Tenney Mountain 2017-2018

newpylong

Buy a ski area with your own cash and then you can do with it as you please.

NewEnglandSkier13

Have you been following their progress updates and future plans? They aren’t opening the mountain until they are sure that it will be fully functional, at least in one pod. Future plans first call for snowmaking expansion, then possibly a new summit lift. They aren’t trying to get ahead of themselves like some places do. I think their work should be a model for future ski area reopenings.

obienick

Wow, what’s with the hate?  Have you not seen the amount they’ve accomplished the past 18 months or so?  They are only a real ski area if they have a high speed quad, else it’s some guys with a hobby?  You serious? So Smuggs, Bolton, Mad River Glen, Magic, and Saddleback and all other places without a HSQ aren’t the real deal? You do realize a HSQ is $6M while they can just spend a few thousand on bringing these back to life, right?

obienick

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“bubblecuffer”>WTF is a tree gun?  Unwise.</blockquote>

NewEnglandSkier13

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”><blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“bubblecuffer”>WTF is a tree gun?  Unwise.</blockquote>

Old air hogs mounted by old management up in trees.  A lot of ski areas tinkered with making their own tower guns (to improve production and efficiency) in the 80s.  They found them when they cleared the trails.  If you look carefully, you can see the tree growing around the horizontal support indicating it’s been there a long time.</blockquote>A post on their Facebook page doesn’t state the manufacture, but says they were not homemade. Similar tree mounted guns can be found at Lost Valley.

obienick

Someone had to make the gun itself, yes, but I’d bet the mounting is a homemade bodge job.

NewEnglandSkier13

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”>Someone had to make the gun itself, yes, but I’d bet the mounting is a homemade bodge job.</blockquote>That would make sense.

riverc0il

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”>Wow, what’s with the hate?  Have you not seen the amount they’ve accomplished the past 18 months or so?  They are only a real ski area if they have a high speed quad, else it’s some guys with a hobby?  You serious? So Smuggs, Bolton, Mad River Glen, Magic, and Saddleback and all other places without a HSQ aren’t the real deal? You do realize a HSQ is $6M while they can just spend a few thousand on bringing these back to life, right?</blockquote>

The only hate is that being directed towards folks calling a spade a spade. bobbutts made a great point. 18 months without opening and only plans to spin the triple this season (they ain’t going to get enough natural for the double, the place just doesn’t get much snow) seems not great considering the social media hype. 

That is fine but I think it is legit commentary to note that they have spent a LOT of time hyping the area and the work they have done without having anything to practically show for it yet. They over promised and under delivered on operations last season. Opening the triple last season would have been a solid accomplishment. Not having the summit double open going into their second season of fixes seems odd. 

The area definitely doesn’t need a HSQ. I’ll count Smuggs and MRG as to of my top three favorite areas, so I “get it” when it comes to areas with all fixed grips. But they need to get the place open top to bottom and think long and hard about how to replace that double. Doesn’t have to be a high speed lift, fixed grip with a carpet has done wonders for many areas.

newpylong

I have my reservations about the development but over promised and under delivered to whom? It’s been a best effort attempt at re-opening from the start. They haven’t taken any customer money. Who has he unimpressed except some armchair ski area operators on the Internet?

Like I said, his money, he can do what he wants and go at his own pace. Doesn’t effect anyone else.

rickbolger

Not to speak for rivercOil –  a little perspective, I recall Riv did or has been living/working Plymouth area?  Would explain his POV, I don’t think it’s hate at all, just passionate, and I imagine locals are exposed to a lot more publicity and hype than the rest of us, so expectations tend to be higher simply because of proximity.  

ME2VTskier

I’m not worried. I’d rather they keep on with the thoughtful in-depth study on the repairs they are undertaking. Do it right the first time, not half-assed, so you don’t have to go back and fix it AGAIN any time soon.I’m sure another item, that they don’t talk about quite as publicly, is that they are probably waiting to see how that lawsuit they are involved in turns out. That may A LOT more to do with it than any of us realize.They’ve covered a ton of work in the past couple years. It doesn’t happen overnight, but I’m willing to bet a round at the bar, that we’ll all have the opportunity to ski there this winter, as long a Mother Nature decides to co-ooperate this winter. ;)

IBRAKEFORTBARS

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“ME2VTskier”>I’m not worried. I’d rather they keep on with the thoughtful in-depth study on the repairs they are undertaking. Do it right the first time, not half-assed, so you don’t have to go back and fix it AGAIN any time soon.I’m sure another item, that they don’t talk about quite as publicly, is that they are probably waiting to see how that lawsuit they are involved in turns out. That may A LOT more to do with it than any of us realize.They’ve covered a ton of work in the past couple years. It doesn’t happen overnight, but I’m willing to bet a round at the bar, that we’ll all have the opportunity to ski there this winter, as long a Mother Nature decides to co-ooperate this winter. ;) </blockquote>

I’m with you on this. I follow the Tenney Mt developments very closely. The infrastructure work: whether the lodge, the lifts, the snowmaking, or even the lower parking lot all have found to take considerable time and expense. I’m certain Mike at Tenney has a solid business plan in place for the mountain taking into account ways to be profitable beyond a winter product.

IBRAKE

bubblecuffer

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“obienick”><blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“bubblecuffer”>WTF is a tree gun?  Unwise.</blockquote>

Thanks, I had no idea.  I’d be concerned about the liability of one coming undone, or, the tree falling.

newpylong

No more liability there than someone skiing into a ground gun or a light falling off a tree. But snow guns in trees are a horrible idea regardless.

lotsoskiing

They are being smart, IMO. They seem poised to open if conditions are right, and they are building a buzz through social media. Need help from Mother Nature, as do we all…

An example of a similar situation is one of my favorite little areas, Oak Mt. in NY. Previous owner went big: quad chair, snowmaking (both necessary, IMO) night skiing (not), tubing (big money maker), big, if ugly (think Crotched prefab) base lodge. Ran 7 days a week, many nights…lost money hand over foot. Left town. The town ran the place at a loss then got sick of it. The O’Brien family came in and with a cell phone company (towers at summit) footing much of the initial hit, started running it on a shoestring. Immediately scheduled many off-season events so there was always a buzz about what was happening at Oak. Yes, they were small, but they were on the local calendar. They moved to F/S/S and holiday only operation, night skiing once a week (if at all), and the tubing paid the freight. Added snowmobile hill climbs (sell lots of Bud Light), mt biking in summer and the big cash cow is weddings- booked solid and brings in not only off-season traffic but obviously keeps bottom line afloat. Locals are happy, as they re the second largest winter employer in the county (next to the gov’ment- county and state).

Keep things in manageable scale and be ready to roll out good product when conditions allow.

bobbutts

They were open not too many years ago with the triple and double and snowmaking and it was a ghost town when I visited on a perfect mid-winter day..  Like under a dozen visitors before a school group showed up.  I don’t see how they are going to succeed until they have a major improvement over that.  Running just the triple is not viable imo, I wouldn’t go there for a free ticket with just that pod, and I was one of the very few who actually would go to the place rather than just talk about it online.

bubblecuffer

If there is snow, people will go.  Both chairs have to be running though, full blast.

bobbutts

Note that most everyone online dumps on Tenney’s neighbor Waterville for having an antiquated lift system and lacking steep terrain.  They have ok snowmaking, 2 hsq’s, and a reasonable expert pod with far more sustained pitch than anything on Tenney.  Since Tenney last operated, their other neighbors at Loon have added a new pod and joined the elite of NE snowmaking.  Ragged replaced an aging chair with an HSQ and has generally upped their game and is pricing very aggressively.  Cannon added a pod and spent significantly on snowmaking too.

NewEnglandSkier13

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“bobbutts”>Note that most everyone online dumps on Tenney’s neighbor Waterville for having an antiquated lift system and lacking steep terrain.  They have ok snowmaking, 2 hsq’s, and a reasonable expert pod with far more sustained pitch than anything on Tenney.  Since Tenney last operated, their other neighbors at Loon have added a new pod and joined the elite of NE snowmaking.  Ragged replaced an aging chair with an HSQ and has generally upped their game and is pricing very aggressively.  Cannon added a pod and spent significantly on snowmaking too.</blockquote>…Which opens the market for a lower priced large ski area like Tenney!

bobbutts

<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“NewEnglandSkier13”><blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“bobbutts”>Note that most everyone online dumps on Tenney’s neighbor Waterville for having an antiquated lift system and lacking steep terrain.  They have ok snowmaking, 2 hsq’s, and a reasonable expert pod with far more sustained pitch than anything on Tenney.  Since Tenney last operated, their other neighbors at Loon have added a new pod and joined the elite of NE snowmaking.  Ragged replaced an aging chair with an HSQ and has generally upped their game and is pricing very aggressively.  Cannon added a pod and spent significantly on snowmaking too.</blockquote>…Which opens the market for a lower priced large ski area like Tenney!</blockquote>

I genuinely hope so.  I would much rather be wrong and have Tenney back than be right.

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