Cannon Mtn expansion is a go

http://www.unionleader.com/article....rticleId=0fd4c429-9c9d-4911-9ff5-25ec386412d3

Lots of interesting pros and cons to this move. BTW the NH Legislature voted down the idea of leasing the ski hill to a private party a couple of weeks ago.

awesome news..more ski terrain is always a good thing!!!!

BTW the NH Legislature voted down the idea of leasing the ski hill to a private party a couple of weeks ago.[/quote]


I am mixed on this one. I think 5the Meullers would run it better, but could mean more skier visits.

ski_resort_observer said:

Lots of cons to this move.

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Fixed it for ya

The article states that the swap would "double" skiable terrain. That is an absolutely false statement. It is not even close to doubling the amount of terrain.

Puck it said:

BTW the NH Legislature voted down the idea of leasing the ski hill to a private party a couple of weeks ago


I am mixed on this one. I think 5the Meullers would run it better, but could mean more skier visits.

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I fear that it would turn into our own sanitized Okemo under that scenario.

Under a lease contract with CNL to operate Okemo, Sunapee and Crested Butte I don't think the Meullers are in a position to operate Cannon even if it was available. I guess if it was leased to CNL..........

One has to wonder in the current economic climate if any operators even would WANT to lease Cannon. Surely such a lease would include a no build clause so the new operator can not pull a Meullers and buy up surrounding land and try to slam an expansion into play. The state has to be pretty soured on the Meullers after that stunt. Meullers aside, who in their right mind would want to take up a lease on a ski area that has historically struggled to get into the black (under a different GM...) in a sluggish economy that looks to get worse before it gets better?

I am all for no lease, especially since it might have been the GM and not the state that made Cannon not a profitable area. The place has really changed in a lot of ways since the new GM. Right now, the biggest argument for a lease, the red ink argument, is no longer valid.

I was a fan of the old Sunapee and so no fan of the Muellers. I guess I'd support them if they promise to rip out the Peabody quad and put it where it belongs i.e. where the double was! (After that, if they're not busy maybe they could restore the original first drop on the Riverside Cyclone too.) Seriously, I think Cannon needs the Mitt trails because as it is now there just aren't a lot of options for lower intermediates, particularly during the week when the Eagle Cliff chair doesn't run. From Tuckerbrook area to afternoon conditions on the Links/Middle Cannon is a pretty big step-up.

What did the Muellers do with Sunappee? How could they expand it - isn't it part of a state park (and there's no housing on the mountain - is there?)

Back in the day it felt much like 10e does now... slow old school lifts, take what you can find for conditions, park up front at the "beach" and ski back to your car at the end of the day. Basically the Muellers put in a lot of upgrades in lifts, snowmaking, facilities, groomed everything within an inch of it's life and hyper-marketed (very successfully) to the Boston day-trip crowd. For me it's a lost area, sacrificed I guess to the greater good of keeping Cannon afloat.

SUV Steve said:

I was a fan of the old Sunapee and so no fan of the Muellers. I guess I'd support them if they promise to rip out the Peabody quad and put it where it belongs i.e. where the double was

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I'm not familiar with the old Cannon. Where was the double?

I have mixed feelings about adding Mittersill, with lifts, to Cannon. Just a couple of weeks ago I made my first hike over there. It was one of the coolest skiing experiences I've ever had. It will be nice to expeience the whole mountain, but that backcountry remote feeling will not be the same.

Buckeye Skier 1330 said:

I'm not familiar with the old Cannon. Where was the double?

I have mixed feelings about adding Mittersill, with lifts, to Cannon. Just a couple of weeks ago I made my first hike over there. It was one of the coolest skiing experiences I've ever had. It will be nice to expeience the whole mountain, but that backcountry remote feeling will not be the same.

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agreed and even the pledge of the GM to keep Mittersill 'natural' with a lift, doesn't give me much confidence that the experience will be any where near what it currently is. I'm sure once they open up the can of worms with a lift, the intermediate skiing populous will bang the drum for more grooming and trail widening. Their voice $$$$ is louder than those who appreciate slack country.

As I recall, the old double had a somewhat parallel track along Ravine to just below Short Link. You can see the old line quite clearly and it is still skiable by ducking a rope or three. I think they renamed the lower slot the "chute" or something like that.

Old double started at the place as the quad and slowly drifted to the lookers right ending just to the left of the Cannonball quad. I don't miss that lift at all but the middle of the mountain was a lot nicer.

No lease please.

There will be very little if anything done to Mittersill in the next few years except some minor clearing of grown in trails.I have mixed feelings being a 37 year passholder and it being where my heart is.I have a house right across the street from where the lift will be so that would be sweet.By the way,only one double chair will be allowed to be installed per the land swap agreement and it has to be in the exact footprint of the old one.Mittersill will in all likelyhood end up being Cannon's Castlerock,limited grooming,snowmaking and no trail recontouring.I think it will be a nice compromise for all parties.The ribbon cutting is this Saturday on the saddle.Here's Cannon's article on the website.

Mittersill History


THIS WEEKEND!
Saturday, March 28 Official reopening of Mittersill
Join us for a day that's been 20 years in the making. We're dropping the rope to join Cannon and Mittersill!

The official rope cutting and "Family Photo" will take place on the saddle on the Taft Trail between Cannon and Mittersill at 12:00 noon. Head down the Taft trail from the summit of Cannon straight to the access trail for Mittersill. The official rope cutting and photos will take place a short distance up the hiking trail where it begins to widen.

We'll have a special commemorative coin available that day only while supplies last. You must go to Guest Services to pick up your coin. One per person, supplies are limited and you must be present.

We will be collecting names following the photo on the Taft trail of all those in attendance so that you can officially become a part of history!

*PLEASE NOTE: Access to the rope-cutting event can be gained ONLY by lift access, with a ticket or season pass and skiing or riding to the site.
Foot traffic up Cannon Mountain is prohibited.

The History...

PAST:

In 1933, the Taft trail was constructed, thanks in large part, to the efforts of Kate Peckett of Sugar Hill. The Taft ran from the top of Cannon Mountain down to the saddle with Mt. Jackson, up over Mt. Jackson, then down the north slope. 5 years later, in 1938, the Aerial Tramway was opened, providing lift service to the Taft, along with several other trails, mainly on the Cannon Mountain side.

In the several years prior to 1938, Baron Hubert von Pantz had been renovating the Schloss Mittersill outside of Kitzbuhel, Austria. The Schloss was taken over by the German Army in 1938, and the Baron fled the country later that year. In 1939, the Baron arrived in the United States, at the Lake Placid Club, where he found bobsledding, and ski jumps, but skiing was only available by climbing. He took a taxi from Lake Placid to Franconia to look over the new Tramway at Cannon. Over the next several years, he raised money, and in 1941, purchased 550 acres on the north slope of Mt. Jackson, including a section of the Taft trail.

He and some partners developed a hotel, built several chalets, and installed a ski lift, and in 1946, Mittersill opened for business. Three years later, in 1949, Swiss Paul Valar and Austrian Paula Kann arrived in the area. Paul would found the Franconia Ski School at Cannon, and with Paula, would run the ski schools at Mittersill and Mount Sunapee through the 1970s.

In 1950, the Baron left the area, and returned to Austria- back to the Schloss Mittersill. He found it heavily damaged, and began work to restore it once again. Back in NH, Mittersill ski area began early experiments with snowmaking, based loosely on a lawn sprinkler system.

In 1961, the Professional Ski Instructors of America was formed, with Paul as one of the 7 original incorporators.

By 1969, Mittersill had 2 T Bars, and a Hall Chairlift, with a vertical drop of over 1000 feet.

The winters of 1980 and 1981 were very poor ones for winter sports, and Mittersill Alpine Resort suffered large losses as a result. In the 80's, the area was operated by the Franconia Development Co. The area finally was closed during the 1980's, and in 1989, the Special Use Permit from the Forest Service was terminated. The privately held lands on which most of the ski area was located were transferred to the State of NH for the cost of one dollar, an effort spearheaded by the Valar family.

PRESENT:

The ski trails in the Mittersill area are partially overgrown, although some have been kept clear by individuals, in spite of state and federal restrictions. The area is home to several federally listed sensitive species, including the Bicknell's Thrush, Peregrine Flacon, and possibly, the Canada Lynx. On the site of the ski area, there remain lift towers, top and bottom terminals, and miscellaneous lumber.

FUTURE:

In the immediate future, there will likely be some limited trimming and clearing of some trail areas, and the removal of some hazards. The area will, for the next season or two, be managed as one large gladed area, with all of the accompanying hazards, with very gradual trimming and clearing to follow. Contrary to the belief of many people, the area is not easy terrain. Much of it is steep and narrow, and must be used with extra caution, with extended rescue time a probability. Any lift construction at Mittersill is at least a year or two away, possibly longer. Plans are being made to provide some type of shuttle service from Mittersill base back to Cannon during the 2009-2010 season.

During the land exchange process between the State of NH and the US Forest Service, an agreement was reached that would limit any cutting on the Mittersill site above the 2500 foot elevation to match, but not exceed, the 1989 trail and lift line footprint. This agreement was reached in an effort to ensure the viability of the Bicknell's Thrush and other species on Mount Jackson. Because of this agreement, and the width of the lift line, any lift accessing the upper elevations at Mittersill will be a double chair. Higher capacity lifts require a wider liftline, which does not exist in the old footprint.

In short, Mittersill will become a part of Cannon, but plans for its eventual appearance are merely in the beginning stages. There will be very limited grooming and patrolling over there in the early stages, with a bit more in the future. There is no snowmaking right now, but there may be limited snowmaking on just a couple of primary trails some time in the future. We don’t want to take away what’s so special about Mittersill, or infringe upon its culture, so as the terrain area is incorporated into Cannon, there will certainly be slower changes on that side than on Cannon proper as the entire ski area continues to evolve.

Stay tuned!

Well, it sounds promising. If they can run it like Sugarbush runs Castlerock (ie only groomed before a large dump to build the base and post "Advanced Terrain Only" signs to discourage intermediate skiers), then I'm all for it.

It is about as good as could be hoped for from the perspective of someone that enjoys the place as it is currently. Shuttle service until the double goes in is a waste of resources, IMO. People hike up the saddle, the hike back is just as short.

riverc0il said:

People hike up the saddle, the hike back is just as short.

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I didn't realize that until we drove over to the bottom of Mittersill at the end of the day. I cut back over to Cannon on the first trail that goes right off of Baron's Run. I saw less bumps and more untouched snow below that trail. I now know I could have stayed on Baron's and not had that much of a hike back to Cannon.

riverc0il said:

It is about as good as could be hoped for from the perspective of someone that enjoys the place as it is currently. Shuttle service until the double goes in is a waste of resources, IMO. People hike up the saddle, the hike back is just as short.

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I'll gladly pay a couple bucks to get on that shuttle. No issues here hiking the saddle, but at the end of the run a lazy lift back up to Tuckerbrook would be nice. Actually what could be sweet in terms of shortening lap time is being dropped at Peabody or heck the tram even. Of course that will result in Mittersill getting hammered more quickly.

Hard for me not to pull the trigger on a Cannon pass next year. If they consistently averaged 225 inches, I'd be all over it. I'm just concerned that I'll buy a pass and it will be a poor snow year.

deadheadskier said:

Hard for me not to pull the trigger on a Cannon pass next year. If they consistently averaged 225 inches, I'd be all over it. I'm just concerned that I'll buy a pass and it will be a poor snow year.

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Problem is their average is closer to 170. And that being an average, reality is often quite below that a good percentage of the time. It is why I don't have a pass there even though it is 35 minutes away and remains my favorite mountain. Tough to roll the dice on Cannon having a good season. The snow pack this year is no where close to where it was last year by a long shot.