2024-25 season sees facility improvements, trail blazing

Among improvements at New Hampshire ski areas this coming winter season, Loon Mountain Resort has a redesign of its Octagon Lodge patio that features a snow-melt surface that will keep the patio clear for guests. (Courtesy photo)

The sale and hoped-for future preservation of the Black Mountain ski area in Jackson was welcome news as New Hampshire winter resorts prepare for their 2024-25 season.

“Small, independent ski areas are an important piece of the skiing fabric not only in New Hampshire but around the country, and they are vital to making skiing accessible and affordable for millions of people,” said Jessyca Keeler, president of Ski New Hampshire.

“Black Mountain is a gem tucked into the Mount Washington Valley, and I think there will be a lot of enthusiasm on the part of Black’s fans to support the co-op model and ensure the mountain’s sustainability for decades to come,” she added.

Faced with closure prior to last ski season, Indy Pass stepped up to run the mountain for the 2023-24 season with the hope of devising a more permanent solution for its continued operation.

On Oct. 4, Entabeni Systems, owners of Indy Pass, announced Black’s purchase as what it calls the “temporary owner” for the upcoming season. It plans to transition Black Mountain to a community-owned co-op by the start of the 2025-26 season. A co-op, or cooperative, is a business that is owned and controlled by its members, rather than outside investors.

Per the announcement, Indy Pass Managing Director Erik Mogensen will relocate to New Hampshire where he will serve as the ski area’s general manager. Andy Shepard, who the announcement said has worked to save many independent ski areas over more than two decades, will be the director of community engagement for Indy Pass and will assist in the next phase of ownership under the co-op model. Doug Fichera, who has grown up on the mountain since 1995, has been named the director of mountain operations.

The Fischera family, owners of the mountain since 1995, had said they would not open for the 2023–2024 ski season due to staffing and financial challenges. Black is the oldest lift-service ski area in the state.

“The connection of the past to the future of the resort by way of Doug Fichera’s role as the director of mountain operations during this transition ensures that the ski area’s operations are in the experienced and capable hands of someone who literally grew up at the ski area,” said Keeler. “The investment that the owners of the Indy Pass and Entabeni Systems are making in the historic ski area also represent an investment in the local community and in the state’s ski industry in general.”

The state Division of Travel and Tourism Development said it will issue an economic forecast for the winter closer to early December. Statistics from previous winters show total visitor spending just north and south of the $1 billion mark. By comparison, summer visit total spending is about twice that.

Retail sales accounted for 36%, or $507.2 million, of the $1.4 billion in total that visitors spent last winter.

Food service made up 21.9%/$308.5 million, while local transportation/gas totaled 13.8%/$194.7 million, and accommodations 12.1%/$171.1 million. The rest was made up of arts/entertainment/recreation (10.7%/$151.3 million), food stores (4.4%/$62.6 million) and visitor air transportation (1.1%/$14.9 million).

It has been a busy pre-season for ski areas as they’ve used the last several months to make a variety of improvements to, among other things, base lodges, lifts and operations. Gunstock Mountain Resort got a new general manager on board.

A lot of the off-season capital spending was devoted to snow-making, a critical component in a region where natural snow is not always a guarantee.

“Newer, more efficient equipment has made a dramatic difference at ski areas, improving snow production and snow quality, particularly in the early season, and at the same time increasing sustainability and reducing energy impact,” said Keeler. “It enables ski areas to open earlier and to stay open even when Mother Nature isn’t producing as much snow as we’d like.”

Ski New Hampshire said snow-making improvements were made at Gunstock, Loon Mountain Resort, Whaleback Mountain, Pats Peak, Cranmore Mountain Resort, Mount Sunapee, and Wildcat Mountain. Gunstock’s guns will be directed to a newly cut trail — an extension of the Upper Ramrod trail that required extensive blasting.

Improvements to the cross-country skiing experience, including more snow-making, are being introduced this season to Gunstock, King Pine, Great Glen Trails, and Jackson XC.

Bretton Woods, Cranmore Mountain Resort, and Pats Peak are introducing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) ticketing. Once acquired, RFID tickets can be automatically reloaded by computer or smartphone.

Gunstock Mountain Resort, in the run-up to the 2024-25 ski season, blasted during the off season to extend the Upper Ramrod trail. (Courtesy photo)

A redesign of the Octagon Lodge patio at Loon features a snow-melt surface that will keep the patio clear for guests.

“Millions of dollars have been invested into New Hampshire ski areas this year,” said Keeler. “Each investment reflects the resorts’ commitments to provide the best possible conditions and services for their guests and to foster a vibrant skiing culture.”

Robert Drake was named in July by the Gunstock Area Commission as president and general manager of Gunstock, succeeding Tom Day, who retired.

Drake most recently served as business operations GM for Middlebury Snowbowl in Vermont.

Gunstock is owned by Belknap County, its operations overseen by the Gunstock Area Commission.

“Robert’s love of skiing, his well-rounded business background in and outside of the industry, and his community-oriented perspective makes him a natural fit for Gunstock and an exciting choice to continue the success that Tom and the management team have charted,” commission chair Doug Lambert said when Drake was hired.

With the ski areas getting ready, it begs the question as to whether Mother Nature will cooperate.

Forecasters agree this will be an El Nina winter, which typically means a higher chance of colder temperatures and increased snowfall in the Northeast.