Black Mountain and Whitney's Are Under One Roof Again. What Does That Change for Jackson This Winter?

According to a history of the base area in the Conway Daily Sun, in the fall of 1937 Bill Whitney ordered 72 shovel handles from Sears Roebuck and clamped them to the cable tow on the Moody hay field, which made the rope easier to hold on the way up. The pub at the bottom of Whitneys' Slope still carries the name. For most of the last half-century, though, the Shovel Handle Pub, Whitney's Inn and the ski area above them belonged to different owners. The inn served dinner and the mountain sold lift tickets, and each business kept its own books.

That changed on July 10, 2026, when Erik Mogensen bought the Inn at Whitney's Farm, the Shovel Handle Pub and about 12 acres at the base of Black Mountain from Mark Lahood and partners, the Sun reported. This is the first winter since 1979 that the lifts, the beds, the bar stools and the snowmaking water at the end of Black Mountain Road have one owner. Most of the changes Jackson will see this season come from that arrangement.

How the Base Came Apart, and How It Went Back Together

The split happened in stages, and so did the reunion. The history below comes from the Sun's account. The 2025 property sale comes from NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com, and the 2026 buyout from SAM Magazine.

The March step made the July one possible. SAM Magazine reported that Mogensen had planned to sell ownership shares in three classes and seat a 21-member Board of Trustees. Instead, the initial shareholders voted on March 9 to sell the mountain back to him. Under the same announcement, the headquarters of Entabeni Systems and Indy Pass would move from Colorado to New Hampshire, with Black Mountain serving as what he called an "independent mountain laboratory." Four months later, a single owner was able to bring the inn back into the operation.

Mogensen's July letter announcing the purchase says he had always believed Whitney's, the Shovel Handle Pub and the mountain should run "under common direction and ownership." Lahood told the Sun that selling had not been on his timeline but that he agreed the combination was "best for the mountain and Whitney's, and the community," and that he and his partners are staying in Jackson at their other properties.

The Water Came With the Inn

The July letter says the 12-acre purchase includes the source and storage of the mountain's snowmaking water. SAM Magazine's acquisition report describes it as the snowmaking pond and water storage.

This fall, the snowmaking calendar moved up again. In his Oct. 7 letter, Mogensen wrote that the mountain fired its snowmaking system to the summit that morning. In his first year it started in December, and last year in mid-November. He acknowledged that early-October snow "will quickly melt" and called the early start a sign the team is "finally getting ahead on major projects across the mountain." The system itself grew during the 2025 offseason. Powder reported more than 28,000 feet of new pipe, over 200 additional snowguns and more pumping capacity.

There is still no fixed opening day. Black Mountain's ticket page gives the goal as "open in November, ski into May."

A Small Mountain That Sells Out

Black Mountain had seven operating days last season when it sold out of tickets and closed to additional visitors. Mogensen expects that number "to grow substantially" this winter and says daily sales will again be strictly limited. In Jackson, a weekend ski day at Black now takes planning, especially during school vacation weeks.

The Oct. 7 letter lays out how that works:

• Day tickets, Friday Night Lights, cat skiing and rides, and lessons went on sale in the e-store that morning, in limited quantities and at tiered prices. The letter says most products will sell out across vacation periods and weekends.
• Buying early gets the lowest price. According to the letter, every product costs less than last year if bought ahead.
• Parking stays free. A burger still costs under $10, and you can plug in a crock pot at the base lodge.
• Kids in local school districts get a free, unrestricted season pass through high school.

On that last point, the letter and the mountain's ticket page don't match. The ticket page describes the local student program as K–8. Families with high schoolers should ask the mountain directly before counting on a pass.

Season passes come in Black, Gold and Silver tiers, plus an uphill pass and new early- and late-season passes. The Black Pass has no blackout days, Gold skips the busiest days and Silver is midweek, as the March pass letter describes them. That letter also said pass sales were capped, with priority going first to returning passholders and then to the waitlist. As of Oct. 7, a "handful" of passes were still available until each type hit its limit.

Lunch at the Shovel Handle

Down at the base, the reunion shows up first in the pub. When the Sun reported the sale, the Shovel Handle served dinner only. Mogensen told the paper the pub would serve lunch during ski season and that he was running a national search for a chef. The Oct. 7 letter adds more detail. The pub is open seven days a week with more bar seating, has live music every night, and will serve lunch on weekends and holidays this winter.

If you're hosting family for a ski weekend, Whitney's is the only lodging on Black Mountain. According to the letter, it has 26 rooms, suites and cottages, nightly rates start at $89, and most of the winter should book out. SAM's acquisition report put the count at 27 rooms. Whitney's Inn advertises ski packages with lift tickets, plus Indy Pass discounts of 10% on weekend stays and 15% on weekday stays booked in advance.

More is coming. Mogensen told the Sun that a single owner would allow ski-and-stay packages and other joint promotions. His October letter promises "more details about how we are reconnecting these historic properties to the mountain" in a future update.

Counting the ski area, the inn and the Entabeni and Indy Pass offices, he told the Sun he expects to employ more than 150 people at the height of the ski season.

The Owner Is Also Asking for Your Opinion

A business this large at the base of one road affects the whole town, and Mogensen has said so publicly. In his Oct. 23 letter, he wrote:

"The mountain's supercharged comeback has made us the largest taxpayer and employer in town. It has also made us the busiest, and some suggest the loudest."

The same letter notes that Black Mountain won the readers' choice award for best ski area in the Mount Washington Valley for the first time since the contest began. Mogensen spent most of the letter on Jackson's next 10-year Master Plan. He has joined the Planning Board and the subcommittee working on the new plan, and he asks readers to fill out the committee's online survey. Jackson's Sept. 10 Planning Board minutes list him as an alternate member. The survey is open to residents, property owners and anyone who has visited Jackson.

The town and the mountain have settled questions like these before. Under the December 2025 settlement, as Mogensen described it in a letter announcing the agreement, the town agreed that Black Mountain's snowmaking is a legal pre-existing nonconforming use and that noise is measured from the property line. It also set up a shared process for managing parking, restrooms and communication as the mountain grows. In exchange, Black Mountain dropped its state and federal lawsuits. The Master Plan survey gives everyone else in town a formal way to weigh in on that growth while it is still being planned.

Before the first lift turns this season, two things are already open. Day tickets are on sale at the Black Mountain e-store, and the town's Master Plan survey is open on the committee's survey page.

If you're thinking about a place within walking distance of the Shovel Handle, or a cottage that could host family for ski weekends, Pinkham Real Estate knows Jackson's side roads and how each season plays out at the top of Black Mountain Road. Contact our team to start your Mount Washington Valley search.