Industry News
Black Mountain, the historic New Hampshire ski area now operated by the Black Mountain Community Corporation, has reached a sweeping settlement with the Town of Jackson after months of escalating tensions over snowmaking, permits, and mountain operations. The agreement clears the way for a stable season ahead and the mountain is celebrating immediately with a powder day opening and free skiing on Tuesday, December 2. The news marks a major turning point in what had become the final unresolved hurdle in Black Mountain’s year-long transformation under new cooperative ownership.
Since Indy Pass and its parent company, Entabeni Systems, bought the ski resort together with the Black Mountain Community Corporation in October 2024, the mountain has undergone rapid changes. The co-op later finalized its acquisition of the three summit-to-base parcels that make up the ski area, along with the communications-tower agreement needed to fully control the upper mountain. The goal, Mogensen has emphasized, is to create a stable, community-supported model for one of New Hampshire’s oldest ski hills—a mountain famous for its local character, vintage lifts, and last spring’s headline-grabbing run into May.
But that rapid modernization created friction with the Town of Jackson, culminating the week before Thanksgiving when police arrived at Black Mountain in the middle of the night and attempted to shut down the snowmaking system over an anonymous noise complaint. Black Mountain has made snow since 195, long before current zoning existed, Erik Mogensen, General Manager of Black Mountain and Indy Pass Managing Director pointed out and refused to shut down snowmaking, setting the stage for a legal dispute.
In a letter sent to the community, Mogensen called the settlement “a big win,” describing it as the most important development yet in the mountain’s comeback. Key elements include:
- Town recognition that Black Mountain’s snowmaking is a legal preexisting nonconforming use.
- Full town cooperation in securing state permits for the Alpine Cabin and expanded food-and-beverage facilities, including the Sugar Shack, Bull-Wheel Bar, Waffle Cabin, and main-lodge deck service.
- A dismissal of Mogensen’s OHRV ticket and a new point of contact within the police department.
- Noise measurements taken from the property line rather than at the machinery source.
- Guarantee of two fireworks permits per year.
- Black Mountain will drop both federal and state lawsuits.
- A formal structure for managing future mountain growth collaboratively, including improvements to parking, restrooms, and communication.
“Do not underestimate the importance of this settlement,” Mogensen wrote on social media. “Two opposing sides came together and fought to protect the sport and culture of skiing that Black Mountain now represents locally and beyond.”
The resort has been opening for the 2025-26 season since November 15 from Friday to Sunday. Tuesday’s free ski day is a break from this pattern to celebrate the settlement and as a special thank-you to the town and its residents. Black Mountain will spin lifts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on December 2.
Details Black Mountain Free Ski Day December 2:
- Free skiing for all Jackson residents
- Free skiing for season passholders of any mountain that is not operating tomorrow
- $25 lift tickets for all other guests
- Food and drink specials in the base lodge
- Live music beginning at 1 p.m.
Anyone skiing for free must register online in advance.
The settlement caps a remarkable and turbulent period for Black Mountain Community Corporation. After purchasing the operations in 2024 and finalizing the land acquisition this fall, the co-op is preparing to file its SEC Regulation that will eventually allow public share purchases, giving community members formal representation in the mountain’s future.
Mogensen has repeatedly said the mission is to build a model that blends community ownership with decisive, professional management. With its legal battles resolved and fresh snow on the trails, Black Mountain is now positioned to move forward. “Being open matters, especially on powder days,” Mogensen said.
For a mountain that nearly shuttered before the co-op intervened, tomorrow’s celebration is not just a snow day—it’s a symbol that the oldest parts of New England ski culture can adapt, survive, and thrive if they come together.
