The club was established by Norwegian immigrants who settled in the Androscoggin River Valley to work in the region's paper mills. Bringing with them centuries-old Scandinavian skiing traditions, they formed an organized ski club to preserve their cultural heritage and promote skiing as both a recreational activity and a competitive sport. In its early years, the organization was known as Skiklubben, later becoming the Berlin Mills Ski Club and Berlin Falls Ski Club before adopting the name Nansen Ski Club in honor of famed Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, and champion skier Fridtjof Nansen, whose achievements inspired skiers around the world.

Over the decades, the Nansen Ski Club became one of the driving forces behind the growth of organized skiing in the United States. It organized ski jumping and cross-country skiing competitions long before the sport gained widespread popularity in North America, helping establish many of the traditions that shaped American skiing. The club attracted athletes from across the United States and Canada and played a key role in developing generations of competitive ski jumpers and Nordic skiers. Through its programs, competitions, and community involvement, it helped transform skiing from a cultural pastime practiced mainly by Scandinavian immigrants into a mainstream winter sport embraced throughout the region.

One of the club's greatest achievements came in 1937 with the construction of the Big Nansen Ski Jump, an imposing venue that was the largest ski jump in the United States at the time. Built with support from the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, the hill quickly became one of North America's premier ski jumping facilities. In 1938, it hosted the first U.S. Olympic ski jumping trials, marking an important milestone in American winter sports. Over the following decades, the jump welcomed numerous national championships, international competitions, and elite athletes, cementing Berlin, New Hampshire, as one of the country's leading centers for Nordic skiing and ski jumping.

Unlike many early ski clubs that eventually dissolved or merged into other organizations, the Nansen Ski Club has remained in continuous operation for more than 150 years. Although competitive ski jumping at the historic Big Nansen Ski Jump ended after the structure deteriorated, the club itself continued its activities without interruption. Today, volunteers maintain Nordic ski trails, preserve the historic ski jump site, organize youth skiing programs, and host community events celebrating the region's skiing heritage.

According to the Internet