Nansen Ski Club

Founded by a group of Norwegians in the late 1800s, today’s Nansen Ski Club, the oldest continuously-run ski club in the country, began in Berlin, New Hampshire under the name “Skiklubben.” Early historical articles of the Nansen Ski Club credited Olaf (Spike) Oleson with sparking interest in skiing when he arrived in Berlin. With pine boards from the sawmill, he fashioned the first pair of skis with steel bindings ever made in New England. He made skis for himself and his friends while assembling a core of some nine Norwegian immigrants that formed the club.

A long line of old-timers from the club report that the group got its beginnings in 1872, while clear signs point to activity surely being underway by 1882, most notably with competitive events in ski jumping and cross-country. Ski jumping was held on a crude ski jump built over a fence near the local mill’s dynamite house on Brown Avenue, (now Heritage Street). Skiklubben quickly expanded and was renamed “The Berlin Mills Ski Club” in 1886, which reflected the name of the employer of most of the club’s members. At this time, ski jumping moved from Brown Avenue to a tract of land known as Paine’s Pasture (owned by Samuel Paine) where jumping in Berlin primarily happened for the next 40 years. Multiple jumps were built over time at Paine’s with each new one becoming larger and sending skiers flying faster and longer. One such tower constructed in 1897, launched the first human known to ski jump through a ring of fire – Adolph Oleson. Adolph was also reported to be the first person to somersault off of a Berlin jump, finally succeeding after a number of earnest attempts; which was quite a feat given the equipment of that time.

Inspired by the achievements of the Norwegian explorer, scientist, and diplomat, Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen; the club was renamed “Skiklubben Fridtjof Nansen” around 1905-1907. Nansen made the first crossing of the Greenland interior on cross-country skis in 1888 and was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922. Fridtjof visited Berlin in 1929, meeting with members of the club and enjoying a parade through the city in his honor. Originally made up exclusively of Scandanavians, the club opened its membership to men of all nationalities. The name of the club would later be changed to “Nansen Ski Club” to spare non-Scandanavian folks the challenge of pronouncing his first name.

Throughout the life of the club, a network of Nordic ski trails was maintained by the club – first located on Cates Hill and then later in the 1960s on the east side of Berlin near Success Loop. In 2006, the land hosting the 40 km trail system was sold by its private owner and the club’s membership dipped well below 100 members. Through the quick work of the Nansen Ski Club board of that time, a new trail system was established at Milan Hill State Park, where the club’s trails are located today. The trail system was designed by Olympic cross-country trail designer, John Morton.

In 2011, the Nansen Ski Jump was named a historical landmark, and the club registered as a 501c3 organization. Work continued in building membership, expanding the trail system, and raising funds, which led to the construction of a solar-powered, wifi-enabled, timber frame warming hut at the park in 2016. The project was the product of cooperation between the Nansen board, the NH Division of State Parks, and residents and businesses of the local community.