The initial shareholders who invested in Black under the community-based model voted unanimously to sell the corporation back to Mogensen. The sale was finalized Monday.
“When I first came to Black it wasn’t about just saving one resort, it was about solving the macro issue of these places disappearing,” said Mogensen. “We wanted to understand the problems that are causing these little ski areas to close, and found that even with all our resources it was still super difficult, but this historic ski area is thriving now.”
“I think Black Mountain has been saved. The micro comeback story is complete. But we realized that if we stayed, and used it as an incubator for ideas, we could actually solve the macro problem.”
The biggest issue to address is outdated chairlifts. Per Mogensen, there are 775 lifts over 40 years old at North American resorts and repairing them can be more cost prohibitive than purchasing new systems.
Both of Black Mountain’s lifts suffered critical component failures over the holiday break this winter, but were repaired within a few days. Entabeni has invested in new snow grooming equipment, snowmaking, and infrastructure to enhance the customer experience at Black, all of which requires updated management systems to function properly. Rising insurance premiums are another problem to tackle when it comes to holding the bottom line for small ski areas.
“This is where we’re going to fix the problems that we know of, and find the next problems, and find the next opportunities,” Mogensen said. “In the future of independent skiing, this is going to be a stronghold.”
Indy Pass was created to help smaller resorts compete with the mega passes offered by Vail Resorts (Epic) and Alterra Mountain Company (Ikon), and Mogensen has made it his mission to match the technological resources of those giants while tackling a variety of issues at nearly 300 resorts across the world.
Close enough to New England’s major population centers in scenic Mount Washington Valley, Black Mountain has the history and customer base necessary to provide leeway during a transitional period, and Entabeni has the capital necessary to keep the innovations coming.
“I never doubted the potential of Indy Pass, I just didn’t have the resources to take it to this level, and I saw a long time ago that Erik did,” said Indy Pass founder Doug Fish, who sold the company to Entabeni Systems in 2023.
“Combining Entabeni with Black Mountain, as a petri dish for ideas on how to best utilize those resources, is very exciting.”
Rapid growth at Black has caused some friction with a small town of just over 1,000 residents. Yet there is no denying the positive economic impact of a thriving ski area that is one of the largest employers in the area, and offers to draw visitors away from Vail-owned Wildcat and Attitash.
Mogensen and his staff of approximately 30 employees moving from the heart of the Rocky Mountains to New Hampshire’s White Mountains sends a clear message about preserving what Mogensen calls the “soul of skiing,” in the form of unique independent resorts.
“New Hampshire is the best place to ski in America and a beacon of economic opportunity,” said Governor Kelly Ayotte. “It’s exciting to have Indy Pass and Entabeni Systems relocate to the Mount Washington Valley with the goal of making Black Mountain a hub for innovation in the ski industry.”
Nate Weitzer can be reached at nweitzer7@gmail.com. Follow him on X @nweitzer7.
