Total Miles: 4.2 Vertical Gain: 2100'
We got an early start today, with rain forecasted for most of the day, although the heavier rain was to be later in the day. We noticed the wind while we were driving over to Cannon Mtn. By the time we hit Franconia Notch, the weather had taken an unexpected turn. A raging blizzard was happening with 2-3" of snow already down on the highway. We witnessed a pick-up and an 18-wheeler both go fishtailing down I-93 South. We pulled off the highway and into Lot #2 at the Cannon ski area. Rock-Star parking, as only 1 other car was in the lot. I don't know the ski area well, having skied here only once about 25 years ago. But, Thomas and I were excited about the prospect of sliding down another 4000 footer.
We change up in the lot (windy) and go through the stairwell tunnel where, like a movie, the real wind begins. Out of the fog, 2 black labs come running at us, followed by their owners, who look damp and windblown. They were turning back, not having goggles to shield their eyes. That made us think for just a moment, but we were here, and had goggles, so decided to give it a go.
Starting up from the base lodge, we decide it's time for a picture. DOH! Batteries are dead. Thomas pulled out his phone (batteries dying) and we snap a picture of each other just above the base area.
The snow was coming at us sideways, with the wind feeling a constant 25-35 mph, and frequent higher gusts. Not knowing the mountain, we stayed on blue trails for the ascent. Both Thomas and I were almost knocked over by the wind a few times, and it was certainly a struggle going against it on the way up. One encouraging sign was the snow, which was piling up in a nice, thick cover. With just a couple of short breaks, we made it to the upper tram station in an hour and a half. We shuffled over to the building to get a break from the wind, and drop our skis and snowboard. We head over to the top of the Cannonball lift, and past that, it's a short hike to the summit with its observation deck and communications tower. Just approaching the tower, the wind sounded like a runaway freight train, and felt like a constant 50 mph slap to the face. The snow was feeling like pellets on the face, too.
Once on top, we hiked around a bit to find the Kinsman Ridge and Rim trails. We came back to the top and got on the observation deck, but no views were to be had. Visibility was down to 50', and the air was cold. After trying to get Thomas's phone to turn on a couple of times, we were finally able to snap a quick summit photo of us on the tower stairs.
Having gotten our pic, we head back to the tram, pack ascent items, and pull out descent items. Thomas's hands got really cold while changing, so had to get that situation under control, which took a few minutes. Finally, we grab the skis and board and head over to Upper Cannon. Not knowing the mountain combined with low vis. made us stick to an easier way down, take our time, and stay together. As soon as we started down, we were treated to 4-6" of creamy powder. We knew this was going to be great, and the wind just went away in our minds as we focused on the downhill sliding. We're doing something familiar, and loving it. Stretching out the descent, it still only took 15 minutes or so to get down to the bottom. Through the fog, the base area came into view. To tell the truth, we were a little sad to see it. The skiing and riding was really that good.
Total trip time was just over 3 hours, with at least an hour up top wandering around. The wind and fog made us feel very isolated in our little world on the way up. We had a blast on the way down. All's well that ends well. 'Til next time.............
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