We were having a small Thanksgiving at home and I was not the cook which meant I had a few hours to earn my first powder turns of the season. At least a foot of new snow fell at Cannon. I got a somewhat late start to ensure a skin track was already set when I arrived. Only about a dozen other skiers were on hand for Thanksgiving turns but many more would follow the next day.

The snow was high density and supportive but it fell over bare ground. Conservative turns were required due to the lack of base and caution was needed when approaching and navigating water bars. You know, the usual early season “problems”. I decided against a summit run as the dense snow would favor the steeper pitches of the Front Five trails.

I skied Paulie’s first which was not the ideal pick due to its undulations. But it is my favorite of the Front Five trails and my run was only prefaced by a solitary track. The snow was deep but the complete lack of base was occasionally challenging to manage. I couldn’t imagine Cannon would open the natural snow trails the next day given the lack of base, but Cannon would prove me wrong.

I skinned further next time and skied Extension to Avalanche. Extension was phenomenal and well worth the extra effort. Avalanche was equally sensational despite the addition of the water bars. I reached my time limit after my second run and called it a day, heading home for the only thing better than skiing, sharing a good meal with family.