2005-2006 Season, Cannon Mountain, Earned Turns, November, Powder Day

Earned Turn Powder Day at Cannon (Day 2)

Skinning Mittersill

The epic early New England ski season marches on! Today was my eighth day of skiing for the current season and sixth day earning turns. Why pay over thirty dollars for crappy scraped up man made snow when New Hampshire’s best powder stash was begging to be pillaged? Instead of paying for the ‘privilege’ of skiing crappy snow, I opted to take one run for the price of none.

I have been fairly harsh in my criticism of Cannon Mountain’s decision not to open Thanksgiving Weekend as scheduled. However, I would like to offer a big ole’ thank you to Cannon management for keeping New Hampshire’s best powder stash off limits to any one not willing to earn their turns. Powder lasts for days on end when the masses can not access it, whereas it normally only lasts a few hours when the lifts are spinning. So here it is, thanks cannon! If cannon wants to join NELSAP, I might even be okay with that if this weekend is the result!!!

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2005-2006 Season, Cannon Mountain, Earned Turns, November, Powder Day, Video

Earned Turn Powder Day at Cannon (Day 1)

Porter Skins Middle Cannon

Cannon Mountain was originally scheduled to open for the season on Friday November 25th. After receiving over a foot and a half of natural snow and having snow making temperatures for the better part of the week, Cannon Mountain decided to push their opening date forward one week and not open Thanksgiving Weekend. The mountain’s web site claimed a lack of snow making temperatures as the main culprit while also citing that the snow that fell was blown off the trails by wind. While I love Cannon Mountain and its amazing trail network both on and off the map, I have no tolerance for a management that lies to its customers. As I found out and the following trip report and pictures will attest, Cannon had no excuse for not opening this weekend in terms of weather, snow fall, or snow making temperatures.

Arriving at the Peabody Base Lodge at 9 A.M., I began suiting up when my skiing partners for the afternoon festivities arrived. We gathered together our gear and prepared for the skin up the mountain. From the base area, it was obvious the mountain had received ample amounts of snow in the amount of well over a foot.

We began our trek up Toss Up with two of us on skins and the other two utilizing slow shoes. A mostly sunny sky allowed for wonderful views of Mount Lafayette and Cannon Mountain. While I knew we would not be alone on the mountain, I was amazed at how many other groups we ran into beginning at the Toss Up/Middle Cannon intersection. No less than a half dozen groups were slowly working their way towards the summit utilizing various routes. Some clouds started rolling in as we began up Middle Cannon with more threatening clouds rolling in from the Northwest over Cannon’s Northern Shoulder.

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2005-2006 Season, Burke, Earned Turns, November

Early Season Earned Turns at Burke

Willoughby Quad Under Construction

A legendary early season in New England continued on the week of Thanksgiving as two back to back storms slammed into the mountains. Waking up Wednesday morning to a mere dusting barely an inch deep at home in Saint Johnsbury, I knew better things awaited me at higher elevations. I opted for Burke as it was the closest drive and where I suspected had the most snow in the area. I was not disappointed with my decision. Upon reaching the mountain, I opened my car door and stepped out into half a foot of powder.

Burke was alive with action preparing for their opening just two weeks away. Pairs of men were working on various structures including a new stairway in the parking lot, the Mid-Burke Lodge, the Summit Quad, and the new High Speed Sherburne Quad. The new Sherburne Quad recently had its unload station installed, all of the towers flown in and mounted, and the haul rope hung. The newest High Speed Quad in Vermont is nearly ready to beckon a new age at Burke Mountain.

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2005-2006 Season, November, Sugarbush

Uploading Early Season at Sugarbush

Mount Ellen from Rim Run

After bailing on Sugarbush’s opening day on Saturday due to fatigue and just not feeling it, I rolled myself out of bed on Sunday hoping for the best but expecting the worst. My expectations were not to be disappointed.

Sugarbush opened up one run down from the summit of Glen Ellen. An upload on the Green Mountain Express dropped skiers off at the Summit Quad. A slow ride to the summit through a few snow guns landed way too many skiers and riders on way too little terrain. Rim Run to Elbow was the trail combination of the day. One fellow chair rider joking asked me “which trails have you been skiing today?”

Views were enjoyable with clear skis and minimal wind. Temperatures were above freezing at the base lodge but just below freezing near the summit which allowed for snow making on F.I.S. and Lower Rim Run.

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2005-2006 Season, Earned Turns, Jay Peak, November

Earned Early Season Turns at Jay Peak

Veterans’ Day Weekend typically signifies the start of the season for many Northeastern Ski Areas. The big players in the game including Killington, Bretton Woods, Okemo, and Sunday River usually aspire to appease the early season masses with Holiday Weekend skiing heading into mid-November. The freaky start to the 2005-2006 Ski Season continues as an abnormally warm weather pattern settled into New England for the first half of November. A brief cold spell allowed many ski areas, including Jay Peak, to begin snow making operations for the season.

Saturday morning I awoke with many doubts that the skiing possibilities being worth the required effort. After the big October storm roared through New England, many blow downs had occurred throughout the mountains which had me considering a hike into the local Backcountry to clean up some lines. I declined the nobler pursuit in deference to pure hedonism at Jay Peak based on their snow report and snow making operations. Jay was reporting 22 inches of new snow in the past four days. Despite the natural snow having melted, the man made base was indeed about 22 inches deep, and more!

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