More Cannon bashing

[awf170]

Check out these snow totals so far this season:

Sugarbush 99"
Cannon 98"
Mt. Washington 92"
MRG 55 " - 91 "
Burke 86"
Wildcat 72"

Before this rain I would say that MRG had atleast double (possibly triple) the base of Cannon. Burke had a lot more snow on the 8th than Cannon did on the 20th. And from what I saw on the Sherbie on the 22nd and what my dad saw at Wildcat on 21th the Pinkham notch area has more snow than Cannon.

Lonesome Lake is reporting 4 more inches of snow pack than Hojo's, but from I saw that just doesn't seem right.

Cannon seemed pretty accurate in years past, but this just seems way off IMO.

(Yeah I'm bored, not working yet, and don't feel like wasting a ton of gas money to ski hardpack. So I have way to much free time)

 

[riverc0il]

Central NH has done abnormally well this season for snow fall. A week ago, NH got more snow than the Northern Greens. I would not doubt Cannon having more than WIldcat, HoJos, or perhaps even Burke. But one inch under the bush screams suspect.

That said, the woods at Cannon were open which is incredibly rare during any part of the season, let alone December. I haven't been up there in two weeks or so though 98" does seem rather high, especially considering their yearly average is around 160-170" or so, IIRC. Marketing inches? Perhaps. I do know that there is no way Cannon is skiing anything like the Mad River Valley. And Northern VT did not have half as many trail closures due to the rain/freeze event.

Though I gotta say, Lonesome Lake reporting four more inches than HoJo's in the snow pack does support and is consistent with those totals.

 

[SIKSKIER]

My take

I'm at Cannon every weekend so I can speak to this thread.I don't think the total snowfall is too far off the mark.They start tallying the total in november so a lot of the snow in that number was melted before the mt even opened.But here's the biggest reason for the snowpack discrepency.Cannon has by far the biggest meltdown of any ski area I've seen with warm air events.Last Sunday was a perfect example and this happens 4 or 5 times a season.I drove up Sunday morning and watched the temp gauge show 27 from Manchester all the way to Lincoln(Loon).Heading up the notch the temp rose to 39 when I pulled into Cannon and the south wind was blowing 40 mph.It stayed like this all day and until about midnight except the wind increased to 60-70 mph.It felt like the roof was going to blow off my house.I watched about 16 inches of snow melt Sunday on my front lawn during that period.Whenever storms go west of Cannon up through NY state it is bad news for Cannon.The south wind gets funneled up the notch and the increase in velocity is just amazing at the top of the notch.Head north down to Franconia and the wind is similar to the other side in Lincoln.This temp difference and the high south(warm) winds just eat the crap out of the snow at Cannon.I've watched this happen for 30 years.Not a pretty site.

 

[bobbutts]

Mad River is designed to retain snow. Cannon has some runs that are, but mostly it is an exposed snow eating design.

 

[SIKSKIER]

The exposure actually has little to do with Cannon losing snow except on a few dumb trail designs like Profile.It's 99% the surrounding topgraphy.

 

[Breeze]

Thumbs up Sikskier. Weather in the higher Whites is a "world " of it's own, and there aren't many meteorologists who live the experience, never mind being able translate it for the rest of the world.

It is the topography that makes a "world" of difference.


You did a great job with that post!

Breeze

 

[bobbutts]

There are a bunch of wide western style steep runs at Cannon.. The kind that would rarely open without man made snow.

 

[spooner]

I was at Cannon last week, it felt like the last week of Feb hard to believe it was December. Having not been there, I'd have agreed that the snow totals were probably off. I think it's actually not that far off the mark. I could be completely wrong. .