Today marked my 11th day on skis this season and 11th unique ski area of the year over at Tenney. I usually only get a day or two at most in before January, so to be at double digits this early is quite nice. I drove up with two friends and arrived around 10am with temperatures sitting at about 38F. Much later start than I usually prefer, but I’m at the very end of fighting off whatever virus is going around these days and still felt a little groggy. Didn’t mind the extra sleep. Parking Lot 1 was about 80% full when we arrived, and was fully filled by the time we grabbed our lunch around 12:15.
Indy Pass retrieval was extremely quick and smooth. Probably the fastest time from handing my pass over to getting my RFID card reloaded I’ve experienced. The lodge renovations they did since I last visited two seasons ago looked great, and got comments from my companions about they were shocked how nice it was. It was busy during lunch, but not crowded - we found seats inside no problem. I got a Pacifico to go with my PB&J. I’ll always appreciate a deviation from the normal selection.
Ski conditions were pretty solid over the course of the day. Not much in the way of ice or powder; hardpack persisted throughout the day. Giving the warm conditions the last couple days, I was OK with that. Trail count started the day at 28, but dropped all the way down to 18 by the time we were on our second lap. More was certainly skiable, but would have required a lot of signage to prevent people from falling into hidden water bars. I get why they had to close those trails.
Bright side - today was the perfect day to be at Tenney. Warm weather makes sitting on the Hornet’s long, long ride tolerable and even somewhat enjoyable. The seats are large, soft and angled nicely. Frankly, its one of the most comfortable rides you can find aside from those fancy bubble chairs.
Lights Out got a bit sketchy - probably the most icy out of any trail. Trails off the Eclipse softened earlier than the rest, getting more sun than others. Morning Glory on trail map left was the best run of the day, being consistently mashed potatoes over the course of several hours. The rest of the trails open were plenty of fun - I and my companions all enjoyed the undulating hills and winding turns on each of them. Classic New England skiing at its finest.
Despite signs up saying last ride up was at 3:45, the lifties were waving people on all the way up until 4pm - always appreciated. We didn’t quite push it that far, but we did take one final ride up the Eclipse chair 5 minutes late at 3:50pm.
Afterward, we were in no rush and decided to stop in at The Last Chair Brewery just 5 minutes down the road. It was packed with skiers from both Tenney and Cannon predominately, mixed with some locals (easily identified as those participating in their Mug Club). The Apres Maple Cream Ale may have been the most maple-infused beer I’ve tasted. It was delicious. We ordered some tater tots, a dip and a pizza to go with our drinks. I went to grab a 4-pack of the maple ales to bring home, but unfortunately they were out. I settled for the vanilla porter, of which I’m sipping on now while I write this.
I thoroughly enjoyed my return to 10e, and hope to return again this season (ideally after a big snow storm). I’d really like to get back in their glades, but would like to do a bit of touring up the grown in trails above the lifts as well as take a light tour along the wind turbine road on the ridgeline, which evidently doesn’t get plowed as was easily apparent viewing from a distance.
