Indy Pass to Purchase Black Mountain of New Hampshire
Indy Pass hopes to transfer the area to a cooperative model.
Saturday, October 5, 2024, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
Black Mountain in Jackson, New Hampshire is being purchased by Indy Pass, owner Erik Mogensen announced at a forum today.
According to Mogensen, Indy Pass has purchased the operating entity and is under agreement to acquire the property from the Fichera family's Northern Mtn. Realty Trust. Doug Fichera of Summit Resources has been hired as Director of Mountain Operations on a full-time basis effective December 1. Mogensen will be relocating to New Hampshire to oversee day-to-day operations.
Fichera will be expanding snowmaking capabilities by 20%. To further improve conditions, a winch cat has been acquired. Meanwhile, the horse corral will be removed to make way for a new learn to ski area (which will be lit for night skiing).
The area will operate on a Thursday-Monday schedule, December 20th through April 6. The summit double and Lost Bo cabin are expected to operate every day that the area is open.
Lift service at Black Mountain commenced during the winter of 1935-36. The Fichera family has operated Black Mountain since the ski area's 1995 bankruptcy. The 1,100 vertical foot area features a lift fleet of a 1965 double chairlift, a 1984 triple chairlift, and three surface lifts.
The Indy Pass was developed as a multi-area discount product by Doug Fish in 2019. Erik Mogensen's Entabeni acquired the Indy Pass in 2023.
On October 11, 2023, Black Mountain announced that "Due to circumstances beyond our control, including soaring energy costs, unpredictable weather, extreme staffing shortages throughout the region, and many other challenges, we have made the very difficult decision to cease operations." One week later, the decision was reversed, as Indy Pass's Erik Mogensen announced that he would be providing operational support and hiring former Saddleback general manager Andy Shepard to help find a new owner. Despite a challenging winter and limited snowmaking, the area operated from December 23 to March 16.
Mogensen told the attendees today, "this place needs to be owned by the people that are in this room," stating his goal to transfer the area to a cooperative model. Mad River Glen in Vermont has been operated as a cooperative for three decades.
