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Bretton Woods Ski Area
5 reviews
Bretton Woods, NH
Category: Ski Resorts
Cannon Mountain Ski Area
Rating Details »
9 reviews for Cannon Mountain Ski Area
I know a lot of people that won't ski this mountain. They're scared of it. It's icy. It's steep. It's windy and cold, more so than other mountains.
But if the snow is good, Cannon is the place to be. The trails are challenging. Either you are on the steep side (to the left off the lift) which is ridiculously steep. Or the more mellow side (to the right) which is challenging in its own right. The trails over there are twisty, turny and narrow. Way fun if you are on skiboards or snowblades. I'm a blader so I really like bendy, twisty trails over the steep ones. Hubby is a skier and likes the steep trails sometimes. It's great to get it all in one place.
Cannon is not the best mountain for beginners. It's not a big family mountain either. The people that go to Cannon tend to be good, experienced skiers.
Cannon, I adore you. Your lift tickets were affordable, my private snowboarding instructor, Kathy was adorable, and your rental staff was incredible. Cannon uses Burton for snowboarding rentals which was majorly helpful as I intend on participating in their Learn to Ride program at Bretton as the next step in my series of lessons and using their gear. Kathy was an amazing instructor, and I fully intend on booking again with her should I end up at Cannon again in the near future.
Lucky for us, we had gotten 4 inches of powder the night before making it a bit easier on me for when I would fall down the mountain. I will say that the rope tow line = danger. I fell twice trying to grab onto that thing, as did my more experienced friends and currently have a sore spot on the side of my skull from where I somehow managed to whack myself in the back of the head with my board. Humility? I haz it. Doubly lucky, I was fortunate to have someone spend 3 hours helping me careen to my death down the intermediate trails, hand holding the entire way. How "precious moments" cute. I saw us, wide eyed hummel figurines, falling down the mountain, giggling all the live long day. Disgusting, absolutely disgusting.
The trails were fairly well groomed, the tram was in operation, and the weather perfect. We couldn't have wished for a better weekend to get away from NYC and Boston. My only problem was those damn kids. It felt pretty embarrassing when you have 7 yr olds taking jumps and flying past you while you're laying on your back laughing and trying to remember what it feels like to have an ass again.
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UPDATE 2/19/08
Went to Wildcat and had an amazing group instructor that far outshined my private lesson here at Cannon. Two stars demoted.
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Cannon has some challenging terrain and that "ye ole mountain" feel. You're not surprised when you see some oldy-pants fly by you on their straight-ass skis that are taller than they are.
I have had a lot of fun at this mountain - but I would DEFINITELY save this for a spring skiing trip (March at least). It can be frigid, and the snow gets blown off the front trails on a regular basis. Prices are reasonable, lodge is small but serviceable, and it's not usually that crowded. They have a tram, too!
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Best mountain in NH. The trails are really challenging and there are many different types of terrain, so you don't get bored. Beware, this mountain is definitely not for beginners. Even the beginner trails are kinda tricky, because they are usually really icy. In fact, the entire mountain is usually ice, especially towards the end of the day. It's extremely cold (well, it is a mountain) but it's way colder than, let's say, Waterville or Loon, so be prepared. I definitely recommend Cannon to intermediate/advanced skiiers and boarders. It's my favorite by far.
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I am not an advanced skier and this mountain is challenging... The mountain is generally icy, and at the end of the day it is pretty skied off.
BUT IT IS AWESOME!! I had a blast there. There is a lot of different and challenging terrain. This mountain forces you to be a better skier. Not to mention that it is pretty cheap.
I don't care what Mt. Washington says, Cannon is home to the highest wind speeds on Earth. What a nasty mountain. Hike to Mittersill for EPIC WIN
Cannon is a nice place to be. It lacks some of the amenities that the private resorts offer (like some decent snowmaking - sigh!) but it is a wonderfully rustic place that does not get to crowded. There are a lot of trail (assuming they have enough snow - see above) with most of them suitable for advanced beginners and better.
A nice treat is that they offer a few lifts for free, so you can see and try out if you like to get into skiing.
One note of warning to beginners, though: As soon as you feel a little comfortable on skis, Cannon will not offer you a lot. The are only a few easy trails, and many of the intermediate trails can get quite icy, so beware.
The kids program is nice, especially since the children/instructor ratio seems to be quite low.
Pretty cool mountain if you ask me. Has decent terrain, mostly intermediate, a stellar tram, awesome views of the White Mountains and Echo Lake, and is one of the cheapest decent ski areas in the US.
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Ok, I do not have much to compare to since this was my first skiing experience. What I can say is that for the first time skiers out there, this was a great experience. There is a first-time ski package which includes skis, a hour and half lesson, and some sort of lift ticket (not for the more difficult trails). Really nice friendly people. Being my first time it can be a little awkward, bring a friend who has gone skiing, go for the first-time package, and its all good =). Be prepared to fall. I lucked out...only fell three times without taking anyone else out. yay!
BTW, it is a beautiful mountain.
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