 Cannon's fabled "Front Five"
Cannon always has been -- and always will beá -- one of the defining
mountains of Eastern skiing.
With 2,146 feet of vertical, itÆs the tallest in New Hampshire and among the
biggest in the east. It also has some of the most challenging lift-serviced
terrain., especially with the opening of Tramline (which your truly was almost
arrested for skiing following a massive powder dump circa 1970) and the
super-steep Kinsman Glades.
Historically, steep terrain and marginal snowmaking and sparse grooming (read
ôglare iceö) were part of CannonÆs challenge and part of its appeal. The upper
mountain is noted among insiders for winding, twisting, challenging, narrow
trails such as Hardscrabble, as well asá hidden tree shots that rival those
of Stowe.
And the lower mountain has the fabled Front Five, a series of trails that
increase in steepness and difficulty from skierÆs left to right--GaryÆs, Rocket,
Zoomer, PaulieÆs Folly and Avalanche. The latter three rating a solid black
diamond when groomed. And Avalanche, at least, deserves double diamond status
when allowed to go au naturel.
More than one self-proclaimed ôexpertö (and IÆm counting myself among this
number) has pushed a bit too hard and found himself ragdolling down the icy face
of Avalanche ...
Now, however, Cannon is adding a layer of civility to its hard-core heritage
--á offering a little more variety without detracting from the core that
kept the experts coming back.
First, Cannon has replaced its old, slow Peabody chair with a high-speed
detachable quad. This takes some of the pressure off the tram and makes skiing
the intermediate and green-circle terrain on the Peabody slopes more feasible.
The Peabody lift was legendary. You could meet someone cute in the lift line and
be engaged by the time you unloaded at the top.
The new lift has reduced traffic on the upper mountain meaning the snow
surface lasts longer. Cannon's managers have also reworked portions of their
trail systems to eliminate some historical (and historically glare ice)
bottlenecks. And they are paying more attention to snowmaking and grooming,
especially on the intermediate terrain.
Cannon is, suddenly, no longer exclusively an expertÆs mountain.
That doesnÆt mean that Cannon has gone soft. ThereÆs still plenty of
challenge here for anyone from beginner to expert. This is still Cannon. ItÆs
just now you can bring the whole family and everyone can enjoy themselves. | 
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