involved in the first to open hysteria!
In the early 1930s skiers came to the Eastern slopes of the White Mountains to “earn their turns!” One of the places they stayed was at Moody’s Farm in Jackson which served as an inn. Right behind the inn was an open slope that was perfect for learning to ski or just practicing. In 1935 a rope tow designed by George Morton was added. Morton would later be best known for the Skimobile he designed for the Cranmore ski area in North Conway.
One of the skiers who stayed at Moody’s was Carroll Reed. He saw the need for a ski school and felt that the Moody’s slope would be a perfect site for the school. In conjunction with the Eastern Slope Ski Club he arranged for Benny Rybiska from the Hannes Schneider ski school to come over from Austria to head up the ESSC school in 1936.
Also in 1936 Moody’s changed owners. Bill and Betty Whitney bought Moody’s and changed the name to Whitney’s Inn. “By the time the 1938-39 season rolled around, the Eastern Slope Ski School had a staff of 21 Austrian and American instructors and was operating at Whitney’s.”
After WWII the Whitneys expanded the skiing operation on the lower slopes of Black Mountain. In 1948 a Constam T-Bar was added serving 750 feet of vertical and offering both slope and trail skiing. The ski area was renamed from Whitney’s to Black Mountain. Just to clarify, even today the lift-served skiing is on the lower slopes of Black Mountain and does not go to the peak. There is a CCC-cut ski trail that does go to the peak which is still being used by backcountry skiers, but it is not part of the ski area.
I skied Black Mountain in the 1960s. By then the original Whitney’s slope behind the inn had a J-Bar. In 1965 a double chairlift was added which brought the vertical to its current 1100 feet. It was the first chairlift I ever rode! But I still think of the area as a T-Bar area and a family area. Lift tickets were cheap ($4) and lines weren’t long, even on weekends! It was also one of my father’s favorites when he took up skiing upon reaching retirement age.
In 1969 the Whitneys would sell Black Mountain to an investment group. Through the years the area would go through several ownership changes before filing for bankruptcy in 1995. Through the bankruptcy process the area was obtained by the Fichera family. They would run the area until October 2023 when they announced that “Due to circumstances beyond our control, including soaring energy costs, unpredictable weather, extreme staffing shortages throughout the region, and many other challenges,” Black Mountain would not operate for the 2023-24 season.
Enter Erik Mogensen owner of the Indy Ski Pass! Mogensen announced that Indy Pass would work to keep the area open with the goal of finding a new owner. That goal would eventually be modified to pursue a Co-op ownership much like Mad River Glen. Mogensen hired Andy Shephard former General Manager at Saddleback to manage the area. Black Mountain operated that season from December 23rd to March 16, 2024.
Since then the Black Mountain Community Corporation with Mogensen as President was formed to establish the Co-op. And in May 2025 the Community Corporation purchased Black Mountain from the Fichera family.
The new ownership has brought a new vibe to what was a quiet family area. With new marketing, special events, and added snowmaking, Black Mountain is drawing large crowds! And with that has come friction with the Town of Jackson and the area’s neighbors. This resulted in actual state and federal lawsuits! However after last Wednesday, December 3rd, these apparently have been resolved. Black Mountain has agreed to expand its parking capabilities and limit certain events as part of the settlement.
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