603Podcast with Dan Egan The people places of New Hampshire, Hosted by Dan Egan

New England Healing Sports Association (NEHSA) is a non-profit based at Mount Sunapee Resort committed to offering year-round outdoor activities to individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities. Over time, NEHSA has evolved from its initial focus on supporting veterans with physical disabilities to providing comprehensive assistance to anyone seeking their services (e.g. persons recovered from polio or strokes, individuals with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, parapleg...

The Balsams: Les Otten on the History and Revival of an Iconic New Hampshire ResortName: Les OttenRegion: Dixville Notch, Great Northwoods RegionLes Otten is the former CEO of The American Skiing Company with a lifelong career and passion for the New England ski industry. In 1971, Otten’s professional trajectory began as a lift mechanic where he worked his way through the ranks and began a fruitful career in ski area ownership and philanthropy. He has an eye for opportunity and a commitment t...

The Big Nansen Ski JumpRegion: Berlin, The Great North WoodsThe Nansen Ski Club was founded in 1872 and is one of the oldest ski clubs in the United States. The club is named after Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian explorer, scientist, and humanitarian. Between 1936-1938, the Big Nansen was the world’s tallest ski jump and was the site of the first ever ski jumping Olympic trials in 1938 and the FIS World Championships in 1939 which attracted more than 25,000 spectators who traveled to the Great N...

Dave Cropper is a born and bred New Hampshire beach bum. As owner of Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Co., in North Hampton, NH—which he has owned since he was 19, Cropper is a local expert on NH surf history and culture. In this episode of the 603podcast, Cropper shares with Dan Egan how the sport of surfing has exploded with the availability and affordability of wetsuits, boards, and the accessibility of surf forecasting and live wave cams.Folks come from far and wide to experience NH’s mild winters,...

Highland Bike Park was once known as Highland Ski Area which operated between 1968-1995 before closing due to mountain debts and dysfunction. In 2003, when the opportunity to buy the defunct ski resort coincided with the sale of his family’s fiber optic business, owner and founder Mark Hayes purchased the mountain. In an effort to preserve the place’s history and community, he created Highland Bike Park–same mountain, same name, new purpose. At the risk of sounding too bold, Hayes set o...

Ty Gagne, CEO of New Hampshire Public Risk Management Exchange (Primex), and author of the books Where You’ll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova and The Last Traverse: Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites, visited Dan Egan to record 603podcast’s first episode on what it means to adventure in New Hampshire, specifically in the infamously challenging White Mountains. Gagne got his first taste of the Whites in grade school on class trips to mountains like Choco...