Ski Day #13 for me! I truly am shocked and delighted it's gotten this high. I had a long weekend with Good Friday off, so I took the chance to hit Cannon for the first time, and then I would meet Emma while she technically chaperoned her school's ski club at Bolton Valley later in the day. My alarm went off at 5:45am (a full hour+ later than usual!) and I was off to Cannon!
Cannon Mountain
I find I get very anxious/nervous whenever visitng a new mountain, but never in the bad way. I knew Cannon has a reputation of being hard and icy, but I also reminded myself I don't have to do anything I don't want to do, and I have the necessary skills to make it down, even if it takes a nice, long time. I started my day in the older-feeling Notchview Lodge to redeem my Indy and use the bathroom, and I ended up booting up in the car. I then discovered the newer-feeling Peabody Lodge, where I found a paper trail map and watched the die-hards wait in line for first chair.
Mountain Report
"Skiing Cannon is ninety percent mental. The other half is physical." - Yogi Berra
Cannon is no stranger to thaw and freeze cycles. Temps were in the 40s yesterday but slowly dropped overnight. That makes for challenging grooming conditions for our team bu thte perfect opportunity for oyu to work on your skiing technique and skills. Temperatures are colder today with teh chance for snow showers across the mountain throughout the day.
The Groomers were out on 47 trails overnight. You can expect firm, fast, and variable conditions across the mountain. Any ungroomed trails will remained closed. All glades will stay closed until temperatures increase and things soften up. Mittersill Summit will also remain closed today, but you will be able to access the trails off the Valar T-Bar.
Blizzard Splash Pond, scheduled for this Saturday, has been CANCELLED due to cold, windy, and snowy conditions.
Runs 1-6
Run 1: Peabody Lodge - Brookside
[0.23 mi, 1:38, 141 ft, 13.7 mph max, 8.3 mph avg]
Run 2: Tuckerbrook Quad - Raven Ridge - Huckerbrook - Brookside
[0.51 mi, 2:44, 282 ft, 17.2 mph max, 11.1 mph avg]
Run 3: Tuckerbrook Quad - Deer Run
[0.30 mi, 1:30, 289 ft, 22.9 mph max, 11.9 mph avg]
Run 4: Tuckerbrook Quad - Rabbit Path
[0.36 mi, 2:12, 292 ft, 17.8 mph max, 9.9 mph avg]
Run 5: Tuckerbrook Quad - Turkey Trot
[0.31 mi, 1:28, 285 ft, 21.5 mph max, 12.8 mph avg]
Run 6: Tuckerbrook Quad - Raven Ridge - Huckerbrook
[0.31 mi, 2:01, 154 ft, 17.8 mph max, 9.3 mph avg]
Respecting the aformentioned anxiety, I decided I would start in the beginner "Tuckerbrook" area, which is just below the main Peabody Lodge. My first run was a ski down to the Tuckerbrook Quad, which was FROZEN corduroy that vibrated my whole body - this would be interesting. I decided I'd do a bunch of runs, hitting most of the main trails one run at a time, from skiers right to left. Raven Ridge to Huckerbrook to Brookside was flat and easy, and then Deer Run was surprisingly narrow and steep. I missed Fox and Bear because of families. Next was Rabbit, which was fun! Still very frozen, but a bit steeper and wider than Deer. I ended my short stay in this area with Turkey Trot, which was similar to Rabbit Path, just shorter. There was no lift line at 9:15am, and this was my first experience with the pass scanning guns they have at Cannon - basically you point to where your pass it and they scan you like a grocery store cashier. Interesting! I was impressed how far they could scan, or maybe they just did the action for fun. My sixth and final run in this area was my return to the Peabody Lodge via Raven Ridge and Huckerbrook.
Runs 7-13
Run 7: Peabody Express Quad - Middle Cannon - Rock Garden - Gremlin
[1.08 mi, 5:13, 1375 ft, 24.8 mph max, 12.4 mph avg]
Run 8: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Big Link - Middle Ravine - Turnpike
[1.20 mi, 5:28, 1348 ft, 28.6 mph max, 13.2 mph avg]
Run 9: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Big Link - Middle Ravine - Turnpike
[1.25 mi, 5:32, 1371 ft, 31.2 mph max, 13.6 mph avg]
Run 10: Peabody Express Quad - Easy Link - Missing Link - Lower Ravine - Chute
[1.08 mi, 4:34, 1368 ft, 25.1 mph max, 14.2 mph avg]
Run 11: Peabody Express Quad - Middle Cannon - Rock Garden - Gremlin
[1.09 mi, 4:57, 1375 ft, 23.9 mph max, 13.2 mph avg]
Run 12: Peabody Express Quad - Middle Cannon - Rock Garden - Lower Cannon
[1.11 mi, 6:27, 1378 ft, 19.5 mph max, 10.3 mph avg]
Run 13: Peabody Express Quad - Middle Cannon - Mickey's Margin - Time Zone - Lakeside
[1.35 mi, 7:32, 1453 ft, 22.4 mph max, 10.7 mph avg]
My next and longest bit of runs were off of the Peabody Express Quad. I was definitely feeling nervous based on the previous hard/icy conditions and Cannon's reputation, but I knew I could take my time. I thought of doing the Ravines first, but I could clearly see Gremlin from the lift and decided I'd go that route, and it was... fine. A little steep, very icy. My biggest takeaway was that these runs are BEAUTIFUL but terrifying since it looks like you're skiing over a cliff (you're not). The next two runs were much more enjoyable - Easy/Big Link to Middle Ravine with a cut-through to Turnpike (the main headwall was closed, but the lower part was open). I was able to get some speed and ski like I knew what I was doing. I did discover the dreaded "death cookies," which were a bummer, but thankfully I escaped rather unscathed. I did have my one and only fall of the day when I stopped to check my trail map - I simply failed getting out of "pizza," my ski popped off, and suddenly I was sitting... oh well!
Next up I was going to do a redemption run on Gremlin, which was... fine. I wasn't too thrilled with it, but I guess I did a better job? Afterwards, I stayed on Rock Garden and hit Lower Cannon, which was MUCH more enjoyable. Only downside was how hard and icy the trails were, but I enjoyed how wide they were. Finally, I read that "Gary's" was a good intermediate run on the "front five," so I attempted (and failed) to ski it. I ended up on Mickey's Margin (correct) and then Time Zone (incorrect) - both of which I enjoyed. From here, I could hike back up to the Peabody Express Quad or follow Lakeside to the Zoomer Triple, which I did. Tragically, Lakeside bottomed out in a dirty, muddy slush pit that I had to slog through to eventually hit the triple.
Runs 14-15
Run 14: Zoomer Triple - Mickey's Margin - Gary's
[0.54 mi, 3:12, 643 ft, 21.1 mph max, 10.0 mph avg]
Run 15: Zoomer Triple - Mickey's Margin - Time Zone
[0.56 mi, 2:44, 564 ft, 29.5 mph max, 12.4 mph avg]
The Zoomer Triple definitely felt more tucked away, and my pass didn't get scanned down here. My first run after the lift was actually hitting Gary's, which was... rough. Very steep, very icy, very wide though? I don't like not seeing what's ahead of me, so I went very slowly with VERY wide turns. Thankfully no one else was tackling frozen Gary at this point. I eventually got speed at the bottom to make it back to the Triple, and then I followed Mickey's Margin to Time Zone back to the Peabody, which was a fun, fast run.
Runs 16-17
Run 16: Peabody Express Quad - Big Link
[0.15 mi, 1:00, 200 ft, 16.0 mph max, 9.1 mph avg]
Run 17: Cannonball Quad - Tramway - Big Link - Missing Link - Middle Ravine - Turnpike - Lower Ravine
[1.62 mi, 7:40, 2044 ft, 31.1 mph max, 12.7 mph avg]
The cloud ceiling had finally lifted, so I decided I'd make a go at the tippy top! I took the Peabody up, followed Big Link to the Cannonball Quad, which was steeper than I'd like - I'll definitely be sticking to Easy Link from now on. The Cannonball Quad was cold, windy, but very pretty. There was a lot of rime ice on the chairs, and the trees were fully frosted up top. The wind was blowing the snow like sand in the sahara, too. From the top, I read that Tramway was a good intermediate, so I headed that way and was STUNNED by how magnificent Mt. Lafayette and the Franconia Ridge looked from up here. The trail drops down past the tram house on a steep/icy headwall - it was so windy up here that the wind was actually pushing me backwards, which was... interesting. The Tramway itself was a lovely trail. A little steep, but super wide and beautiful. Eventually, it landed at the top of the Peabody, so I followed the Middle Ravine to Turnpike route I'd grown to like back to the base lodge. I was definitely feeling a high after that run, but I had to continue my drive up to Vermont - thankfully, I'll be back in a few days!
Bolton Valley
Another ~2 hour drive under my belt, I was now at Bolton Valley to meet up with Emma as she "chaperoned" her ski club. I made it to Bolton, got my $35 pass (the first time I paid for a pass this season!), and found her just as she was finishing up her first run with her work friends, and also just as the Vista Lift closed - tragic!
Runs 1-2
Run 1: Mid Mountain Lift - Bear Run - Primer Loop
[0.46 mi, 2:46, 338 ft, 19.4 mph max, 9.9 mph avg]
Run 2: Mid Mountain Lift - Bear Run - Primer Loop
[0.54 mi, 3:26, 258 ft, 20.1 mph max, 9.5 mph avg]
Since the Vista Lift was closed, we hit up the rickety Mid Mountain Lift, which was equally charming and terrifying. Safety bar was required (my rules) as I felt like I would slip out at any moment. We skied with three of her friends on easy, beginner runs, which was fun! I've never skied with more than just Emma and Gen before, so it was a fun, new experience. The snow was very wet and heavy, which made for a WILDLY different skiing experience than Cannon.
Runs 3-4
Run 3: Snowflake Lift - Snowflake Bentley - Lower Villager
[0.34 mi, 2:16, 285 ft, 18.0 mph max, 9.0 mph avg]
Run 4: Snowflake Lift - Foxy - Lower Villager
[0.37 mi, 2:35, 302 ft, 20.7 mph max, 8.5 mph avg]
After their runs, the folks who worked today were done. Since I paid a whole $35, I decided I'd get a couple more runs in. I went over to the other rickety lift, the Snowflake Lift, for my last two runs. The first was Snowflake Bentley to Lower Villager, which was bumpy and less-traveled at first, and then flat and easy. The second was a blue, Foxy, which was rocky and frozen and terrifying, but got me enough speed to get through Lower Villager. After these two runs, I decided it was also time for a hot dog, so I packed up shop. Overall a nice, short afternoon!
[UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE] Apparently one of my families from school was also at Cannon this day and saw me! It's hard to be a celebrity...
End of Day Stats: 21 Runs, 14.76 miles, 15,847 feet, 31.2 mph max, 1:16:56 skiing, 4:11:59 elapsed.
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