Whaleback officials said not only is the season in jeopardy, but so is the future of the ski area.
Officials at Whaleback Mountain in New Hampshire say they need to raise $210,000 by December 1 or they likely won’t be able to open this season.
The announcement comes a month after Whaleback Mountain officials said the ski area’s troubled summit chairlift won’t be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season.
Yesterday, Whaleback officials posted on social media that they expect operating losses of $300,000 this season without the chairlift. They said if they aren’t able to raise 70 percent of that total ($210,000) by December 1, they don’t see a financially viable path to maintaining operations throughout the winter.
In September, they said the mountain’s top-to-bottom chairlift had more mechanical damage than initially thought. They said it won’t be ready to start the season, and they aren’t sure when it will be ready.
Whaleback’s season ended early last season when the summit chairlift broke down. Officials with the nonprofit that runs the ski area at the time said they needed to raise $250,000 to fix the lift. According to their fundraising page, they met that goal, raising $291,000.
Whaleback officials had said there will still be skiing and riding at the mountain this winter. They said the 2025-26 season will feature a new surface lift, new connector trails, and unlimited uphill access.
But they now say the financial hit from the chairlift not only jeopardizes the season, but also the future of the ski area itself.
“Without these funds,” stated the social media post, “we don’t see a financially viable path to maintaining operations all winter long and these losses would clearly create a serious challenge to our long-term survival as a ski area.”
Whaleback officials are asking the public to support the ski area by contributing funds, but also by continuing to visit the mountain, buy passes, and spending time at the lodge.
