Tenney Mountain Ski Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tenney Mountain Ski Resort |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Plymouth / Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire |
| Nearest city | Plymouth, New Hampshire |
| Coordinates | 43°44′16″N 71°47′01″W / 43.73778°N 71.78361°W |
| Vertical | 1,400 ft (430 m) |
| Top elevation | 2,149 ft (655 m) |
| Base elevation | 749 ft (228 m) |
| Skiable area | 110 acres (45 ha) |
| Runs | 45 13% Novice 56% Intermediate 31% Advanced |
| Lift system | 1 triple, 1 double, 1 platter/tubing lift |
| Terrain parks | Yes |
| Snowmaking | 85% of terrain |
| Website | www.skiTENNEY.com |
Tenney Mountain Ski Resort is a fun place to ski and snowboard in Plymouth, New Hampshire. It's located on Tenney Mountain. This resort was open for 45 years, then closed in 2010. But don't worry, it reopened for skiing and riding in March 2018!
Contents
The History of Tenney Mountain Ski Resort
The first ski trails on Tenney Mountain were created in 1959. For the first few years, until 1964, the resort only used T-bar lifts. These lifts pull skiers up the mountain while they stay on their skis.
Building New Lifts: Growing the Resort
In 1964, Tenney Mountain built a new Stadeli chairlift. This was a "double chair," meaning it could carry two people at a time. This new lift, called the "Hornet Double," opened on January 10, 1965. It helped make Tenney Mountain the biggest ski area in its region. Five new trails were also opened for skiers to enjoy.
In 1970, another double chairlift was built. This one was made by Heron-Poma. Later, in 1987, this second double chair was replaced. A new Borvig triple chairlift, called the "Eclipse," took its place. A "triple chair" can carry three people at once. There were plans to build an even higher triple chairlift, but it never happened.
After this, Bill Krikorian bought Tenney. He changed the resort's name to "Lookout." It closed for a while in the 1990s. Later, it reopened and went back to being called Tenney Mountain.
New Snowmaking Technology and Challenges
In 2002, the ski area was sold again. The new owners planned to invest a lot of money in a new snowmaking system. This system was called SnowMagic. It was designed to make snow all year round, even when it wasn't cold outside. However, making snow all year was very expensive. By 2004, the resort had to stop using the year-round snowmaking system.
The resort did not open for the 2010-2011 ski season. This was because of money problems. On December 15, 2010, Tenney Mountain was sold to a company from New York City. This company also bought a large amount of land near the ski area.
Tenney Mountain Development Group Takes Over
On October 17, 2014, a new company called Tenney Mountain Development Group (TMDG) was started. This group bought the ski area for $1.25 million. In early 2015, TMDG started to clear away five years of brush and plants that had grown on the mountain's trails.
The main lodge building was also fixed up. It got a new roof, kitchen, and bathrooms. The company shared updates on social media, showing how the resort was getting ready to reopen. They checked the chairlifts and looked at the snow conditions.
Getting Ready for the 2015-2016 Season
TMDG worked hard to prepare the resort. They fixed the chairlifts and repaired the snowmaking system. They also bought new snow grooming machines and snowmaking equipment. The resort planned to open on December 15, 2015.
However, the winter weather was not good. There wasn't enough natural snow, and it was too warm to make much snow. Many other ski resorts in New England faced the same problems. Because of this, Tenney Mountain could not open during that season.
When the resort closed in 2009, its buildings and equipment were left without care. The snowmaking system was left full of water. This caused the pipes to break when the water froze in winter. Roads on the mountain were not kept up, and some parts of the buildings were damaged or missing. On January 5, 2016, Tenney Mountain finally started making snow again. They used special snow guns borrowed from another ski area.
Updates for 2016-2017 and 2018
During 2016, Tenney Mountain worked on fixing and improving the Hornet double chairlift. They hoped to have it checked by the state in June. On June 13, 2016, the Hornet lift passed its inspection and was ready to go! The resort also worked to find and fix broken pipes in the snowmaking system.
The mountain announced that it was very close to opening in January 2017. However, it never fully opened for lift-served skiing that season. People were still allowed to hike up the mountain to ski down if they wanted to. The resort continued to clear trails and do maintenance work through 2017.
Finally, after telling the town about their plans for the mountain, Tenney Mountain opened for snow-tubing on February 17, 2018. Then, on March 8, 2018, Tenney Mountain officially reopened for skiing and snowboarding with its lifts running!
Mountain Facts and Figures
Tenney Mountain has 45 ski trails. These trails cover an area of 110 acres (45 ha). Skiers and snowboarders can use three different lifts to get up the mountain. These include a triple chairlift, a double chairlift, and a Pomalift.
The highest point of the ski area is 2,149 feet (655 m) above sea level. The base, or bottom, of the mountain is at 749 feet (228 m). This means the vertical drop, or the height difference from top to bottom, is 1,400 feet (430 m).
