Black Mountain, Bretton Woods Test Snow Guns In The Cold Night Air In Race To Open For Season

By PAULA TRACY, InDepth NH

JACKSON, NH — If you heard a hiss in the night air in the White Mountains during the night, it could have been the sound of the upcoming ski season.

Both Bretton Woods in Carroll and Black Mountain in Jackson fired up their snowmaking equipment and let the first manmade flakes fall on their terrain.

Meanwhile, Mother Nature left a visible dusting of natural snow on the high peaks including Mount Washington, the Northeast’s highest peak, as a reminder that first turns for skiers and riders in the Granite State cannot be far off.

For those who love the winter snow to play in, it is now time to get excited and equipped for the 2026-2027 season.

That means it would be a good idea to address the dust and rust on the equipment, check for matching mittens, head to the ski shops and swaps, and look online for season pass deals.

Ski areas which have spent all summer fixing up their properties and adding new amenities are on it, too.

With a photo of the silhouette of a snow gun spraying into the night air, Black Mountain also fired off a press release not long after turning the switch saying “The ‘little mountain that could’ is among the first in North America to turn on its snow guns, eyeing an early opening date.”

Early Wednesday morning as the temperatures dipped into the 30s across the state – and well into frost territory – the race to opening day was off.

Not to be outdone by some small upstart down the road, The Omni’s Bretton Woods resort said it also tested its snowmaking system early Wednesday on two trails expected to be part of the mountain’s early-season operations.

Neither has set a date for opening but in the past, Bretton Woods has made sure it has a product to offer to hungry snow hounds staying at its Mount Washington Hotel in time for Thanksgiving and more recently, Black has made a go of it to beat them.

Crews at Bretton Woods tested hydrants, pipes, pumps, compressors, snow guns and nozzles, while also training new team members on startup procedures, its press release stated.

“This is really about making sure the terrain we expect to open first is ready to go,” said Jace Wirth, the new general manager of Bretton Woods Ski Area who formerly had the same role at state-operated Cannon Mountain in Franconia, which right now, is plastered with leaf peepers.

“We’re checking the entire system, fixing the little things we find, and making sure the team is comfortable with what needs to be done. Snowmaking is a complicated process, and it’s such an important part of what we do. When the weather gives us the window, we want to be ready,” he said, noting that the new team members are learning from the veterans, now.

Over the hill a few miles East at Black Mountain, the state’s oldest ski area, “Winter is officially underway,” said Erik Mogensen, owner. “In our first year here, we started making snow in December. Last year it was mid-November. Going full throttle in early October is a huge win, even if the results may be fleeting. We are getting ahead on major projects across the mountain, and we’re excited to welcome skiers back as soon as we possibly can,” Mogensen said.

Black Mountain also turned on its E-Store Wednesday, allowing guests to purchase day tickets, lessons, cat skiing, and recurring winter events, such as Friday Night Lights. Black Mountain said it will cap daily lift tickets on busier days to preserve the ski experience for both passholders and Indy Passholders.

The new ownership has aggressively gone after a market which they contend was not being addressed, and that is people of modest means who want skiing to be a family experience.

“Keeping skiing and riding affordable remains a top priority for Black Mountain,” said Mogensen. “Our price tiers reward those who plan ahead, and all kids in local school districts will continue to receive a free, unrestricted season pass through high school. Parking will remain free, and burgers will be priced under $10. You can even plug in your crock pot at the base lodge. We’ll never treat skiing as a luxury product.”

Ski NH, the non-profit association which represents more than 30 Nordic and Alpine ski areas has a list of ski swaps here
https://www.skinh.com/deals/ski-swaps while Facebook Marketplace has a New Hampshire used ski and snowboard site https://www.facebook.com/groups/nhskiandskate/.

Many ski shops take advantage of the Columbus Day Weekend to offer last year’s equipment at deep discounts.
A list of projected opening dates in the United States can be found here https://www.onthesnow.com/united-states/projected-openings

This story was originally published by InDepth NH.