Big Mountain Skiing - Cannon Mountain - Franconia Notch, NH
Written: Feb 20 '04 (Updated Aug 02 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Big Drop, Mix of Terrain, Big Mountain Skiing, Nifty Tram, Excellent Customer Service
Cons: Upper mountain can be intimidating to people afraid of heights or exposure
The Bottom Line: Anyone looking for an authentic downhill skiing experience will find it with Cannon Mountain, as Cannon harks back to when skiing meant big drops with great skiing and little else
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| jps246's Full Review: Cannon |
Having all the positives of big mountain skiing without the negatives, Cannon Mountain, located in New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch is a one of a kind skiing experience in the area and well worth a trip for any skier.
Cannon’s Details
Situated at the northern end of Franconia Notch along Interstate 93 in northern New Hampshire, Cannon Mountain offers 2,146 feet of vertical drop, 163 skiable acres, 55 trails, 97% snowmaking, and one of the friendliest and down home atmospheres of any mountain in the area.
With all that vertical drop and skiable terrain, Cannon is a big place to ski around and may sound much more geared to experts than it really is. Approximately 35% of the trails are rated expert, 48% intermediate, and 17% are rated as beginner. The ratings on the trails are fairly accurate and the expert trails are truly expert. A first time skier would be limited to less than about 20% of the mountain, so having Cannon be your first ski experience may not be the best idea, especially if you are going with friends with higher skiing abilities. However intermediate skiers will find plenty of terrain, especially if they are looking to test their skills on more advanced trails. For those looking for cruising runs, the longest trail on Cannon is about 2.2 miles long.
There are a total of 9 lifts serving the ski trails and terrain on Cannon Mountain. There are two detachable quad chairs, one fixed grip quad chair, three triple chairs, one rope tow, one wonder carpet (you stand on it and it takes you up), and finally Cannon has it’s famous aerial tramway, which can bring 70 skiers at a time to the top of the mountain.
Cannon faces the north-northeast and receives about 150 inches of snow a year. This translates into a ski season that runs from mid-November until early April. Because it is a state run facility, Cannon does not attempt to open very early or stay open very late.
Ticket rates at the mountain are reasonably priced. A weekday ticket for adults will cost you $34 dollars and a weekend ticket will cost you $45. Half-day tickets are also available for about $12 dollars less. Cannon offers a $5 discount if people ski back-to-back days at the mountain – just wear your ticket from the day before and they will automatically take off the $5. There is a frequent skier program that allows you to build up points and then use those points for discounted tickets. New Hampshire residents can ski for $15 on Wednesdays and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, two people can ski at Cannon for $40 dollars.
Don’t expect to find condominiums, or much of anything lining the sides of Cannon. Because it is a state run facility, less is more at Cannon. There is no slope-side lodging and only the minimal services needed to run a ski area. There are two base lodges, the Peabody Lodge and the Tramway Lodge. Both provide basic services including food (cafeterias), restrooms, locker facilities and mountain information. The Peabody Lodge also houses a full service rental and repair shop. Cannon does offer children’s services at the Brookside Children’s Center. The center offers full or half day services and also can provide seasonal services for those who ski at Cannon often. There is a full-service ski school at Cannon too that offers lessons and classes for both skiing and snowboarding.
Lodging is not available on the mountain and skiers, if they want to stay overnight in the area, must find a hotel or motel room off the mountain. Services are available in the town of Lincoln to the south of Franconia Notch, in Franconia to the north and in Littleton to the North. Lincoln is about 15 minutes from Cannon, Franconia about 10 minutes and Littleton about a ½ an hour from Cannon. All different sorts of lodging are available in these towns, from motor lodges to more elaborate resort type hotels. Cannon Mountain offers information on this lodging on their website.
Cannon is located directly off of Interstate 93 at either exit 34B and 34C (depending upon whether you want to start at the Tramway base or the Peabody base area. Both are located directly off the highway and are very easy to get to. Traveling from Boston, it takes about 2 ½ hours to get to Cannon and is about an hour north of Concord, NH.
Cannon offers a website at www.cannonmt.com where you can find out more details on the mountain including trail maps, up to the minute trail conditions, lodging information off mountain, travel directions, and more.
Experiences
Cannon is a big mountain – anyone stepping off the Tramway on the summit for the first time can attest to that - you look down and you see all the way down to the bottom of Franconia Notch. The upper mountain is definitely not for the faint of heart or anyone who is afraid of heights or exposure, because the upper portion of Cannon has all of that.
But once you get past that initially shock of how big Cannon really is, the mountain is an excellent skiing destination that gets past the glitter and glam of many other resorts. Because of the limited resources of the state, the ski area focuses on skiing – trails, snowmaking and lifts and little else. If you want a true mountain skiing experience, Cannon has got it.
The trails do run the gambit from beginner up to expert and in general, the majority of terrain is accessible to average intermediate skiers. Beginners may be disappointed at the lack of terrain and/or the fact that there more experiences friends are off on the rest of the mountain, but experts should enjoy the more challenging trails that Cannon offers.
On clear days, the views from Cannon are tremendous – you look north across to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and to the mountains of Northern New Hampshire. Directly across the notch is the Franconia Range with Mount Lafayette reaching well above treeline. Don’t only bring your skis, bring your camera because the views are that stunning.
All in all, Cannon is one of my favorite ski destinations because you get that big mountain ski without any of the pretension of many other ski areas. I don’t need half-pipes, slope slide condominiums or world famous restaurants at my ski area, I just want great trails, great service and a good time – and Cannon Mountain offers that.
Final Thoughts
Anyone looking for an authentic downhill skiing experience will find it with Cannon Mountain, as Cannon harks back to when skiing meant big drops with great skiing and little else. No fancy slope side lodging or skier services, Cannon Mountain is all about the mountain and the skiing.
If you’re more interested in vertical drop or running a great trail than you are with what your ski outfit looks like, then Cannon is the mountain for you.
Ski it at least once – Cannon is a mountain that everyone should experience at least once.
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: Intermediate
Best Time to Visit: February
Best Suited For: Friends
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