AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge: Tenney Mountain

[Greg]

Charlie Richey from Tenney Mountain also agreed to take the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge! This is your chance to get official answers to your ski-related questions direct from a Northeast ski resort representative! Please post some suggested questions in this thread and I'll select ten to present for official responses.

As always, please be respectful of Charlie and keep it civil. Also, please refrain from asking specifics about skier visit numbers, financials, demographic information, etc. Tenney needs to be discrete about certain information.

Ask away!

 

[thetrailboss]

Snow Reporting, Tenney's Future.

Charlie--

First, let me say that it is great to speak to a real person from Tenney. The computerized phone system from this winter was tedious and I will elaborate below.

I was very interested in visiting your mountain. I like the small mountain niche, having skied at Burke all of my life. Regrettably, I should comment that it is unlikely that I will return and almost certain that my girlfriend will not.

In the interest of time and space, you can read the synopsis of my experiences here (http://www.rsn.com/community/usnhtenney/read_review.html?review_id=226010&review_index=0).

First question is will there be any improvements in your snow reporting? Our experience from this season was frustrating to say the least and I can no longer gamble on a visit. The reports I heard and saw were conflicting and dated. The conditions on my last visit were nowhere near what was reported both the previous day and that morning (which was the same report). I felt misled.

Also, perhaps you could have a direct snowphone line, updated regularly (and on the day reported) and accurately so that we don't have to spend ten minutes on the phone listening to irrelevant info and trying to make a decision.

Second, and what a lot of people are interested in knowing, is if you are filing Chapter 11 or some other form of bankruptcy? I understand that some of these issues are sensitive in the industry, but if you could comment on the 2004-5 season and future plans, that would be great.

Hopefully the constructive criticism will help you improve your mountain.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

When will you open for the 2004-2005 Season?

 

[skatecow45]

will u be open on july 4th this year??? i really hope so, or else i gotta wait even more time to hit the slopes

 

[eatskisleep]

Hello, first off, glad to see you are doing the downhill biking this season. Will you continue to cut trails for the biking as well as maybe even open it every weekend in the summer-time. I heard the biking is not from the top of the mountain, if not, why not, and will it ever be from the top? Could we look forward to the ICS Snowmagic system operating in the future and possible on the 4th of July. Thanks

 

[Greg]

I shipped ten questions off to Charlie.

 

[Greg]

Charlie's responses are in:

http://skiing.alpinezone.com/articles/challenge/response.htm?resort=tenney

 

[Joshua B]

Eh :-? No questions about failing to deliver on their original snowmaking propoganda claims, dancing around the intermittent snow reporting issue...

I'm not that impressed.

 

[rekcahza]

Eh :-? No questions about failing to deliver on their original snowmaking propoganda claims, dancing around the intermittent snow reporting issue...
I'm not that impressed.

I have to agree with that one. They should just be honest and say it was an ambitious idea that didn't work out.

 

[riverc0il]

i think their proposed opening date indicates two things while not overtly said:

a) the summer time skiing idea was too ambitious and failed and
b) they still feel snowmagic can allow them to open first in the usa

so i think it's a mixed bag on the snowmaking issue. also, i didn't see a question specifically asked about snowmagic, so i find it hard to critisize about a lack of answer when the question was not propositioned. eatskisleep eluded to the system and got an answer specifically geared to his july question. also the opening date was mentioned which can only be made reality with that particular system. i don't think they need to come out and say they sunk a lot of money into something that fizzled when everyone knows it... though it would have been nice and forthcoming and allow the possibility of turning a negative into a positive. i think tenney is better prepared for the challenges they will face in getting the area open by october 1st this year, and it excites me to see this year is gonna be a race again more more resorts than ever going after killington and their shrinking season.

 

[thetrailboss]

Yes, the Tenney Response was lame

I was disappointed, but not surprised, that their responses to my questions were lame to say the least. They did not seem to understand how pi$$ed :angry: we were with them!

One resort not to visit.

M

 

[Greg]

Tenney Mountain is scheduled to open for the 2004 - 05 season on Dec. 10

SOURCE

So much for an October 1 opening.