Ski Cannon Mountain New Hampshire
Big-Terrain Northeast Alpine Skiing and Riding Challenge With A View
Skiers and boarders love Cannon Mountain Ski Area for the broad range of upper level trail experience on the historic mountain in Franconia Notch State Park.
From the base to the top, Cannon offers a vertical of 2,244 feet and a breathtaking view from its 4,180-foot summit. An aerial tramway, installed in 1938 from the base near Echo Lake, brings skiers and boarders straight to the peak.
One skier recently commented “If you can ski Cannon, you can ski anywhere”. While that’s true of the summit trails, it doesn’t give Cannon credit for its excellent “new skier” section, set apart from the main mountain.
That area, to the right of the main lodge, is usually a beehive of activity with ski schools for all age and skill levels meeting on its slopes. A magic carpet serves a gentle slope for the little people and the nearby Brookside triple chair climbs a bit more of a slope. Beyond this, but still protected from faster skiers, lie a series of beginners trails off the Tucker Brook Quad.
The fun for more experienced skiers starts on the lifts in front of the main lodge. The Peabody Express Quad brings skiers more than 5,000 feet up onto the high shoulder of the mountain. From there a number of options for challenging intermediate and black diamond trails open up. The Eagle Cliff Triple, to the left below the lodge, is shorter but also opens up a variety of trails.
From the Peabody, ski down the Big Link to Cannonball Express Quad to get to the top of the mountain. Only experienced skiers should plan on this. Almost all trails from the very top are expert black diamonds or advanced intermediate trails that lead into black diamonds.
For experienced skiers they are heaven. The famed Taft Slalom was the first purpose-cut trail in the United States (1933) and it winds magnificently down the mountain shoulder and then through the wooded Upper Ravine and Hardscrabble trails to the bottom. Profile is the broad expert trail that lies under the Cannonball Quad.
Trails off the Peabody and Eagle Cliff lifts also provide access to another separate section, the trails down to the base at Echo Lake. Visible from the I-93 Parkway, Paulie’s Folly, Avalanche, Zoomer and Rocket are expert trails with broad slopes, great views of the Notch and access to the Zoomer Triple chair. Two black diamond glades also offer even more challenge. For intermediates, Gary’s (and the Tram Cutback to the Aerial Tramway) are the only offerings here. Close to the Tramway, several trails are labeled intermediate but are accessed only over expert trails.
That brings up the problems with Cannon. Check the trail map carefully, especially if you are a beginner or intermediate. You could start down beginner-labeled Lower Cannon, for example, and find yourself on the expert Toss-up Freestyle trail. Or, if you decide to do the intermediate Banshee trails you might not notice that the only way to get there is over the expert Avalanche trail.
Cannon is also a state owned facility, and the legislature doesn’t understand what makes a good ski area and is tight with money. Cannon has made great strides with its snow-making and grooming, but doesn’t have the amount and quality of equipment they need. There is lots of natural snow here, and good man-made, but they can’t always manage it to the best advantage.
Any New England skier who has not tried Cannon should ski this big, wild and thrilling challenge. Bodie Miller honed his skills on these trails and if it’s good enough for Bodie, it’s good enough for me.
Take Interstate 93 North to Exit 34B, following signs 1/2 mile to the ski area. Lodging: Woodstock Inn, No. Woodstock 5 mi. south.
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