Oldest place to ski in NH was first ski club in US. How to ski there

Looking for a new place to ski this season?

It is no secret that New Hampshire is home to some of the most popular skiing areas in the country. But did you know that some of those resorts are historic? In fact, the oldest skiing area in the state is also the oldest continuously-operating ski club in the entire country. Established in the late 1800s, Nansen Ski Club is over 150 years old.

Here’s a brief history of New Hampshire’s oldest ski club, as well as how to go skiing there this winter.

History of Nansen Ski Club

According to its website, Nansen Ski Club was established in Berlin by a group of Norwegians in 1872. Originally called Skiklubben, the club’s formation is credited to Olaf (Spike) Oleson, who made skis for himself and a group of friends out of pine boards from the sawmill.

By 1882, the club’s events were underway, including competitions in ski jumping and cross-country. In 1886, the club was renamed The Berlin Mills Ski Club after the place where most of the members work. The club was again renamed to Skiklubben Fridtjof Nansen after the Norwegian explorer in the early 1900s, later changing to Nansen Ski Club when the club opened to non-Scandinavians.

Throughout the life of the club, a network of Nordic ski trails were maintained on Cates Hill, moving to Success Loop in the 1960s and then Milan Hill State Park in 2006, where the club’s trail system is still located today.

Nansen Ski Club as a whole is also recognized as a historic landmark, and today, the club operates as a non-profit, with its trails entirely maintained by volunteers.

‘The Big Nansen’ ski jump was once the country’s largest ski jump

The club also continuously updated its ski jump, with larger, more dangerous ramps constantly constructed. In 1897, Adolph Oleson became the first known human to ski jump through a ring of fire.

“The Big Nansen,” the ski jump which still stands at 171 ft. tall today, was built by club president Alf Halvorson in 1935. The largest jump in North America at the time, “The Big Nansen” was the site of the first Olympic jumping trials in 1938. Though the structure fell into disrepair in 1988, it was rebuilt in 2017 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

How to ski at Nansen Ski Club

Both members and non-members are welcome to use the Nordic trails at Nansen. Non-members may pay to borrow equipment if needed and are encouraged to leave a donation using the parking lot kiosk. Membership at Nansen Ski Club, which comes with unlimited trail access, free use of equipment, merchandise discounts and access to the warming hut, starts at $50 per individual or $80 per family.

Nansen’s ski trails are located at 427 Milan Hill Road in Milan. Contact the ski club directly for information about hours and pricing.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Catherine Messier