Cannon Mountain...thoughts

Cannon is great for me. I live a bout a mile of 93 and then right off 93 in the notch. No dealing with speed traps in Bradford, Newbury or others. Set cruise at 75mph and I am there in 105 minutes tops.

Puck it said:

Cannon is great for me. I live a bout a mile of 93 and then right off 93 in the notch. No dealing with speed traps in Bradford, Newbury or others. Set cruise at 75mph and I am there in 105 minutes tops.

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Just watch out on 93 in Manchester!

thetrailboss said:

Just watch out on 93 in Manchester!

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Did you miss the part about setting cruise at 75mph. They do not bther you. I have been doing it for years.

Puck it said:

Did you miss the part about setting cruise at 75mph. They do not bther you. I have been doing it for years.

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No, I got that, but the speed limit drops down to 55 where 101 and 93 merge and that is an infamous spot. You can zoom through there at 75, but you will get a ticket!

thetrailboss said:

No, I got that, but the speed limit drops down to 55 where 101 and 93 merge and that is an infamous spot. You can zoom through there at 75, but you will get a ticket!

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Yes it does, but never see any cars slower then 65. And stay in the right two lanes.

It also slows to 55mph in Concord, but no one does that there either.

I see more folks get pulled over North of Concord coming south with the speed limit change than I do at the change of 101/93. Same thing on 89 before you get to 93

deadheadskier said:

I see more folks get pulled over North of Concord coming south with the speed limit change than I do at the change of 101/93. Same thing on 89 before you get to 93

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As you go up the hill to 89 especially.

CHiP (not Ponch) gave me the recommendation years ago when I lived in CA. They are not concentrating on the right lanes.

riverc0il said:

Here is an interesting notion: supposedly (according to those advocating for a lease and using Sunapee as an example...) if Cannon is leased, its skier visits would increase. Let's say that skier visits are more Zero Sum than not. So would the owner of a for profit ski area about to launch a major expansion be in favor of leasing a state run ski area and risking lost skier visits and revenue due to Cannon being supposedly better run and drawing more skier visits? Inquiring minds, and those interested in intellectual honesty want to know...

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Given it is close to zero sum..... i would think privates nearby would be concern about a lease deal. However, they should know that in order for Cannon to seriously take visitors away, they would need to develop the Mittersill area.

If I was a private operator nearby (maybe in NH in general), I would want them remain public and stymie any development plans for Mittersill. That area has the potential to be an intermediate paradise.

Cannonball said:

And Sunapee jumped from <100K to ~375K in the same time frame. Basically the same increase as Waterville's decrease over the same time period. Back to Riverc0il's concept/question: if overall skier numbers are a zero sum, are we just moving the same skiers around? Did increases at Sunapee come at the expense of decreases at WV? Would increases at WV and/or Cannon come at the expense of Sunapee? If so what are the implications for all three areas as 1) WV expands and 2) as potential collaborations
form under a Cannon-lease scenario?

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WV is entrenched in the "Bermuda traiangle of guvment ski areas", so they are lucky to have a pot to piss in at this point .

This thread lives! It is good to take a week off in the summer. Collect your thoughts.

Puck it said:

It also slows to 55mph in Concord, but no one does that there either.

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People get bagged in Concord all the time. My SO used to commute to Concord daily. Entering the 55 zone was one of the few times she always did the speed limit. They love to camp out right where the trees end/begin on the northern edge of the city right where the limit changes. I've seen so many people bagged there. Same on the south side of the city. Just before the Route 3 exit in Concord on Northbound side I see tons of folks pulled over. Staties like to sit in the median just before the 89 split (as you go northbound) and pounce on cars where it goes to 55. Manchester... I've seen people nailed in the area right before it goes back up to 65 (northbound). They usually don't catch up and get the car pulled over until the long flat part where there is a bridge (currently under construction, so probably not bagging people there now) where it has already gone to 65 though they catch people before that. You have good luck if you blow through the 55 zones at 75. I've gotten warned for doing 75 in a 65 on I-93 before. I keep it at 70 myself. But bottom line is I probably see someone pulled over in the 55 zones at least once per round trip. But I am driving through there at different times than you would be....

deadheadskier said:

I see more folks get pulled over North of Concord coming south with the speed limit change than I do at the change of 101/93. Same thing on 89 before you get to 93

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they also like to hide at the top of the overpass on 93 @ 3/Manchester St in Concord
and several spots on 89 between 202 and 93. Seems like compared to the 90's though there's very little traffic cops on NH highways.. I got a ticket once clocked from an airplane even back then.

Couple other replies without bothering to quote.
Waterville has a pretty big base of 2nd homeowners, homeowners, and seasonal renters, I'd guess that's who buys passes there for the most part.
Totally agree that Okemo and SR took alot of the types that would have gone to Waterville in 1990.

bobbutts said:

Waterville has a pretty big base of 2nd homeowners, homeowners, and seasonal renters, I'd guess that's who buys passes there for the most part.

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I am a little skeptical of real estate expansion suggestion of WV because of the already massive 2nd home owner development in the Route 49 area. Some better built up scale new homes might move, though. When I was shopping for a home in the area, my real estate agent specifically told us to avoid the WV Estates area, for example. Poor build quality and poor value were both cited. There are tons of units for sale in the WVE all the time. I don't know if there is enough demand for even more development, especially in this economy.

I was being a little facetious with my post regarding zero sum, outsourcing Cannon drawing against private areas, and intellectual honesty. I don't think a leased Cannon would draw much against WV's share. As threecy noted, they have already taken a beating. It does seem likely they lost a lot to the Boyne pass (and also ASC A41). I think Sunapee awakening also drew against them for sure. Part of the Waterville Raison d'etre is close proximity to Boston. Although it is no closer than Loon or Cannon due to the length (and speed traps) of Route 49, folks in Boston metro view WV as the closest big mountain to that area. Sunapee is about the same drive and offers essentially the same product. Just with more people and higher prices. Marketing and a fresh face does wonders for a place. That was my serious inquiry regarding a leased Cannon hurting privates. I think my Sunapee example (pushing back on some of threecy's past suggestions and examples) has weight in both reality and philosophical value.

This thread lives! It is good to take a week off in the summer. Collect your thoughts.

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I certainly took some time away from this thread. Glad to see some evolving discussion instead of the mud slinging and posturing.

Why is the speed limit set so low and the speed traps so numerous on Rt 49? It in my opinion would have an overall net loss of revenue for the valley. It turned me off from hitting Waterville back in the original Threedom Pass days, I would rather go to Loon. I would ski WV maybe twice a season.

cop factor on 49 = most over zealous ticket giving access point to a ski area in New England. Speed limits are ridiculously low on that road for the amount of traffic/development in the area.

2nd place is route 4 in Bridgewater, VT.

riverc0il said:

People get bagged in Concord all the time. My SO used to commute to Concord daily. Entering the 55 zone was one of the few times she always did the speed limit. They love to camp out right where the trees end/begin on the northern edge of the city right where the limit changes. I've seen so many people bagged there. Same on the south side of the city. Just before the Route 3 exit in Concord on Northbound side I see tons of folks pulled over. Staties like to sit in the median just before the 89 split (as you go northbound) and pounce on cars where it goes to 55. Manchester... I've seen people nailed in the area right before it goes back up to 65 (northbound). They usually don't catch up and get the car pulled over until the long flat part where there is a bridge (currently under construction, so probably not bagging people there now) where it has already gone to 65 though they catch people before that. You have good luck if you blow through the 55 zones at 75. I've gotten warned for doing 75 in a 65 on I-93 before. I keep it at 70 myself. But bottom line is I probably see someone pulled over in the 55 zones at least once per round trip. But I am driving through there at different times than you would be....

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LOL I got nailed there once....best part was that I was on my way to court in plymouth because a month earlier I got arrested in FNSP for being underage and drinking ( I was 18 and we took a camping trip after we graduated, it got a little rowdy) ....the cop was none too pleased to hear my answer when he asked me where I was going lol. As expected, everyone in court that day was a young kid who "coincidentally" was there for underage drinking. Oh well, we had a great time that night hanging out in the Lincoln drunk tank or whatever the hell you wanna call it. It ended up being just a violation.....not even a misdemeanor. A bunch of fines & a couple months later I got a letter from the state basically telling me never to come there again. Ive been back every year since.


BTW, fwiw this thread is by far the best one Ive ever read on this site. I cant really explain why...it just is.

BLESS said:

BTW, fwiw this thread is by far the best one Ive ever read on this site. I cant really explain why...it just is.

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Hey thanks fellow rhody guy!!!

I am hoping for 1000 posts!!!!! My kid goes to school in NH and this Cannon deal is a real hot topic on campus.

Hope to finally see you on the hill next year......hoping to get in more BEast vs. Wa next year!

Be safe Sunday!

hrstrat57 said:

Hey thanks fellow rhody guy!!!

I am hoping for 1000 posts!!!!! My kid goes to school in NH and this Cannon deal is a real hot topic on campus.

Hope to finally see you on the hill next year......hoping to get in more BEast vs. Wa next year!

Be safe Sunday!

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hahaha it figures 2 guys from rhody actually like it. We're probably the only ones! We are a strange bunch, us quahogs. You're down at yawgoo? I drive by there literally every weekend on my way to our summer cottage in Matunuck.....


to those of you wondering why, I suppose it certainly has to do with the fact that I love Cannon......and I love Cannon because the Loon & Bretton Woods types hate it ( at least here in RI) and I want it to stay that way...the response I always get down here in rhody is "oh cannon, that mountain is too cold & icy" I guess they dont realize the layering concept? Shit Ive skied in -25 with a chill near -40 and was fine. It wasnt the greatest day...but a day on snow anyway. Anywhoo I guess I just liked the back & forth in the thread......everytime threecy started to win me over (just a tiny tiny bit) someone was there to come back with a well thought out response, that ultimately IMO he was never able to REALLY answer for. No offense threecy, you had some good points, and I respect you're opinion on the matter...hell you're entitled to it, we all are. Nice job all around by everyone involved. I cant wait to see how things shake out in the future years to come.

BLESS said:

hahaha it figures 2 guys from rhody actually like it. We're probably the only ones! We are a strange bunch, us quahogs. You're down at yawgoo? I drive by there literally every weekend on my way to our summer cottage in Matunuck.....

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Hope the Matunuck SK cottage makes it thru tomorrow....

I'm about a mile from Yawgoo Valley, taught skiing there for about 8 yrs as did 2 of my kids.

Prior to that I had a season pass for a couple of years.

I learned to ski at Pinetop tho, many moons ago.

Cannon Mountain is a very beautiful place even without the old man. I too have enjoyed the passionate discussion here, very glad I asked the question.

any updates?

Maybe a new thread devoted to cannon would work...