Please bear with me as I try adding some interactivenss to this report...click on the hyperlinks for some great pics as I tell of my day :wink:
Date(s) Skied: Friday, April 8, 2005.
Resort or Ski Area: Cannon Mountain
Conditions: Spring Conditions, Corn Snow, Warm temps, partly cloudy skies, and SNOW in the PM.
Trip Report: I had straight skis the last time I skied Cannon. That's how long it has been. Though it was only 1999, so much has changed at Cannon and for the better and yet it still has the same character.
My first visit was in January 1998 and it was a blast--lots of snow, great terrain, cheap prices, and few skiers. But, with my siblings in tow, the next visit in February 1999 was a disaster--glare ice everywhere, the realization that skiing the whole mountain was difficult given the old Peabody Double, and lack of snowmaking.
I pulled in at 9am as one of a handful of cars parked directly in front of the lodge. The base area was completely different--new Express Quad, renovated lodges, and a new beginner area. The ticket agent had my ticket and hand and I was out the door and onto the new quad. What a ride. In about 7 minutes or so I was at the top of the Links and within a stone's throw from the Cannonball Express. This was a huge improvement that meant I could ski 2100 of vertical with only about a 15 minute ride...the old Peabody Double took about 20 minutes to ride
I took a warm up run on Lower Cannon which offered soft snow and a single groomer track which was nice. It reminded me of skiing at Zermatt where one could stick to the narrow turns on the track or venture off onto the surrounding snow. After another warm-up run on Gremlin, I hit the summit which was still in the clouds. The trees were covered in FROST from the night before which was beautiful. Upper Ravine was as great as I remembered--some great rolls and great grooming. I then hit Tram Way and then Upper Cannon to find the same.
For the most part, the summit was still flash frozen which was what I had expected so I headed down to the Zoomer area. Pointing my skis over the edge of the Gary'shttp://forums.alpinezone.com/module...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php, I found edge-to-edge cover which was soft and made GS turns sweet. Cannon's steep runs are ironically at the lower Zoomer area and on the Eastern Slope of the mountain which falls into the Notch. I also hit Rocket which was also in stellar shape.
Riding up the Zoomer Triple, I stared at Zoomer which offered soft bumps and some really narrow routes which left little margin of error. I could not resist and headed down it to find lots of challenge and nice bumps which others wouldn't try. I was surprised that the run was open with such spotty cover , but it made for a fun challenge. Looking up, I had a hard time finding the route I had taken (with a look of "what the f%^&???!!") .
I also managed to hit Banshee and Avalanche, the latter was quite tricky because one side was impassable due to grass . The steep pitch was fun.
After a nice lunch at the base, it was off to the top to play on the softer snow. My strategy had paid off...all of the runs were great including my favorite Skylight and Profile , all of which were great.
At 3pm it actually snowed for a while despite the warmer temps, which confused me and others
Last runs were down Upper Cannon to Paulie's Extension, which was sweet.
All of my runs, including The Narrow Lower Ravine, Middle/Lower Hardscrabble, Turnpike, and Lower Cannon, were great and well covered. All of the lifties went out of their way to say hello and strike up a conversation...same old friendly Cannon I had known!
I had a great time and was thrilled to get back to Cannon! Nice sun 8), friendly folks, and great skiing. It was a day when me, my skis, the conditions, and the terrain all merged into one euphoric experience!
Oh yeah...here are the rest of my pics for all of you to enjoy![/u][/b]
Date(s) Skied: Friday, April 8, 2005.
Resort or Ski Area: Cannon Mountain
Conditions: Spring Conditions, Corn Snow, Warm temps, partly cloudy skies, and SNOW in the PM.
Trip Report: I had straight skis the last time I skied Cannon. That's how long it has been. Though it was only 1999, so much has changed at Cannon and for the better and yet it still has the same character.
My first visit was in January 1998 and it was a blast--lots of snow, great terrain, cheap prices, and few skiers. But, with my siblings in tow, the next visit in February 1999 was a disaster--glare ice everywhere, the realization that skiing the whole mountain was difficult given the old Peabody Double, and lack of snowmaking.
I pulled in at 9am as one of a handful of cars parked directly in front of the lodge. The base area was completely different--new Express Quad, renovated lodges, and a new beginner area.
The ticket agent had my ticket and hand and I was out the door and onto the new quad. What a ride. In about 7 minutes or so I was at the top of the Links and within a stone's throw from the Cannonball Express. This was a huge improvement that meant I could ski 2100 of vertical with only about a 15 minute ride...the old Peabody Double took about 20 minutes to ride I took a warm up run on Lower Cannon which offered soft snow and a single groomer track which was nice. It reminded me of skiing at Zermatt where one could stick to the narrow turns on the track or venture off onto the surrounding snow. After another warm-up run on Gremlin, I hit the summit which was still in the clouds. The trees were covered in FROST
from the night before which was beautiful. Upper Ravine was as great as I remembered--some great rolls and great grooming. I then hit Tram Way and then Upper Cannon to find the same. For the most part, the summit was still flash frozen which was what I had expected so I headed down to the Zoomer area. Pointing my skis over the edge of the Gary'shttp://forums.alpinezone.com/module...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php, I found edge-to-edge cover which was soft and made GS turns sweet.
Cannon's steep runs are ironically at the lower Zoomer area and on the Eastern Slope of the mountain which falls into the Notch. I also hit Rocket which was also in stellar shape.Riding up the Zoomer Triple, I stared at Zoomer which offered soft bumps and some really narrow routes which left little margin of error. I could not resist and headed down it to find lots of challenge and nice bumps which others wouldn't try. I was surprised that the run was open with such spotty cover , but it made for a fun challenge. Looking up, I had a hard time finding the route I had taken (with a look of "what the f%^&???!!")
. I also managed to hit Banshee and Avalanche, the latter was quite tricky because one side was impassable due to grass . The steep pitch was fun.
After a nice lunch at the base, it was off to the top to play on the softer snow. My strategy had paid off...all of the runs were great including my favorite Skylight and Profile , all of which were great.
At 3pm it actually snowed for a while despite the warmer temps, which confused me and others
Last runs were down Upper Cannon to Paulie's Extension, which was sweet.
All of my runs, including The Narrow Lower Ravine, Middle/Lower Hardscrabble, Turnpike, and Lower Cannon, were great and well covered. All of the lifties went out of their way to say hello and strike up a conversation...same old friendly Cannon I had known!
I had a great time and was thrilled to get back to Cannon! Nice sun 8), friendly folks, and great skiing. It was a day when me, my skis, the conditions, and the terrain all merged into one euphoric experience!
Oh yeah...here are the rest of my pics for all of you to enjoy![/u][/b]
