Category: Trip Reports

2020-2021 Season, Cannon Mountain, December, Earned Turns, Powder Day

The Earned Turn Season Begins

I have struggled to identify the theme or story for this post. The much delayed start to my 2020-2021 season follows the premature ending of last season; the longest amount of time that I have been off skis in twenty years. Returning to skiing should feel special. But it is hard to feel triumphant given the state of things.

Cannon historically does very well with early season wallops. The green mountain spine has its upslope, Cannon has its Gulf of Maine bombers. If this storm parked in the Gulf rather than blowing through, Cannon would have received three feet instead of a foot and a half.

I know from past experience that summit efforts are a waste of time in these conditions. The Front Five are weather protected and steep whereas the higher terrain is windy, too shallow for dense snow turns, and exposed to snow making. The best option is to stay down low, lapping the best snow at the steepest angles.

I skied Avalanche, Paulie’s, Zoomer, Zoomer Lift, and Banshee Lift; only stopping because my skins were no longer sticky due to snow exposure. The struggle of trying to keep my skins clipped was frustrating and exhausting. I had more laps in the tank. It was the best early season form I’ve had in years.

I will need that form this season. My Jay pass is currently useless due to the travel restrictions. I will get a few days with the Indy pass. But a majority of my winter days this season will likely be earned. I’ve long wanted to commit a season to more turn earning than lift riding. This is going to be that season.

2019-2020 Season, February, Jay Peak, Powder Day

Last Day of the Season

The Bonnie

Staircase

It is pretty rare that I can say that my last day of the season was my best day of the season. If I had to end my season early, at least I picked the right day for it.

I do not have a record of the last time my season ended this early. My online reports date back to 1998-1999. The prior two years I took off from skiing to pursue other activities in college. The last time that I did not ski in March or April, I was a teenager.

This was my 22nd day of the season, my highest number of ski days in six years despite missing the ending half of the season. Something profound changed in my life this season. I hope you enjoyed reading about that change. I hope it reflected in my writing. I hope you find the thing that you want to change in your life and begin the process. For me, the journey continues. But my head is so far out of the fog that I can’t even remember what the fog felt like. For which I am thankful.

I have a lot to say about how the season ended. And I don’t mean about how my season ended or this particularly day at Jay. I don’t even mean to specifically write about the end of the ski season. But rather to use the inevitable season ending as a lens to inspect heuristics and cognitive biases on a societal scale.

It is surely beyond me, but I am going to give it a try.

More later. Right now, there is so much to digest, process and synthesize.

2019-2020 Season, February, Mount Washington

Ladders

Mount Washington

Mount Monroe

We should not imagine Sisyphus happy on his never ending journey up and down his ladder. Meaning is only an illusion. But yet, it is a critical part of our never ending ascent. Whether we actually believe that it is relevant or not relevant, meaning still seems to be of benefit to us (even if it is hollow).

Unknowing embrace of illusion is most peoples’ natural state. Knowingly embracing disillusions is the challenge of my adult life. Is it necessary that we fake ourselves into false beliefs? Belief itself is not important but rather it is the act of believing itself that seems to matter. Perhaps joyful irony can carry us forward?

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder

Meaning is irrelevant. Instead of searching for it, what we need is to find a steady rung. Pause. Take it all in and be satisfied for a brief and calming moment. Allow the bewilderment to carry us up another rung; centering ourselves in momentary clarity amid the chaos.

Stepping up the ladder is necessary but vapid. Embracing this moment is joy. Content acceptance of the absurd should be rightly and mightily railed against. I shall never be satisfied pushing my rock up the mountain. But there is so much happiness to be found within that dissatisfaction.

Bretton Woods from Mount Washington

Cog Railway

2019-2020 Season, Cannon Mountain, February

Gullies & Glades

Cannon Gully

Three vacation week days after the powder day, I was doubtful that I would find much untracked remaining. But I was up for a scouting challenge. I pushed the northern and southern boundaries in search of any remaining untracked turns in some of the mountain’s most choice terrain.

After a few warm up runs in the upper mountain glades, I dropped into a remote off map gully. Was it even good to go? I opted for the lower entrance which was a safer option. The cut in had been hit hard and was quite bony. But turns in the gully were fantastic packed powder. It was the most challenging terrain I had skied so far this season and it showed in my exertion.

Things got a bit hairy down low. The untracked snow had setup poorly and packed powder was actually preferable due to more predictable feedback. As the gully choked down at lower elevations, it was apparent that things were not quite completely filled. The inevitable respite came eventually.

Cannon Trees

On to the opposite side of the massif. I found occasional untracked turns and fabulous snow in the higher elevations. But the lower elevation trees featured the same poorly setup snow as the earlier gully. I turned my skis into the packed down snow when possible. It was absolutely worth the effort, but not worth a second lap.

The holiday weekend crowds finally arrived around noontime, so I made my way back to Valley Station (where I found a two or three tram wait!) to end my day.

2019-2020 Season, Cannon Mountain, February, Middle Hard the Hard Way, Powder Day

Yardsticks

Kinsman Glade

Measuring things can be tricky, especially given how we relate to the thing that is measured. One might think that more snow is obviously better. Fourteen inches must be better than seven inches, perhaps even twice as good. Or perhaps not. Other measurements are at play as well: temperatures, crowds, snow consistency, lift line waits, duration of untracked, crowd frenzy, etc.

But the biggest measurement is whether you have anyone to share your runs with. This is a binary measurement: solo or not. I’ll always take seven inches of uncrowded bliss with a ski partner over fourteen inches solo among the crowds.

Cannon Trees

Cannon Trees

Cannon Trees

Cannonballer called me out in the tram queue and it was on. We dropped into an untracked Vista Way and found amazing coverage on the often barren skier’s right. The snow was supportive, dense, and surfy. We returned for a second run of more untracked followed by Upper Cannon and then again back to Vista to clean up.

Where was everyone? The “crowds” would not hit until later. But even then, most lifts were ski on throughout the morning.

I couldn’t help but suggest Kinsman Glade. Kinsman is one of my least favorite glades at Cannon due to its lack of maintenance and often horrid conditions. But with so few people at the summit and the snow being so supportive, this was definitely a Kinsman Glade day. Cannonballer obliged and it was killer.

Cannon Trees

After that, despite the late morning hour, I found some astounding untracked trees at Mittersill. Around 11:00am, I dropped into a completely untracked Upper Birches. Off map run followed by off map run, I slowly made my way back to the Tram and wrapped things up so I could get back for my evening shift at work.

Cannon Trees