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Whaleback is a ski area located in Enfield, New Hampshire, United States. As of 2014, after several bankruptcies over previous decades, it is operated by a non-profit organization called the Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation.〔http://s6235.p10.sites.pressdns.com/uvssf/ Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation〕 ==History== The ski area dates back to 1956, when a small slope called Snow Crest Ski Area was developed by Lebanon Outing Club ski jumping champion Ernest Dion.〔http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/NewHampshire/whaleback.php〕 It had a T-bar and a rope tow for novices. Snow Crest closed in 1968 and reopened in 1970 as Whaleback Ski Area. It operated continuously until 2001 when then-owner Timothy Herbert closed it. On 8 December 2004, Herbert sold Whaleback to Evan Dybvig, a former freestyle skier for the US Ski Team.〔 In preparation for its reopening, $1 million was spent in renovating the area, which opened for the 2005-2006 ski season. Dybvig intended for the ski area to diversify its offerings into the freestyle sports market, including constructing an indoor sports facility.〔 However, after several investors dropped out of the project, and a planned loan from the Small Business Administration failed to materialize, these plans were dropped.〔 During the area's first two seasons, poor weather hurt it financially, leading to a program announced in August 2006 where individuals could pay to either place a plaque on or paint one of the chairs on Whaleback's chairlift.〔 As of 2010, the ski area employed between five and nine employees, and had a revenue of between $500,000 and $1 million per year.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Ski Whaleback Ltd )〕 On 14 March 2013, Whaleback announced that high debt had led the mountain to close after the 2012-2013 season.〔 According to Dybvig, Whaleback owed its creditors more than $1 million, and was unable to raise additional funding, leading it to liquidate before it was forced into foreclosure. During the summer of 2013, a local non-profit organization, the Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation (UVSSF), was established to operate and eventually purchase the mountain.〔 An initial round of fundraising raised about $200,000, enough to reopen Whaleback for the 2013-2014 season.〔 The UVSSF signed an agreement with the owner of the property, Randolph National Bank, to operate the ski area for a year, and purchase it no later than October, at a cost of $650,000.〔 The foundation plans to make initial investments in the snowmaking system, with subsequent work on lights for night skiing, lodge improvements and lift maintenance. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Whaleback (ski area)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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