Skinning up a foot and a half of fresh on Middle Cannon, I realized I was skiing Cannon the way it was originally done. Ski trails were cut long before the Tram began whisking skiers to the wind blown summit of Cannon Mountain. The truly devout skiers of the early 1930’s would make two or three ascents of Cannon on a good day following a big storm earning untracked fresh every run. I followed in their footsteps, earning turns on the best snow possible where ever and when ever it falls.

The development of Cannon as a ski area increased the mountain’s trail count and eventually widened many of its narrow and twisty classics. But the character and feel of the mountain still lingers including the dedication of its skiers. Nearly 70 years after the original Tram was constructed at Cannon, the die hards are still earning turns and being rewarded for their efforts. Our skin tracks paid silent homage to those early skiers who earned their runs without the benefits of short fatties, wicking clothing, and high tech touring gear.

An early season Nor easter materialized suddenly from the remnants of passing Hurricane Wilma. Weathermen scrambled to predict an erratic storm with unreliable models. The consensus developed that upper elevation terrain was going to be slammed by heavy snow. I canceled my Wednesday 2:30PM car appointment and changed plans to include dropping into a foot and a half of fresh. Tuesday evening the reports began boasting of snow fall measured in feet, not inches. The second major snow storm of October roared into New England much to the glee and delight of turn earners across the region.

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