Vibe-Winter-2425 - Flipbook - Page 24
ABOVE: John Fichera and Erik Mogenson share
news live on Fox & Friends last October. Mogensen,
Indy Pass managing director and Entabeni Systems
founder, will serve as general manager of Black
Mountain for the 2024/25 season and will transfer the ownership to a community co-op by the
2025/26 season. Black Mountain photo. RIGHT: The
Gilmore family pauses to take in the views before
enjoying runs on Jacksons Black Mountain.
“I didn’t grow up skiing at Black, but I don’t think it really matters,”
said Mogensen. “I think making sure these smaller, independent ski
areas succeed and keeping skiing affordable is really important.”
For those who are in tune with current events in the ski industry, the move shouldn’t come as a surprise. Raised in Buffalo,
New York, Mogensen spent his youth working random jobs that
allowed him to ski as much as possible, including snowmaking,
ski instructing, and selling tickets before starting his own tech
company, Entabeni Systems. In 2023, he purchased Indy Pass—a
season pass partnered with independently owned resorts around
the world—from founder Doug Fish, then stepped in to help Black
WiseguyCreative.com photo
“My family has been involved with that mountain for generations and it’s been sad to see it struggling over the last few years,”
says Doucette. “My concern, when I heard Black was shutting down
(ahead of the 2023/24 season), was that a developer would come
in and build a bunch of houses on the mountain. It makes me happy to see someone trying to save it; hopefully, the community can
keep up with that and rise to the occasion.”
Her only concern isn’t about the changes being made, but
whether or not the resort’s longevity is feasible. Not only has
Black Mountain struggled financially in recent years, but its
south-facing slopes bake in the sun all day, making it difficult to
In a world where many ski areas have been monopolized by a few multi-billion-dollar
corporations, skiers and riders increasingly desire this “homey” feel, and the demand
is unlikely to wane any time soon.
Mountain open for the 2023-24 ski season after they announced
they wouldn’t be operating. Then, Mogensen and Indy Pass purchased the mountain with the intention of running it during the
2024-25 ski season before turning it over to the community to operate as a co-op moving forward.
The investments and upgrades being made at Black Mountain
by Mogensen and Indy Pass come after several years of struggles,
due mainly to lack of snow and money. These include the addition
of snowmaking guns, new groomers (including a winch cat), trail
expansions, and a renovation of the Alpine Cabin and all of the
base lodge infrastructure; improvements welcomed by locals.
Mogensen, Indy Pass, and his team even plan on embracing
the uphill community, reviving the weekly “Friday Night Lights”
uphill series that was initially run by White Mountain Ski Company’s owner, Andrew Drummond. But there’s still a healthy mix of
skepticism and excitement in the community. Madison Doucette,
a Jackson native who learned to ski and has been skiing at Black
Mountain her whole life, is optimistic.
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retain snow in a region that has been severely impacted by shorter and warmer winters.
Regardless of its future, Black Mountain has been a staple for
both locals and visitors in the Mt. Washington Valley since its opening in 1935. It has remained independently owned since its inception, maintaining that local, small-mountain community feel.
“It’s really old school—you won’t see wide-open swaths of
straight trails there,” says Doucette. “A lot of the trails are windy and
it’s just really beautiful. For me, it feels like home. Not to mention,
you won’t find half-hour lift lines there.”
In a world where many ski areas have been monopolized by a
few multi-billion-dollar corporations, skiers and riders increasingly
desire this “homey” feel, and the demand is unlikely to wane any
time soon. The only question that remains is whether or not the
community will step in to pick up where Mogensen and Indy Pass
left off, doing what it takes to save their beloved ski hill for
future generations.
MWVvibe.com
