How Whaleback keeps moving its small, independent New Hampshire mountain

Whaleback is a gem of an independent mountain serving the area along the New Hampshire/Vermont border.

For thousands upon thousands of skiers and riders racing north in their cars along I-89 on a typical Friday evening during ski season, Whaleback Mountain in Enfield, N.H., serves as little more than a reference point marking progress to a much larger resort destination farther up the road in Vermont.

Even under the cover of darkness, when the ski hill is beautifully lighted and the shadowy forms of skiers can be spotted descending the impressively steep Upper Face, drivers barely will let up on their gas pedals, let alone disengage their cruise controls or, inexplicably, pull off Exit 16 to have a closer look.

One might think Whaleback and so many other small ski hills like it that are scattered throughout New England — many that have struggled through periods of closure over the past few decades — have been all but forgotten.

Thanks to the communities that love and support them, however, these areas continue to be an important part of the fabric, not just locally but for the entire industry.

“Our community is what makes us work so hard,” said Jon Hunt, Whaleback’s executive director who oversees all day-to-day operations. “We are not a glitzy resort like some of our neighbors. But we do offer opportunities for beginners and challenging terrain as strong or stronger than most other resorts.”

Owned and operated by the Upper Valley Snowsports Foundation since 2013, Whaleback is managed by a 12-member board of directors, all of whom are local community members. The board oversees strategy, vision and finances to primarily serve the Upper Valley community of towns centered around Hanover/Lebanon, N.H., and Hartford/Norwich, Vt.

“We work so hard to make sure Whaleback is here for generations of families to enjoy the outdoors together,” Hunt said. “We gauge success by the amount of days and nights we are able to provide access to the mountain and how many folks utilize that time. I personally gauge success every time I look out and see families enjoying this little mountain by the highway.”

Whaleback has formed many partnerships with its community to expand access and skier visits. Working with Inclusive Ski Touring, it is one of the few ski areas that offers uphill rental packages and opportunities to learn this emerging sport. The ski area’s after-school groups are a huge part of the strategy as well, pulling in more than 600 local students weekly. Whaleback also is a training site for four alpine race programs and a freestyle training program.

Whaleback has plenty of cause to celebrate 10 years as a nonprofit organization this season, a decade that saw success in fundraising ($4 million to support operations), a doubling of snowmaking capacity, growth in season pass sales, and development of a year-round business model.

“I think we are thriving as an organization in that we have great board support and a strong team running operations,” Hunt said. “Our keys to success are continuing to improve our product, snowmaking, grooming and our trustworthy lift operations. We also have to continue to find other opportunities to produce revenue that offsets our exorbitant expenses in what we are seeing as shorter and shorter winter seasons.”

Whaleback offers skiing on about 30 trails across 85 acres with 700 feet of vertical. The terrain is serviced by a double chair to the summit and three surface lifts, with a base elevation at 1,100 feet. It is open from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, noon to 8 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. An adult lift ticket can be picked up for $50 on a weekend/holiday, and its community season pass rate is $275.

“Our community, corporate and foundation partners are key to supporting us with funding to help us keep our prices low, as well as be able to offer financial aid to families in need,” Hunt said. “Over our 10 years as a nonprofit, we have awarded 100 percent of financial requests. This aid supports learning programs, rentals, season passes and camp opportunities depending on what each specific family is looking for.”

The area has a robust calendar of community activities, including movie nights, job fairs, listening sessions, passholders appreciation days, free day promotions for Upper Valley residents, uphill nights, family campouts, live music and more.

It is all affirmation that Upper Valley Snowsports Foundation has a clear vision for what Whaleback can be for the community and how it can best reach its goals of continuing to provide affordable and accessible opportunities for families to share the passion for snowsports.

“Smaller ski areas are where families learn to love to ski/ride,” Hunt said. “It is also where newcomers to the sport start. The barrier to entry is so high for most families at the larger resorts that if it weren’t for small ski areas they will never see future increases in visits. We are a direct pipeline to the growth of the industry and we are trying to do it the right way, with low cost, a smile and high five.”