About Whaleback Mountain
Mission
We are a nonprofit organization with a mission to sustain Whaleback Mountain as a community snow sports facility that welcomes everyone to discover the joy of skiing and riding and to become a lifelong snow enthusiast. Our commitment is to ensure that all members of our community who want to enjoy snow sports is able to do so regardless of ability to pay.
Values
Build community: We exist for the community and all those who want to ski and ride affordably. Choose Whaleback. Build community.
Be yourself: We are committed to providing a welcoming environment for all kinds of people and all styles of skiing and riding. Come to Whaleback. Be yourself.
Ski it to believe it: The secret to becoming an avid, lifelong skier or rider is to start early, challenge yourself, and always have fun. Our varied terrain—steep groomers, moguls, dense glades, and easy cruisers—will challenge you at any stage of life and thrill you enough to keep you doing it again, and again, and again. Experience Whaleback. Ski it to believe it.
Love to learn: We love to help people learn, because with snow sports you never stop learning. Our education programs are convenient for the after-work and after-school snow sports enthusiasts, keeping you on the snow, close to home. Live Whaleback. Love to learn.
Our History
Whaleback Mountain is intertwined with the proud tradition of New England skiing that dates back a hundred years, with New Hampshire being called the cradle of U.S. Alpine skiing. Did you know, however, that over the last few decades New England has lost over 500 ski areas? Granted, many of them were rope tow operations, but they kept skiing alive at the grassroots community level. A number of operations have re-opened, including good old Whaleback with its vintage Poma Double Chair.
As part of the rich small mountain tradition that belies the foofy, slick resort, we thought we’d share some of our history with you.
A great history of Whaleback going back to the 1950s can be found here.
1955
Olympic Nordic Jumper, Ernie Dion (See bio below) founded Snowcrest (to be renamed Whaleback) with a 1,000-ft Poma surface lift on the run we now call Spout. A second 1,500-ft t-bar was built.
1968
Jim Griffiths bought Snowcrest, changed the name to Whaleback, and installed the Poma double chairlift to the summit. Our Poma double is 2,500 feet long, rising 700 vertical feet, powered by an electric drive with diesel auxiliary. Rumor is that it’s the only one in operation of its kind in the country.
1984
A trio of Dartmouth grads and another partner, bought the mountain. They installed snowmaking and lights for night skiing, and, consequently, the typical ski season at Whaleback was expanded from 30 to 100 days.
1990-1992
Whaleback was closed.
1993
Tim and Sally Herbert (Sally is Jim Griffith’s daughter) bought Whaleback and operated it until 2001. Under their tenure they made numerous improvements and upgrades to the mountain and lodge. Today, they remain great supporters of Whaleback and participate in the Thursday Night Adult Race League.
2001-2005
Whaleback was closed.
2005
Founded by former Olympian Evan Dybvig, Frank Sparrow, and Dylan Goodspeed, Whaleback Mountain LLC purchased Whaleback from the Herberts. The trios mission was to create a year round action sports facility. Sparrow and Goodspeed ran the Zero Gravity Skate Park in Rutland, VT. In the spring of 2013, Randolph National Bank forecloses on the main Whaleback property.
2013-PRESENT
In the spring of 2013, a group of Whaleback supporters founded the non-profit Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation (UVSSF). In October 2013 Whaleback Mountain became a non-profit ski area. The Whaleback Mountain Board of Directors mission is sustaining Whaleback Mountain as a community snow sports facility that welcomes everyone to discover the joy of snow sports and to become a lifelong snow enthusiast.