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Cannon Trail Rollout

Puck it

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Interesting rollout this year! It is very different than the last few years. First, it was Gary's, Toss Up, and Lower Cannon(green section). Then, the usual Links, Spookie, Lower Cannon(blue section), Middle Cannon.
They were pounding the upper mountain on Upper Ravine, Skylight, and Upper Cannon. Tramway was not lit up as usual. They also try to get Middle Ravine open before the upper mountain. Just my observation.
 

riverc0il

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I was very surprised to see them hitting Skylight before Tramway. Tramway is the easiest blue off the summit. Upper Cannon gets scraped to crap really fast and lower intermediates might find the turns difficult. Upper Ravine might be a touch easier than Tramway, I guess. Still, Tramway is a better option than Skylight or Upper Cannon for a first to open from the summit. I really don't understand their reasoning. Maybe they need less snow to open Upper Cannon since it is so narrow. But why Skylight? That is more snow than Tramway to open because Tramway hooks into Big Link which is already open, Skylight drops down lower to the Cannonball. Makes no sense!

Also, I don't think it makes sense to pound the summit with three trails when they only have Gary's off Zoomer Chair and they only have Cannon off the Quad. They need to get Ravine open before opening three trails off the summit makes sense. Otherwise everything funnels down into Middle Cannon, what a CF!

My opinion is they should be blowing Rocket and Middle to Lower Ravine AND Tramway OR Upper Ravine for one trail off the summit to start. Then blow out the Tram cutback from Rocket and go for Tramway, Upper Cannon, and Upper Ravine AFTER they have two routes through the middle of the mountain (Spookie doesn't count, Links to Spookie is a cop out, not a route).

I do think getting Zoomer online early is a good thing. But I think getting both Middle/Lower Cannon and Ravine online ASAP is more important.

Thanks to a comp ticket, I was at Waterville this past weekend and I was really impressed with what they had available considering the on/off weather. Cannon needs to step it up in the snow making department. I don't understand their strategy this year at all. But I also haven't skied their and can't comment on how the mountain is skiing as a result of it. But I know the mountain enough that I can imagine... I've run the "Middle Cannon w/Spookie option" gauntlet before, it isn't fun.
 

Puck it

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Mid Cannon and Spookie is a cluster. You would think with the cold temps they had they would have blown one or two of the front five. The length ofnthe runs are not long and they are so close they could fire up on a couple of them at a time if not all. I agree about Tramway too.
 

skiberg

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The skiing has been awful. Their snowmaking seems paltry and without focus. They missed the window of cold air in Nov to blow and as such couldn't even open at thanksgiving. Only one trail at lower mountain is open forcing all skiers and racers to ski on one trail. We were laughing this weekend on the lift at how antiquated and pathetic there snowmaking seems. Not sure whats going on. I know the weather has been tough but it seems like it should be better.
 

Puck it

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I did see JD in the lodge and i was thinking of asking.

One thing the upper trail pod will brave warm temps better.
 

skiberg

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I just don't uunderstand why they don't start blowing snow on the upper mountain and run the tram to upload and download until its consistently cold and then they can focus on lower mountain exclusively.
 

Cheese

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Thanks to a comp ticket, I was at Waterville this past weekend and I was really impressed with what they had available considering the on/off weather.

This surprises me as well. Typically early season they only ski High Country and download on the quad until they can support snow all the way to the base. It sounds like they're well ahead of that this season.
 

SIKSKIER

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Don't get me going on this one.I've been saying for years how lame Cannons snowmaking is.Riv has disagreed with me in the past but the product speaks for itself.Totally agree with riv's assesment in this thread.Cannon's snowmaking system is a total joke.They have blamed inversions and any thing else they can come up with.Loon Sunday had not 2 or 3 times as much terrain but almost 6 times the acreage.They are right at the bottom of the list of open terrain of all open ski areas.With the shorter snowmaking temp windows we see these days,something needs to be done to crank out way more snow faster.Clearly their snowmaking system needs a huge upgrade.
 

Puck it

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Don't get me going on this one.I've been saying for years how lame Cannons snowmaking is.Riv has disagreed with me in the past but the product speaks for itself.Totally agree with riv's assesment in this thread.Cannon's snowmaking system is a total joke.They have blamed inversions and any thing else they can come up with.Loon Sunday had not 2 or 3 times as much terrain but almost 6 times the acreage.They are right at the bottom of the list of open terrain of all open ski areas.With the shorter snowmaking temp windows we see these days,something needs to be done to crank out way more snow faster.Clearly their snowmaking system needs a huge upgrade.

I think they have add pump capability but not sure if the air has been upgraded. Their gun tech is antiquated. So, what is their limiter?
 

skiberg

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Seems to me it's also poor planning. They could have been skiing by mid November on upper mountain. That snow would still be there and the would have that open. Had they done this the lower and mid mountain would look a lot better now since they could have focused all there attention on it. For some reason they just won't do it. It makes no sense that's how they open ski areas all over the world.
 

thetrailboss

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I think they have add pump capability but not sure if the air has been upgraded. Their gun tech is antiquated. So, what is their limiter?

Maybe less labor or less budgeted snowmaking time because "of the times" if you know what I'm saying without getting into politics or drawing someone out from AZ hibernation?

And a big +1 on them having upper mountain-only skiing with tram downloading. With their elevation and easy access, that would have to be one of the best early season set-ups you could imagine.
 

Puck it

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Maybe less labor or less budgeted snowmaking time because "of the times" if you know what I'm saying without getting into politics or drawing someone out from AZ hibernation?
It could be budget, but the ticket prices are pretty close to other esorts pumping out snow. It could be the total revenue though.
 

thetrailboss

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It could be budget, but the ticket prices are pretty close to other esorts pumping out snow. It could be the total revenue though.

Yeah I don't know. I'm sure that last season killed them like other places and the powers-to-be probably demanded that they, like other NH entities, cut X% from their budget this year.
 

skiberg

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I hate to say it, but forever I was adamant against leasing the mountain to private investors. This year really makes me see there will be some benefits.
 

skiberg

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Your probably right but it does have some benefits. However, one of the great things about the State is that we don't need to worry about going belly up and being sold and sold again and all the continual change in ownership that many if not all hills but Cannon and Sunapee seem to deal with.
 
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