Winter Features:
Cheap Alpine Skiing
Ice Safety Tips
Night Skiing
Snowboarding
Staying Warm
Winter Camping
Skiing Impressions:
MAINE
Sugarloaf
Sunday River
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Attitash
Bretton Woods
Cannon
Gunstock
Loon
Sunapee
Waterville Valley
VERMONT
Ascutney
Bromley
Killington
Okemo
Sugarbush
Story by Tim Jones
he first morning we visited Cannon, we found eight inches of fresh, untracked snow awaiting us. That's enough to color your feelings about any area. Talk about perfection! The sun was shining, the air temperature was near 60, and we managed to be among the first up the mountain. I hadn't skied Cannon in many years, the boys had never skied it, and we found Cannon a delight -- a nice balance of wide-open, easy terrain, lots of good intermediate trails, and plenty of steep, winding, or bumpy, and very challenging expert terrain.
If you've shied away from Cannon because you've heard it's for experts only, don't. This is a wonderful intermediate mountain, too, with plenty of good, easy terrain for novices as well.
If you visit midweek, you're likely to find the place nearly empty. We did and made many runs off the Tramway without having to wait in line. The scenery was absolutely spectacular.
On a return trip, we warmed up by blasting a few runs down steep, smooth Profile. When the snow is fresh, this is a perfect trail for making figure eights with a partner.
After a good warm-up, Avalanche and Paulie's Folly captured our attention, the boys blasting the moguls, while I kept up by skiing the smooth terrain along side.
Justin and Evan had been working on their bumps technique most of the year. They spent the afternoon blasting Zoomer, while I relaxed on some of the easier terrain nearby. Cannon is steep, but the groomed slopes are an ideal challenge for an up-and-coming intermediate, or a dad who has had his legs skied off by his kids.
Probably the best news from Cannon this year is that midweek, nonholiday lift tickets are two for $28. That's a bargain.
For more information, see the Cannon Web site at www.nhparks.state.nh.us/cannon.html, or call 603-823-5563.
Copyright ©1997, Stephen O. Muskie and Tim Jones. All Rights Reserved.