Whaleback is a

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

located in

Enfield, New Hampshire Enfield is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,465 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Enfield, Enfield Center, Upper Shaker Village, Lower Shaker Village, Lockehaven, and Montcalm. Enf ...

, United States. In 2013, after several bankruptcies over previous decades, it was bought by operated by a non-profit organization called the Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation.

History

The ski area dates to 1956, when a small slope called Snow Crest Ski Area was developed by Lebanon Outing Club

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

champion Ernest Dion. It had a

T-bar A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

and a

rope tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

for novices. Snow Crest closed in 1968 and reopened in 1970 as Whaleback Ski Area. It operated continuously until 2001 when then-owner Timothy Herbert closed it. On 8 December 2004, Herbert sold Whaleback to

Evan Dybvig Evan Dybvig (born July 29, 1975) was an athlete on the U.S. Ski Team; he competed in the freestyle skiing events of moguls and dual moguls. United States Ski Team Dybvig's first World Cup was on December 15, 1994, in Tignes, France, where he pla ...

, a former freestyle skier for the

US Ski Team The U.S. Ski Team, operating under the auspices of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, cross-country, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. Since 1974 the team and as ...

. In preparation for its reopening, $1 million was spent in renovating the area, which opened for the 2005-2006 ski season. Dybvig intended for the ski area to diversify its offerings into the freestyle sports market, including constructing an indoor sports facility. However, after several investors dropped out of the project, and a planned loan from the

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stren ...

failed to materialize, these plans were dropped. During the area's first two seasons, poor weather hurt it financially, leading to a program announced in August 2006 where individuals could pay to either place a plaque on or paint one of the chairs on Whaleback's chairlift. As of 2010, the ski area employed between five and nine employees, and had a revenue of between $500,000 and $1 million per year. On 14 March 2013, Whaleback announced that high debt had led the mountain to close. According to Dybvig, Whaleback owed its creditors more than $1 million, and was unable to raise additional funding, leading it to liquidate before it was forced into foreclosure. During the summer of 2013, a local non-profit organization, the Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation (UVSSF), was established to operate and eventually purchase the mountain. An initial round of fundraising raised about $200,000, enough to reopen Whaleback for the 2013–2014 season. The UVSSF signed an agreement with the owner of the property, Randolph National Bank, to operate the ski area for a year, and purchased it in 2013 for $650,000. It is seeking to raise money to purchase a second parcel adjoining the ski area.

Mountain statistics

Whaleback has 30 trails on of skiable terrain. 28% of the trails are rated as easy, 39% are intermediate and the remainder are advanced. The longest trail is long. There is one

terrain park A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. From their ...

, and 60% of the terrain has

snowmaking Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...

installed on it. There are four lifts: a double chair, a T-Bar, a

magic carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its users to their destination. In literature One o ...

and a

handle tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

. The mountain's base elevation is at , and the summit is at , for a vertical drop of . Whaleback has an average annual snowfall of .

References

{{NHski Ski areas and resorts in New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Grafton County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Grafton County, New Hampshire Enfield, New Hampshire