Buckeye Skier 1330
New member
We made our yearly trip up to New England this past week. We based out of North Lincoln NH just down the road from Cannon and Loon.
The first 2 days were spent at Cannon and it was very good. The blacks were a little scratchy but the blues were in good shape most of the day. I really liked the Ravines and Cannon runs. When my wife took a break I explored Taft Slalom and Upper Hardscrabble along with Vista Way. They were pretty thin in spots but also had some smallish bumps that were right up my alley. The Tram was fun to ride but a pain to get to. I was impressed with how fast the Cannonball Express was, along with the Peabody you really didn't need the Tram. The second day there was absolutely no wind to go with the sunny skies.
Wednesday we took a ride up to Burke. It was another bluebird day with no wind. We walked into the Mid-Burke lodge about 8:30 to the smell of fresh skunk! A local told us one had taken up residence under the lodge. It smelled like it wanted everyone to know it was there. Burke is my kind of mountain. Laid back, uncrowded and quiet. A big version of our favorite, Laurel Mountain PA. We had never skied anywhere so quiet. I just loved the old trails like East Bowl and Powderhorn. The natural snow only blues, Mountain Marsh, Mcharg's Cut-off were a nice change to the groomers. The Wiloughbys and the Dippers were smooth and fast. The runs were much longer than I expected, going on and on. The Sherburne lodge was really nice also. Most times I dread going into the lodges for lunch, they are always so crowded and noisy. Not the Sherburne. A really pleasant experience. Overall Burke was my favorite for the trip. My only complaint is everyone's complaint, the speed of the Willoughby quad. But I guess that helps the place remain laid back.
Thursday was Loon day. It was cloudy with rain in the forecast. The rain turned out to be snow which started around noon and didn't let up, adding 3 inches by the end of the day. Things turned nice and soft. Some of the people we had talked to at Cannon and Burke didn't seem to like Loon too much. One guy even used the word "puny". We had to diagree with them. My wife fell in love with the place. Once I got to know my way around we were making long runs off the North Peak quad. There were more people at Loon but we were expecting that. You can get a lot of runs with those fast chairs. It's on our return list along with Burke and Cannon.
The whole area is beautiful with stunning views everywhere you go. We drove around to Bretton Woods and over to the Cog to get a good look at Mt. Washington. Hopefully we can get back up there next year.
Hear are some pics. http://www.picturehosting.org/gallery.php?g=cannon-burke-loon&u=buckeyeskier1330
And thanks to NHPowderhound for posting pictuerhosting.org
The first 2 days were spent at Cannon and it was very good. The blacks were a little scratchy but the blues were in good shape most of the day. I really liked the Ravines and Cannon runs. When my wife took a break I explored Taft Slalom and Upper Hardscrabble along with Vista Way. They were pretty thin in spots but also had some smallish bumps that were right up my alley. The Tram was fun to ride but a pain to get to. I was impressed with how fast the Cannonball Express was, along with the Peabody you really didn't need the Tram. The second day there was absolutely no wind to go with the sunny skies.
Wednesday we took a ride up to Burke. It was another bluebird day with no wind. We walked into the Mid-Burke lodge about 8:30 to the smell of fresh skunk! A local told us one had taken up residence under the lodge. It smelled like it wanted everyone to know it was there. Burke is my kind of mountain. Laid back, uncrowded and quiet. A big version of our favorite, Laurel Mountain PA. We had never skied anywhere so quiet. I just loved the old trails like East Bowl and Powderhorn. The natural snow only blues, Mountain Marsh, Mcharg's Cut-off were a nice change to the groomers. The Wiloughbys and the Dippers were smooth and fast. The runs were much longer than I expected, going on and on. The Sherburne lodge was really nice also. Most times I dread going into the lodges for lunch, they are always so crowded and noisy. Not the Sherburne. A really pleasant experience. Overall Burke was my favorite for the trip. My only complaint is everyone's complaint, the speed of the Willoughby quad. But I guess that helps the place remain laid back.
Thursday was Loon day. It was cloudy with rain in the forecast. The rain turned out to be snow which started around noon and didn't let up, adding 3 inches by the end of the day. Things turned nice and soft. Some of the people we had talked to at Cannon and Burke didn't seem to like Loon too much. One guy even used the word "puny". We had to diagree with them. My wife fell in love with the place. Once I got to know my way around we were making long runs off the North Peak quad. There were more people at Loon but we were expecting that. You can get a lot of runs with those fast chairs. It's on our return list along with Burke and Cannon.
The whole area is beautiful with stunning views everywhere you go. We drove around to Bretton Woods and over to the Cog to get a good look at Mt. Washington. Hopefully we can get back up there next year.
Hear are some pics. http://www.picturehosting.org/gallery.php?g=cannon-burke-loon&u=buckeyeskier1330
And thanks to NHPowderhound for posting pictuerhosting.org