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Nice first day on the Cannon pass (since K didn't have the blackout pass), as soon as I drive into the notch, snow is coming down, snows all morning til 11:30 (which was also the first time I shared a chairlift, only had two lift partners all day). Ropes were dropped on trails getting snowmaking so great top-to-bottom runs...I'll be back at K in May/June. Think Snow!

DES wrote:Nice first day on the Cannon pass (since K didn't have the blackout pass), as soon as I drive into the notch, snow is coming down, snows all morning til 11:30 (which was also the first time I shared a chairlift, only had two lift partners all day). Ropes were dropped on trails getting snowmaking so great top-to-bottom runs...I'll be back at K in May/June. Think Snow!

Ahh! Welcome to the Notch! Better have your studs on. Just not the same since Kerm retired. Cannon will always be home. K just gives me a longer season. Cannon is a sacred place of the ski gods. They have gnomes and other back country fun.

Wow, I hadn't done my homework before skiing Cannon, Jay Peak got a couple feet (heard it from a ski friend last night, but take a look at some pictures from the Jay website). I have a feeling Jay will be my home mountain next season!

Killington ETA

December 15th
7:47 AM EST

BAY I

Crushing it Roo Out

Jay Peak doesn't have nearly the same ice quality as Cannon. Cannon Ice is a deep Green / Blue Artic...

I skied Cannon yesterday, no ice to be found on Profile trail! Their snowmaking now (as opposed to 4 or 5 years ago) is incredible...we were skiing huge whales of nice snow, they didn't even bother grooming it out since the entire trail was buried. Two main differences skiing Cannon instead of Killington, I miss "following the sun" at K...at Cannon in December it seems like the sun barely crests the mountain. But the other difference is I've only been on one short lift stop in five bell-to-bell days, and that was only because some snowboarder dropped his mittens in the netting before getting off the lift, and the liftie stopped it so he could get them.

Because of Killington's heavy traffic and search for sustained perfect conditions. Killington seems to blow / refresh trails over and over. Cannon will blow huge amounts of snow creating the huge whales. Cannon lets you ski the trail while it's drying out. Then grooms and that's it for a few months... unless they loose the trail. This approach saves the labor of moving equipment, etc.

I think the guy from Sunday River is still there doing a great job. Killington is more customer service oriented. A few years back, when I was at K a lot, I was waiting to get up the mountain on a powder day and a couple of the managers were standing by the chair admiring the large late season crowd and I lost it...

"Why can't you just once open the mountain early like Killington No wonder Bode doesn't ski here anymore."

Then they gave me a very dirty look. As if to say, Fu#k you we're the f'n State". It was a great day.



-Revenge of the Roo Out

I was wondering about that, thanks for the info (I was impressed how good Cannon's snowmaking improved, but I still was curious if they'd "re-fresh trails" even slightly as good as K does after heavy abuse or weather)...heading back to Cannon tomorrow, hopefully this storm stalls in the Gulf of Maine, if it does, I'll stretch tomorrow into a couple days!

Trying for Thursday. If not Friday even if I have to walk... Travel to Killington will be too treacherous.

Also, because Cannon is state owned you can push snow boarders of chairs (yes even the tram) to preserve snow quality. Butt (UT Subjunctive), if you try to bring the Huffingtons on the tram the attendant miraculously becomes a State Trooper.

In addition, other rules apply inbound, No Budweiser, Fat Chicks (allowed in some of the lodges), or snowboard adjustment tools.

If you want to go off the backside Lafyette Campground have at it... Bode's brother [R.I.P.] and his buddies were famous for this. Please note: this is not Wheelervlle. You had better be one of the best skiers in the world and know the terrain.

Kind Regards
David Thomas Swett
U.N.H. 1988
002-62-0170