603-383-9355 | info@jacksonxc.org

Our Mission

As a nonprofit organization, the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation (Jackson XC) provides recreational and competitive opportunities for cross country skiing and snowshoeing that enrich lives and promote healthy lifestyles for all.

Jackson Ski Touring Foundation presents state-of-the-art grooming on trails designed to suit every taste and ability – whether you prefer quiet striding through New England forests or all out skate skiing on an international race course. This 100 kilometer trail network through forest and farmland is woven into the fabric of this classic New England ski village with a heritage of skier hospitality.

Foundation trails also connect with A.M.C. trails in Pinkham Notch and White Mountain National Forest backcountry adventure trails. The Foundation operates under a Special-Use Permit with the White Mountain National Forest and with the cooperation of 76 private landowners and the town of Jackson. The Foundation maintains a courtesy patrol to assist you on the trails if needed and rescue service staff trained and certified with the National Ski Patrol System (NSP). Everyone using the trails must purchase a trail pass or be a season passholder.

History

Coming up on our 50th anniversary, JSTF has worked to provide the best cross country skiing and snowshoeing experience anywhere.

The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation is a community-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, chartered in 1972 to maintain trails in and around the village of Jackson, NH. The “Foundation” maintains 150 km of trails that are considered by many to be the finest cross-country ski trails in the Eastern United States. We offer guests a family-friendly base lodge, top quality groomed cross-country skiing trails, purpose-built snowshoe trails, a superb ski school, fast and friendly service in our first-rate rental shop and a retail shop with excellent ski gear.

Though our mission remains the same as when we started back in 1972, times have changed a little over the past four decades and Jackson Ski Touring is also focused on addressing some of the social and environmental challenges we face today. Through the sport of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, JSTF strives to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, reconnect people with the natural world in this technological age, and protect our natural resources through conservation easements and professionally developed forest stewardship plans.

Board Of Directors

We are so fortunate to have an amazing group of people on our Board

(This section of our website is currently being updated and improved. Thank you for bearing with us.)

Debony Diehl

Debony Diehl

President

A lifelong resident of Mt. Washington Valley, Debony Deihl enjoys the unique opportunity she has to live in a place where she can make a living, have skiing, biking, and the outdoors be part of her daily life, and also participate in an organization that is helping others access recreation. Having the trails of Jackson Ski Touring Foundation almost out the door of her busy and popular Debony Salon in Jackson Village and being part of the JSTF board allow her to do just that.
She notes that the Jackson community decided many years ago to make cross-country skiing and recreation a big part of their lives and businesses and they’ve been successful. Participating in JSTF’s mission to connect people to the White Mountain National Forest, to the collective land that local landowners have generously shared with JSTF, and to be a steward of it all is especially rewarding to Deihl. She welcomes interactions with the board, with the community, and with Jackson visitors to learn where there are challenges and also opportunities that can be cultivated.
She notes that as JSTF celebrates its 50th anniversary it will work to continue its close relationships with the landowners and will also to work with other organizations in the Valley to communicate all that the region has to offer. Deihl looks forward to JSTF developing new youth programs, expanding programs for the aging community as well, and continuing to provide world class outdoor recreation for everyone in between.

Ken Kimball

Ken Kimball

Vice President

Ken Kimball, a former high school and college cross-country skiing competitor who still races masters events, considers Nordic skiing one of the best life sports for health and fitness. That was an important reason he and his wife bought a house within walking distance of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation trails in 1983. Prior to joining the board of directors, Ken volunteered to help at many of the major events held at JSTF, such as the World Nordic Championships for the Disabled in 1990 and the U.S.S.A.’s Junior Olympics in 2000.
As the longtime director of research for the Appalachian Mountain Club and now retired, he has both a love of outdoor recreation and extensive knowledge of the spectrum of x-c skier abilities, permitting and other environmental issues. His experience is frequently helpful to JSTF when it wants to modify or build new trails .
Kimball notes that JSTF’s original goal was to bring winter business to Jackson Village, which it has done. Now, he says it has evolved to become an extremely important part of the activities for many in the larger White Mountain Valley community and beyond, offering everything from serious racing, recreation for those just wanting to enjoy the outdoors, programs for the local grammar school children to introduce them to cross-country skiing, to land and trail protection with summer walking opportunities. He appreciates the opportunity to give back to a sport that has given him so many great life experiences and friends.

Bill Ballou

Bill Ballou

Treasurer

As an outdoor sports enthusiast, Bill Ballou has been skiing Jackson Ski Touring Foundation’s Nordic trails since 1990 when he and his wife first purchased a vacation home in the area. A Certified Public Accountant, Bill has brought his extensive experience as a chief financial officer in the retail, manufacturing, distribution, and service sectors to JSTF as board treasurer since 2014. In that role, he focuses on providing the board with professional, precise, and usable financial reports to facilitate strategic decisions.
Now a fulltime resident and retired since 2014, he definitely enjoys that Jackson is a premier venue for Nordic skiing, providing both a good product and superior customer experience for locals and for those who visit. He notes that it is clearly one of the economic engines in the Jackson community thanks to the many people who come to Jackson primarily for the cross country skiing experience.

Marianne Borowski

Marianne Borowski

Secretary

In her “first career,” Marianne Borowski was an innovative and successful protein biochemist during the early years of biotech. After moving to Mt. Washington Valley in 2003 she embarked on what one might call her second career teaching cross country skiing at the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation, eventually becoming the director of the ski school. Now you might say she’s on to her third career as a board member of JSTF in addition to serving as President and Founder of the Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail and Vice President of the New Hampshire Rail Trails Coalition. And, oh yes, in between all that she biked across the U.S.
Marianne feels that her time spent as a cross country ski instructor interacting with both JSTF clients and staff helps her bring a unique perspective to the board. As an almost daily skier during the winter, she checks out the conditions and interacts regularly with others on the trails—her friends, season pass holders, and the people from all over the world who are attracted to the area by the diversity of ski options. Marianne also enjoys chatting with the JSTF staff on the trails and in the lodge, enabling her to bring their good ideas directly from the trails to the board.
Like others on the board and in the ski industry, Marianne feels the biggest challenge Jackson Ski Touring faces is climate change. She is working with the board as they consider adding snowmaking to extend the ski season and make the lower elevation trails more resistant to low-snow winters.

Dr. Richard Anderson

Dr. Richard Anderson

Board Member

Back in 1984, Dr. Richard Anderson and his family decided to move to Jackson thanks to a snowfall map he investigated that indicated the village was in one of the highest snow belts in New England. “I wanted to live some place where I could not just be a professional, but I could actually be living on the land, with the land, and enjoying sports every day.”
Well, he’s found that in Jackson where his two children, whom he had out skiing, both cross country and downhill at a mere two-and-a-half years old, were raised. A lifelong skier himself, Richard proudly notes that his children both became racers.
In his work life, Richard established an outpatient mental health clinic called Mental Health Associates of Jackson in 1988 and has been on the medical staff of North Conway’s Memorial Hospital for 33 years.
That he cares deeply about the area is evidenced by his chairing the Wildcat River Advisory Commission that established rules for the protection and monitoring of the Wildcat River corridor.
Since he has lived in Jackson, however, the snowfall levels have decreased in some years leading him to strongly advocate for snowmaking for the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation. “My interest in being on the board of directors is to create a lasting snowmaking system for the center,” he notes. He is currently the chairman of the snowmaking committee and is happy that initial snowmaking is coming this season.
Richard, a JSTF “landowner,” has always hosted Jackson cross country trails on his property. In addition, he developed an easement on his property for Wildcat Valley trails and a parcel on which to build a cabin for skiers’ overnight use.
“People who live here or visit here love to experience the land and the variety of weather,” he says. “I think Jackson has become a very special ski area in terms of providing varying experiences in cross country for all levels.”

John Higgins

John Higgins

Board Member

Having founded and run two Massachusetts-based manufacturing companies, John brings his nearly 40 years of entrepreneurship and hands-on experience to his position on the board of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation. His contributions run the gamut from helping with IT issues all the way to working on maintaining the trails. He has made a big difference in the Foundation’s office efficiency by updating JSTF’s computers, website, and communications capabilities. On the other hand, John’s efforts can also be experienced by JSTF’s skiers, especially on the Wave trail, thanks to his mowing and removing rocks to make sure trails are more skiable during lower snow conditions.
Among John’s goals for JSTF is continuing to refine the trail system. Noting that one of the themes of the Foundation’s 50-year celebration is connectivity, he looks forward to seeing the connection of more trail networks to increase operation efficiency, which would also give Jackson’s skiers more easy-to-get-to options.
An active and longtime skier (both Alpine and Nordic), hiker, bicyclist, and sports enthusiast, John and his wife Pat bought their home in Mt. Washington Valley in 2000 after coming here often to pursue those interests. They moved up permanently when he retired in 2015 to enjoy what he describes as the culture and aura of the White Mountains and Jackson and its trail system. He has served on the board since 2016.

Cory Schwartz

Cory Schwartz

Board Member

“I have skied in almost every state and the combination of the ski trails, accommodations and quaint restaurants makes Jackson a perfect place to enjoy the sport of cross country skiing.”

First skiing on Jackson Ski Touring Foundation trails nearly 50 years ago gives Center Conway native Cory Schwartz an helpful perspective as he joins the JSTF board of directors.

Progressing quickly as a ski racer when given the opportunity on the Kennett High School Team he entered the world of competitive skiing, racing and training at JSTF himself and then, as leader of his extremely successful--he led the Wildcats to 31 Top-10 NCAA placements--42-year career as coach of the University of New Hampshire cross country team.

“Once I became coach at UNH, we always hosted our camps and races at Jackson due to my connection,” he says. “I would hear from skiers from other schools after each competition that they wished we raced every year at Jackson XC. They loved the area, the trails, and being able to walk out the door to the competition.”

Now retired from coaching but still very active, Cory is looking forward to skiing on his JSTF favorite, the Ellis River Trail, “on an easy day,” and “on harder days” on the Wave and the race course.
“The Jackson cross country trails create wonderful memories for those who ski,” he says. “That brings people back to the region both in the winter and in the summer.”

Cory and his wife Julie come up from Dover regularly to enjoy just getting out on the trails. While acknowledging that snowmaking is a must these days, he hopes that Jackson keeps its many options of what he describes as “just a simple day of skiing.”

Chris Wejchert

Chris Wejchert

Board Member

Chris Wejchert often visited the Mount Washington Valley during his high school and college days as a hiker and climber. He and his wife, who met each other in Wolfeboro, NH, first skied at Jackson in the 1990s. Their two sons were raised Nordic skiing, including participating in the Bill Koch league chapter in the Berkshires. Chris started Nordic skiing recreationally while at the University of Maine, mostly as a means to approach winter climbs, and became quickly attached to its offering of exertion, solitude and connection with the natural world.

Chris began his career as a history teacher and coach at an independent boarding school. After earning a graduate degree in international relations with a focus in finance, Chris worked in banking for seven years. He happily returned to working in education as a Chief Financial Officer at three New England boarding schools, until his retirement in 2021. After owning a vacation home for many years in southern Vermont (where they skied regularly at nearby ski centers), he and his wife moved to Jackson from Boston’s North Shore, in large part to be close to the extensive Jackson trails. Having tried his hand (and skis) at some races in Vermont and New Hampshire, Chris believes the Jackson system is one of the best in the northeast, if not the country. Its offering of a trail system across all levels of difficulty and terrain puts it in a special place as a resource for local skiers and their families, but also as a tourist destination. Chris believes firmly in the benefits of cross country skiing for people of all ages and backgrounds, and feels it to be one of the greatest and purist life sports. The Keeney and Hall Trails are Chris’s favorites, but he also enjoys skiing at Prospect Farm or Woodchuck Trail whenever possible.

Kevin Killourie

Kevin Killourie

Board Member

If you see Kevin Killourie out on the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation trails, you can bet that he’ll be skate skiing. He’s not picky about what trail he skis, just heads to where the grooming and conditions seem to be the best at the time. He’s often joined by his children, Lily, 13, and Brigham, 11. In addition to cross country skiing, the family are also alpine skiers and even take to the backcountry now and again.
As the “ Professional Mountain Lifestyle Realtor” at Badger, Peabody, and Smith Realty, Kevin considers JSTF as much more than just a great place to ski. He feels the extensive trail network that has been established is an important factor for people looking to buy property and live in Jackson. Not only does JSTF provide convenient recreation, it also creates value for the homes located on or near the trails. Kevin calls the ski trails a “community highway” where you often run into friends or acquaintances and can have a quick chat to catch up. He feels it makes the community of Jackson that much stronger.
As he joins the JSTF board in looking toward the future, Kevin sees a continuation of the development of a trail network that is attractive to skiers of all abilities, plus continual work to make the skiing better during low snow conditions. He emphasizes that the Jackson landowners who allow cross country skiing on their property are particularly important. And, as both a realtor and a JSTF board member, he really appreciates those who give JSTF permanent easements.

Bengt Karlsson

Bengt Karlsson

Board Member

A native of Sweden, Bengt Karlsson was drawn to Jackson Village by the Jackson Ski Touring trails thanks in large part to his love of Nordic skiing. He and his wife Kathryn permanently moved here from their longtime home in Providence in 2005.
Bengt was an avid xc racer for many years and has qualified five times as a Worldloppet Master by competing in ski races around the world. (To be designated a Worldloppet Master, one must compete in at least 10 different Worldloppet races, with at least one of them being on a different continent.)
Bengt brings both his design and engineering skills from his former work life and his extensive knowledge of ski terrain to the Jackson trails. Noting that there is a renewed interest in outdoor activities with more people coming to ski in Jackson, he is working to help JSTF provide new trails, which he feels is essential. A lot of his input also goes into the maintenance of and improvements to trails that the Foundation already has. He is also working with the board to help meet the very real challenge of climate change.
Since he grew up skiing and enjoying the outdoors, Bengt feels that one of the greatest accomplishments of JSTF, besides definitely making Jackson Village a popular winter destination over the Foundation’s first 50 years, is getting young people outdoors and fostering their interest in skiing.
And Bengt certainly practices what he preaches. As the father of seven children, his mission was to teach them to cross country ski and to turn them avid xc skiers. He accomplished that and now he is working on getting his 21 grandchildren out on the trails and becoming proficient skiers, too.

Fred Symmes

Fred Symmes

Board Member
Joel Bourassa

Joel Bourassa

Board Member

As general manager of Jackson’s Eagle Mountain House, Joel Bourassa brings decades of experience in hospitality and the ski industry to the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation board. This includes serving for five years as Ski New Hampshire’s International Director and seven three-year terms as a selectman in the town of Woodstock, N.H.
And his true love of outdoor activities, including cross country and downhill skiing, is definitely an extra qualification. Even his Husky dog, who Joel acquired before moving to the region and to which he gives credit for teaching him skijoring, is named Jackson.
While Joel has a professional relationship with Jackson Ski Touring via the Eagle Mountain House as they share maintenance buildings and JSTF trails are located on the hotel’s golf course, he is looking forward to expanding his participation in its future in his new position. He considers the foundation’s outstanding stewarding of the land its trails cross as one of its key contributions to Jackson as well as the center’s extensive network of trails being a major attraction and revenue generator for the community.
Noting that the Ellis River Trail is his favorite, Joel said, “Jackson is unique in the wide variety of trails and outdoor adventure it offers, providing cross country skiing for all abilities. Our job,” he added, “is to help it to continue to thrive and be the center of the Nordic skiing universe here in New Hampshire and New England.”

Mary Beth Cahill-Warlick

Mary Beth Cahill-Warlick

Board Member
Carl Swenson

Carl Swenson

Board Member
Sheryl Bunker

Sheryl Bunker

Board Member

While Sheryl Bunker grew up in Conway and started out as a downhill skier at Cranmore “every day from first to last chair,” she developed a love for cross-country skiing early on.

“I began skiing cross country in junior high at Whittaker Woods and raced for Kennett High School during ‘double sessions,’ a time when high school was released daily at 12:30,” says Sheryl. In high school, she even raced in the “Skinny Ski Races” held in Jackson in the early days of XC skiing in Jackson thanks to the Jack Frost Ski Shop.

Sheryl’s education and career took her out of the area and included studying in Paris and living in London. As a French teacher at various schools, she also guided trips to Quebec for Winter Carnival and to France for student/family trips.

Despite, or maybe because of, all of this international adventure, she and her husband Mark Bunker were still drawn always return to their home town and the skiing at Jackson Ski Touring Foundation. “Once we moved back to New England,” Sheryl notes, “we bought season passes and have skied as often as possible ever since. Our children grew up skiing with us in Jackson and we have since introduced our grandchildren to cross country.”

Now splitting time between their home in Holliston, Mass., and the family homestead in North Conway, the Bunkers’ intention is to “return home to retire in the valley.”

As a JSTF board member, Sheryl hopes to help the foundation continue its outreach efforts to introduce diverse groups to cross-country skiing. “Jackson, with its quality grooming and varied terrain, really allows people to experience the rewards of a beautiful day outdoors in the winter,” she adds.

While Sheryl notes that JSTF clearly draws visitors to the town and generates significant economic benefits, she and her family are evidence that it definitely brings natives of the area back. “Wherever we ski,” she says, “we inevitably compare the experience to that offered by Jackson Ski Touring and we feel it has few competitors.”

Bylaws

Click here for Bylaws of Jackson Ski Touring Foundation, Inc.

Staff

Day to Day Operations

Jackson XC Logo
Ellen Chandler

Ellen Chandler

Executive Director

Ellen Chandler brings decades of Nordic skiing, both racing and recreational, and ski area management experience to Jackson XC. She works on the day-to-day operations and long range planning and looks forward to meeting fellow enthusiasts around town and on the trails.