tenney mountain

[rainman19]

I realize this is off topic for the site but I have a lot of respect for people's opinions on this site.

I have young kids - 7, 6, 4. I was thinking about skiing Tenny Mountain this winter and I wanted to get anyone's thoughts on the place.

thanks in advance.

 

[Hillwalker]

Wha?

Is it open? Last I knew it shut down a few years ago. Oops, my bad. It is, or was last winter.

Anyway we used to take our elementary school kids there on Wednesday afternoons for winter PE. Nice little mountain, but a bit lift challenged. Few and slow.

I say, go for it.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Wondered the same thing myself, then asked Google: Tenney Mountain Ski Area:

Tenney Mountain 2009-10 Season Passes are now on sale!

 

[Quietman]

They have been up and down for many years now. Bankrupt, new owners , then bankrupt again. I wouldn't buy a seasons pass for fear of not getting money back. Was going to ski there once but the lifts were on wind hold so we went elsewhere. Maybe I'll try again this year.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

My sister-in-law's kids learned to ski there. If you ski under the triple, they have better snow and reasonable lift times. The doubles on the big / advanced part of the mountain are S L O W and the grooming / snowmaking / conditions have been poor, in my experience. It's not as crowded over that part as a result.

Tim

 

[TDawg]

Worked lifts there for a winter my sophomore year in college at Plymouth.

I remember the summit double took 13 minutes to the top which is ridiculous for what little elevation you get. Skinny "New-England style" trails, some good glades.

Could be good for your situation though with a young family, just not for me.

I think EMS bought it a couple years ago but it looks like it has changed hands again since then.

 

[Silverfox]

I skied Tenney many times a few years back when a friend had free passes...HELLO!!!

Pros...not crowded..some nice classic new england terrain..narrow in spots trails which hold the snow nicely..seperate beginner area..which coincidentally marked my return to skiing after a 20 year volleyball induced hiatus..decent lodge and parking..in a snow belt..in a big snow year tenney scores..
the newer lift off to skiers left has some great cruising trails
if you like ungroomed gnarley trails with bumps you can find them here

great views

Cons.. the summit lift makes the old Gunstock lift look fast..very little in the way of snowmaking..many of the runs have an odd sidehill/double fall line cant even on the flatter sections which can get tiresome
several intersecting trails
lifts are seperate and sometimes hard to get to requiring some manuvering


all that being said

a pretty friendly place and a good place to learn...or relearn all over again..worked for me

enjoy

 

[BobC]

If you're not set on being on a real mountain and don't mind going to just a "ski area", I'd recommend King Pine. Took my kids there a couple of times last year and we had a good time. One of the things I like about it (although you can probably do this at other places) is that I was able to buy cheaper tickets that just let us use the beginner lift, so I didn't have to pay the full price when we weren't really going to go on the harder trails.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Most mountains, in my experience, have a beginner area and lift ticket to go with with. Most also have an afternoon ticket (12:00 or 12:30 on) for the newer skier who isn't up for the whole day. The downside of the half-day is the trails are more bumped up (less freshly groomed) by then.

One year I got two tickets with a 40-pack from Ski93. I only used one - it wasn't worth it to me to spend a second day there. YMMV. My wife, who's skied since she could walk, recalls enjoying the place when she was growing up - but it hasn't changed much since - every area had a 13-15 minute double chair to the top. You had lift lines at the bottom instead of a mob scene when you get off on top.

Take up XC skiing. It's much better for you, it's cheaper, and probably greener too.

Tim

 

[DougPaul]

Most mountains, in my experience, have a beginner area and lift ticket to go with with. Most also have an afternoon ticket (12:00 or 12:30 on) for the newer skier who isn't up for the whole day. The downside of the half-day is the trails are more bumped up (less freshly groomed) by then.

Many areas have both morning and afternoon half-days.

Doug

 

[buddy]

My inlaws live near Tenney Mountain so I stop in and check it out once in a while. It was open last year in a very minimal way. Having said that, if you want to experience what skiing in New England was like in the 1960's and 70's you should go for it. Narrow trails, minimal grooming and I didn't notice any snowmaking going on last year. I love down hill skiing, and I esp. love the smaller areas that have more of a natural mountain feel rather than a Six Flags feel. Without snow making most of those areas have gone by the wayside so I've more fully embraced my second favorite sport, Nordic skiing.
If you enjoy bushwhacking, the Hills/mountains surrounding Tenney offer some really excellent, backcountry feeling, opportunities to strap on the snow shoes, grab some local topo's and explore some pretty rugged terrain. Buddy