Edd
Well-known member
Date(s) Skied: 26Feb09
Resort or Ski Area: Cannon
Conditions: All over the place
I pulled in the lot 30 min before the lifts opened and there were more people than I expected that early, including a school bus (never a good sight). It was crowded for a weekday due to vacation week, but I've seen much worse. I was unaware of it but it was going to be a very interesting day.
I got on the slopes and visibility was poor on the lower slopes and really quite bad on the upper. Surface conditions varied from loose windblown powder from recent dumps to glare ice. I lapped the Peabody and summit lift a couple of times and then found a ton of powder on the trails around the Zoomer triple. The snow tapers off. Visibility on the lower slopes improved off/on. There were signs at the lifts saying stay away from the tram until after 10am. I headed over to the tram lodge maybe at 11, sat in the lodge and had a snack, staring out the window at the tram line and the Kinsman Glade.
This guy comes in and gears up. We start chatting about places we've skied; he's a Cannon regular. I tell him I'm gonna try the Kinsman Glade because I've never skied it. He asks to tag along. I'll call him the Guide.
We load on the tram and I run into a dude I shared a chair with earlier. We had discussed how we have the exact same skis (Legend 8000). He tells us he just skied Kinsman and offers to tag along also. We get off the tram and visibility is scary bad. The trees sound safer.
Skiing down Vista Way there's sweet powdery bumps. Problem is you couldn't see them. I do a couple of unintentional airs and eat it hard. Smooth move dipshit. I got up quick and Same Skis Guy leads us into the Kinsman.
Same Skis is a freakin great skier. Comparing notes earlier on the chairlift, we discovered I ski like 10x more than he does. So much for that. This trail starts N-A-R-R-O-W, with trees, and it's steep. I ski glades regularly. I'm no rock star but I'm typically competent. This trail owned me fully. To my surprise, Same Skis shoots off trail, and down he goes. The Guide and I yell asking if he's ok. He says yes but he's 20ft away behind foliage and we can't see him. Turns out he's up to his chest in snow. He embarks on a 10 minute struggle to get back on trail. I've never seen that happen to someone on the east coast.
We press on. Throughout the run our skis take regular stump/rock strikes. Mine alone took over 20, like a seasons worth. Someone without solid bump skills is sort of screwed on this trail. Some sections have no room for wide turns. We run into another guy who seems in rough shape and the Guide asks him if he's skiing alone. He says "Yeah, like an idiot." He comes with us. I continue skiing like a chopper; a couple falls but nothing bad, and we reach the tram base. It was easily the toughest glade I've skied. I need a bump lesson and that's final.
Same Skis is done for now. The Guide and I go back up the tram and take a run on Upper Cannon. He keeps dropping hints about skiing Mittersill. At this point it's past beer-thirty for me but I don't get chances to ski through a little BC with someone who knows what they are doing every day so I agree. Unbelievably, the sun comes out. Another ride to the summit, ski Taft and start hiking up.
We start on a narrow bumpy trail with a mild pitch and good snow. Fun as hell. He shows me the entrance to the Tucker Brook trail. Some folks are about to enter. The solo "idiot" guy from Kinsman shows up behind us interested in doing Tucker Brook. Those folks tell him they have a car parked and are glad to give him a ride so he goes with them. That was cool.
We keep skiing and check out the old Mittersill top lift station. It's hot and sunny and the snow is slushing up. We press on down through more bumps and run into a pretty cute chick on snowshoes, wearing jeans with no equipment at all. She tells the Guide she's a reporter from the Monitor doing a story on the possible re-opening of the Mittersill area. She's got a pen and paper. This is turning into the weirdest frickin ski day I've had in awhile....
I welcome the break but her questions go on a bit long for me. I wanted to take her picture because I've never run into a reporter wearing snowshoes while skiing BC but I didn't want to creep her out. She continues her hike up and the Guide takes me to Candyland, an area which was a mix of wide and narrow steep and shallow terrain with glades mixed in. Super deep slushy snow. If that snow was on piste I would have hauled ass but I was timid about what was around every bend so I started chopping again. Just before emerging into Cannon proper we meet a guy on tele skis heading up with an old dog. He plans to camp for the night up on Mittersill. His pack sure looked light but what do I know?
From the beginner area we take 3 lift rides to the summit and ski Upper Ravine. It's about 2:30 and I decide I should quit while I'm ahead. I say so long and head back to Peabody. Conditions have turned really sweet with soft snow everywhere. Taking off my skis I find bark wedged into the now dented caps on the tips of my skis. Good lord, what a humbling day.
There are a few pictures. I'd like to embed them in the thread but I haven't figured out how. I'll work on that tomorrow.
Resort or Ski Area: Cannon
Conditions: All over the place
I pulled in the lot 30 min before the lifts opened and there were more people than I expected that early, including a school bus (never a good sight). It was crowded for a weekday due to vacation week, but I've seen much worse. I was unaware of it but it was going to be a very interesting day.
I got on the slopes and visibility was poor on the lower slopes and really quite bad on the upper. Surface conditions varied from loose windblown powder from recent dumps to glare ice. I lapped the Peabody and summit lift a couple of times and then found a ton of powder on the trails around the Zoomer triple. The snow tapers off. Visibility on the lower slopes improved off/on. There were signs at the lifts saying stay away from the tram until after 10am. I headed over to the tram lodge maybe at 11, sat in the lodge and had a snack, staring out the window at the tram line and the Kinsman Glade.
This guy comes in and gears up. We start chatting about places we've skied; he's a Cannon regular. I tell him I'm gonna try the Kinsman Glade because I've never skied it. He asks to tag along. I'll call him the Guide.
We load on the tram and I run into a dude I shared a chair with earlier. We had discussed how we have the exact same skis (Legend 8000). He tells us he just skied Kinsman and offers to tag along also. We get off the tram and visibility is scary bad. The trees sound safer.
Skiing down Vista Way there's sweet powdery bumps. Problem is you couldn't see them. I do a couple of unintentional airs and eat it hard. Smooth move dipshit. I got up quick and Same Skis Guy leads us into the Kinsman.
Same Skis is a freakin great skier. Comparing notes earlier on the chairlift, we discovered I ski like 10x more than he does. So much for that. This trail starts N-A-R-R-O-W, with trees, and it's steep. I ski glades regularly. I'm no rock star but I'm typically competent. This trail owned me fully. To my surprise, Same Skis shoots off trail, and down he goes. The Guide and I yell asking if he's ok. He says yes but he's 20ft away behind foliage and we can't see him. Turns out he's up to his chest in snow. He embarks on a 10 minute struggle to get back on trail. I've never seen that happen to someone on the east coast.
We press on. Throughout the run our skis take regular stump/rock strikes. Mine alone took over 20, like a seasons worth. Someone without solid bump skills is sort of screwed on this trail. Some sections have no room for wide turns. We run into another guy who seems in rough shape and the Guide asks him if he's skiing alone. He says "Yeah, like an idiot." He comes with us. I continue skiing like a chopper; a couple falls but nothing bad, and we reach the tram base. It was easily the toughest glade I've skied. I need a bump lesson and that's final.
Same Skis is done for now. The Guide and I go back up the tram and take a run on Upper Cannon. He keeps dropping hints about skiing Mittersill. At this point it's past beer-thirty for me but I don't get chances to ski through a little BC with someone who knows what they are doing every day so I agree. Unbelievably, the sun comes out. Another ride to the summit, ski Taft and start hiking up.
We start on a narrow bumpy trail with a mild pitch and good snow. Fun as hell. He shows me the entrance to the Tucker Brook trail. Some folks are about to enter. The solo "idiot" guy from Kinsman shows up behind us interested in doing Tucker Brook. Those folks tell him they have a car parked and are glad to give him a ride so he goes with them. That was cool.
We keep skiing and check out the old Mittersill top lift station. It's hot and sunny and the snow is slushing up. We press on down through more bumps and run into a pretty cute chick on snowshoes, wearing jeans with no equipment at all. She tells the Guide she's a reporter from the Monitor doing a story on the possible re-opening of the Mittersill area. She's got a pen and paper. This is turning into the weirdest frickin ski day I've had in awhile....
I welcome the break but her questions go on a bit long for me. I wanted to take her picture because I've never run into a reporter wearing snowshoes while skiing BC but I didn't want to creep her out. She continues her hike up and the Guide takes me to Candyland, an area which was a mix of wide and narrow steep and shallow terrain with glades mixed in. Super deep slushy snow. If that snow was on piste I would have hauled ass but I was timid about what was around every bend so I started chopping again. Just before emerging into Cannon proper we meet a guy on tele skis heading up with an old dog. He plans to camp for the night up on Mittersill. His pack sure looked light but what do I know?
From the beginner area we take 3 lift rides to the summit and ski Upper Ravine. It's about 2:30 and I decide I should quit while I'm ahead. I say so long and head back to Peabody. Conditions have turned really sweet with soft snow everywhere. Taking off my skis I find bark wedged into the now dented caps on the tips of my skis. Good lord, what a humbling day.
There are a few pictures. I'd like to embed them in the thread but I haven't figured out how. I'll work on that tomorrow.
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