The New Hampshire ski area is planning to reopen this month after being idle for half a decade.
Sunday, December 11, 2016, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
A small fleet of SMI Wizzards fired up at Tenney Mountain on Saturday, as the Plymouth, New Hampshire area moved forward with its planned opening later this month. Multiple whales were produced on the novice That Way ski trail and adjacent Poma lift line.
According to Facebook posts by Tenney Mountain Development Group CEO Michael Bouchard, Tenney hopes to get the Poma lift inspected by the state this week and could open for snow tubing as soon as next weekend. In addition to snow tubing, Tenney also plans to use the Poma lift area for a rail park. Bouchard also implied that, following the current campaign, snowmaking operations will move to the main mountain.
At present, Tenney is planning for a soft opening for skiing on December 26.
Weather and legal problems have slowed Tenney's planned reopening, which was originally slated for December 2015. While snow was made late last winter, the area was unable to reopen.
In recent months, a former employee sued Tenney Mountain Development Group, resulting in a $375,000 attachment against the ski area. According to the Laconia Daily Sun, Bouchard has subsequently filed suit against the former employee, claiming the employee conned his way into the project and slandered him after Bouchard gave him a sizable loan. The former employee has been facing numerous criminal charges unrelated to Tenney.
According to the Laconia Daily Sun, the Tenney redevelopment project is projected to be $450 million, funded in part by the EB-5 immigrant investor program.
Located just outside of Plymouth, New Hampshire, Tenney Mountain ski area first opened in 1960. After repeated struggles in recent decades, the 1,400 vertical foot ski area closed in 2010. Bouchard's Tenney Mountain Development Group acquired the property in November of 2014.
