Tenney Mountain Opens –
October 4th
10.04.03
- Tenney Mountain promised an early opening to the 2003/2004-ski
season and on October 4th, they delivered. Breaking Killington's
41year history of providing the first turns of the east coast
ski season, Tenney hooked up 200 skiers and riders with spring
corn snow. Incorporating
state-of-the-art Japanese snowmaking technology into this mid-
New Hampshire ski mountain, owner-operator Dan Egan built a
terrain park
worthy of the jib scene that converged on it.
Two FC staffers made the 2 hour trip from Boston under rain-threatened
skies, paid $20 for a "lift" ticket, and joined a predominantly
jib focused crowd for early season excitement. No chairlift, no
rope tow, no lift lines, no ski school, no beginners, no whining
kids, and no fresh powder. Just a big tabletop and a 12-foot rail
on a section of snow roughly 60 yards long and 10 yards wide. Led
by Dan Egan himself, the core group of skiers and riders sessioned
the park for 3-5 hours, hiking for every turn and struggling to
regain any park form we may have had at the end of last season.
The maintenance team worked diligently all day rebuilding take-offs,
landings, and anything in between. In addition to the groms and
posers, a few intermediate/advanced level skiers earned their first
turns snaking around the park's two features.
The new snowmaking technology was on display all day as its operators blew snow all along the park keeping the ski area "fresh". A system that can blow snow in temperatures up to 70 degrees could revolutionize the skiing industry, possibly leading to year round skiing for the first time ever on the east coast. Tenney (10e on the locals' bumper stickers) is open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until the season gets fully going. Until then, check out our site for photos and videos from 10e on 10.4 and if you think you're ready to put your park skills and spills on display, take the trip yourself – It's well worth it.
~ FC Staff
12.07.03 - Over the past 24 hours, the NOAA (www.noaa.gov) weather radio station forecasted 16"-24" of fresh snow for Jay Peak, VT. When we left for the Belfry early Saturday evening the snow was falling at 3" per hour. The anticipation of the following day's powder filled turns sent us to bed early and stoked...
10 Ideas to
Kick the Pre-Season Blues
11.22.03 - Jay Peak may open December 4, 5, or 6. This is what I read on the Jay website today. Last week President Bill told us we could get our boards ready to go right after we finished our turkey dinner, November 28th. And before that, we were promised we could hit the snow on the 22nd. And so goes the waiting game we play every season.
Skiing, more than any other sport, leaves it’s participants waiting for the coveted ‘Opening Day’. From watching the weather channel to bouncing from .com to .com, we attempt to guess when Mother Nature will start up her snowmaking guns...
Tech Tip #1: Pre-Season Tune-Up
11.01.03 - Many skiers and riders drastically underestimate the importance of tuning
their equipment. Maintaining gear not only improves your day on the mountain
but also goes a long way towards prolonging the life of your skis and snowboards.
Dull, rusty edges and dried-out bases cause sacrifices in speed and control,
which are essential to beginners, intermediates, and experts. This first edition
of Tech Tips offers preseason advice for tuning your equipment. I will provide
basic approaches to maintenance and things to keep in mind early in the year,
leaving in-depth tuning advice for later discussions...
FC Magazine Launches Online Winter Home
09.01.03 - As we look past the fall season and start gearing up for another winter, we're excited to announce the launch of our new ski and ride website: 'First Chair - On Line Magazine' (http://www.firstchairmag.com). This site will actively serve as an on-line epicenter of the 2003 East Coast powder movement, which exists at Jay Peak, VT. Our Boston-based ski and ride brain trust developed this site as a definitive resource for a multimedia, interactive destination to prepare for, document, and remember the 03/04-winter season. Full completion is scheduled for Nov. 1st, ideally coinciding with the first turns of the season...