Plymouth, New Hampshire — Tenney Mountain had accumulated a set of solid wins over the past few years. Since being acquired by new owner Steven Kelly in 2022, Tenney has seen huge snowmaking upgrades, cleaned up the trails, added new glades, renovated the base lodge, and put a rope tow in the terrain park. In addition, Tenney hosted World Pro Ski Tour events in March. However, this season saw a rough bump in the road.
Tenney Mountain’s ski season was derailed by the Hornet chairlift closing down due to mechanical issues in February. Its gearbox broke, requiring a comprehensive repair. This resulted in a majority of Tenney’s terrain not being accessible by lift for late February and the entire month of March. The Hornet never reopened, and Tenney closed for the season on March 30th due to warm weather.
Tenney gave an update yesterday, showing that Hornet is operational once again. The gearbox has been repaired, as they’ve fixed nearly every component of the lift over the past few years. Tenney also did point out that they plan for a longer season, with snowmaking set to begin on November 1, 2025.
While this is all great news, Tenney is also aware that this chairlift is eventually going to need to be replaced. Opened during the 1964-65 season, Hornet is a slow ride to the top of the New Hampshire ski resort. In the announcement post, Tenney detailed that they’re looking into its eventual successor, while also acknowledging that it’s a timely and expensive process. In an episode of the New England Ski Journal Basecamp Podcast from March, owner Steven Kelly said that they’re looking to replace Hornet with potentially a detachable high-speed quad chairlift.
Tenney will have a few things going on their summer, with their disc golf course entering its third season, and its restaurant at the base lodge set to reopen at some point this offseason. In terms of next season, no major projects outside of the Hornet refurbishment have been announced yet, but they will be an Indy Pass partner for the first time next season.
Image/Video Credits: Tenney Mountain
