In the fall of 1937, Bill Whitney ordered 72 shovel handles from Sears Roebuck and clamped them onto the steel cable tow behind his family's inn so skiers had something to hold onto on the way up. The tow had gone up on the Moody hay field two winters earlier. It was the first overhead cable tow in New Hampshire and one of the first in the country. The pub at the bottom of Whitneys' Slope still carries the name.
This winter that pub, the inn beside it and the mountain above it all belong to the same owner, for the first time in 47 years. For anyone in Jackson who skis Black, eats at the Shovel Handle or puts up visiting family at Whitney's, that matters day to day. The whole base now runs on one limited supply of tickets, beds and bar stools, and the person managing all of it has said plainly that the best days will sell out.
How the base came apart, and how it came back together
The inn and the mountain started out as one operation and stayed that way for decades. The Conway Daily Sun's history of the property lays out the sequence:
- 1936: Boston skiers Bill and Betty Whitney buy the Moody boardinghouse and farm.
- 1948: The Whitneys partner with Halsey and Stan Davis to develop Black Mountain ski area.
- 1969: The Whitneys sell the inn and the mountain together.
- 1979: The inn is sold off separately, and the two go their own ways.
- July 10, 2026: Erik Mogensen, owner of Black Mountain and Entabeni Systems, buys the Inn at Whitney's Farm from Mark Lahood and partners. The sale includes the inn, the Shovel Handle Pub and about 12 acres at the base of the mountain.
Mogensen explained the reasoning to the Conway Daily Sun:
"As the properties were originally connected, it was meant to be a continuous ski experience, but it's been segregated over the past 50 years. But ultimately, both of these venues truly belong together."
Lahood told the same paper that he and his partners are staying in Jackson at their other properties. His group bought the Inn at Thorn Hill in 2018 and Christmas Farm Inn and Spa in 2022, so the village still has two well-known inns running alongside the reunited base.
Mogensen also told the Sun that between the ski area, the inn and his Entabeni and Indy Pass operations, he expects to employ more than 150 people at the height of ski season. That would make him the largest employer in Jackson.
Snow came early, and so will the sellouts
The clearest sign of how the mountain is approaching this season is the date it started making snow. In his October 7 Letter from the GM, Mogensen wrote that crews turned on the snowmaking system that morning and sent water and air to the summit. He compared that with earlier seasons:
- First season under his management: snowmaking began in December
- Last season: mid-November
- This season: October 7
He admitted that October snow "will quickly melt." The early start mattered more as proof that crews are getting ahead on projects across the mountain. The same letter gave no opening date.
The early start comes with a warning. Black sold out and closed to additional visitors on 7 operating days last season, and Mogensen wrote that he expects "that number to grow substantially" this winter, with daily sales strictly limited again. Day tickets, Friday Night Lights, cat skiing and rides, and lessons all went on sale in limited quantities that morning. Prices are tiered, and buying early gets the lowest price. Pass products and current prices are on Black Mountain's e-store.
So living ten minutes away no longer guarantees you get on the hill. On a sold-out Saturday, a neighbor who didn't buy ahead is turned away the same as anyone else.
What stays cheap, by design
The same letter keeps a short list of things the mountain says it won't change:
| What locals rely on | What the October 7 letter says |
|---|---|
| Parking | Stays free |
| Base lodge lunch | A burger for less than 10 dollars, or plug in your own crock pot |
| Kids' passes | Every kid in local school districts gets a free, unrestricted season pass through high school |
| Overall pricing | Every product costs less than last year if you plan ahead |
Black's March pass announcement described local passes for K–8 students. The October letter extends that to "through high school," which matters to any household with teenagers.
Under tiered pricing, affordable skiing at Black depends on timing. A ticket bought weeks ahead costs less, and the free parking and the base lodge crock pot outlet cost nothing whenever you arrive.
The Shovel Handle and Whitney's under the mountain's name
Owning the pub and the inn gives Black more ways to host people at the base, and that capacity is limited too.
The Shovel Handle Pub. According to the October 7 letter, the pub is open seven days a week with more bar seating and live music every night. This winter it is set to open for lunch on weekends and holidays. For now, the pub's posted hours are still dinner only: 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Expect lunch once the season gets going, not before. In July, Mogensen told the Conway Daily Sun he was running a national search for a chef and that food quality would improve. One early-November evening is already on the calendar: Amanda McCarthy plays November 6 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Whitney's Inn. The inn keeps its name. Its winter packages page offers Black Mountain ski-and-stay packages with lift tickets, priced separately for weekdays and for weekends and holidays. Mogensen's letter calls it "the only lodging on Black Mountain," with 26 rooms, suites and cottages, nightly rates from 89 dollars, and occupancy high enough that "you can expect most of the winter to book out."
If relatives are coming for February vacation and you've always sent them up the road to Whitney's, book now. Twenty-six units serve the whole base, and the inn is now marketed together with the mountain's ticket inventory.
The town agreement behind the parking and bathrooms
Some of what Jackson residents will notice at Black this winter traces back to the agreement the mountain and the Town of Jackson reached on November 25, 2025. The Conway Daily Sun's summary of the agreement lists several commitments that affect the base this season:
- Two new code-compliant bathrooms at the Alpine Cabin by the start of the 2026–27 season
- A 30 percent increase in parking capacity, plus a look at shuttle options with landowner consent and town review
- No amplified music before 8:30 a.m. or after 10 p.m.
- Two fireworks permits a year, subject to size, timing and notice rules
InDepthNH reported that the Alpine Cabin bathrooms are meant for staff and limited public use. The extra parking and the capped daily ticket sales address the same limit, a base with a fixed number of spaces, tickets and rooms on its busiest days.
A late-fall calendar for the base and the village
The mountain hasn't posted its opening day yet, but the village calendar fills in early. Here's how the next two months line up:
- November 6: Amanda McCarthy at the Shovel Handle Pub, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Weekends from November 21–22 through December 19–20: The Jackson Area Chamber's Jingle Bell Chocolate Tour runs five weekends in a row and returns to Main Street in Jackson Village after a different location in 2025.
- November 28: Santa's First Visit at the Town Gazebo at 3:30 p.m., with caroling and a tree lighting around 5 p.m., then cookies and hot chocolate at Christmas Farm Inn & Spa.
- November 28 through December 31: Christmas Farm Inn's Blitzen's Pop-up Bar, Restaurant & Experience returns for its second year, with holiday decor, workshops, seasonal food and holiday cocktails.
The Chamber's event listing has details on the tour. Black Mountain's tickets and lessons are already for sale, so a December weekend at the mountain is worth booking alongside these village dates.
Want to know how the reunited base and the planned parking work fit into the bigger picture for Jackson homes near the mountain? Talk with Saco Valley Real Estate. We follow the changes at Black closely, and we're glad to talk through what they mean for your corner of town. Start Your Local Search.
