Black Mountain Announces Acquisition of Whitneys Inn
The inn had been spun off from the ski area nearly 50 years ago.
Friday, July 17, 2026, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
Black Mountain ski area announced the acquisition of Whitney's Inn today, creating a contiguous base area for the first time in nearly half a century.
According to an e-mail sent by Erik Mogensen, "We will continue to operate the historic inn and restaurant with the same passion and investment we have given Black Mountain. But we will not just operate; we must also innovate here. This opportunity to build technology solutions for a hotel, restaurant, and ski area should not be overlooked or understated. I believe we now have all the businesses, tools, people, and motivation to build meaningful solutions that I hope will help keep skiing independent and accessible at Black Mountain and beyond."
The ski area was originally started 90 years ago to improve business at Moody's Inn. Bill and Betty Whitney subsequently acquired the businesses, renaming the inn Whitney's.
The inn was spun off in November 1979, with the ski area retaining rights to the snowmaking pond and parking area.
The inn is located on a 5.8 parcel, while the snowmaking pond is on a 4 acre parcel across Moody Farm Road. A 2.5 acre parcel is located opposite Black Mountain Road.
The Shovel Handle Pub has a 140-person capacity, while Whitney's Inn features 27 rooms, suites, and cottages.
Whitney's Inn and Shovel Handle Pub are owned by WIF Holdings, LLC. Entabeni Systems Incorporated became the manager of the LLC on July 10.
Located in Jackson, New Hampshire, Black Mountain first opened with lift-served skiing during the winter of 1935-36. The Fichera family operated Black Mountain following the ski area's 1995 bankruptcy through 2023, when Indy Pass's Erik Mogensen announced that he would be providing operational support and hiring former Saddleback general manager Andy Shepard to help find a new owner. Black Mountain Community Corporation acquired the 78.36 acre upper mountain tract and 15.57 acre base area and Whitney's Hill tract of Black Mountain on May 23, 2025 from John Fichera's Northern Mountain Realty Trust for $2.6 million. The 1,100 vertical foot area features a lift fleet of a 1965 double chairlift, a 1984 triple chairlift, and three surface lifts.
