A Day at Cannon Mountain


A few days ago, my friend Emily and I had the awesome opportunity to go to Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch State Park. Cannon is a 4100 foot mountain that has 56 open trails this winter. Craving snow? Cannon’s got it- almost 7 feet this winter! Going up there reminded me that it is, indeed, February, and I do actually live in New England.


I went skiing for the first time last year, and really enjoyed it… however, I spent most of that excursion face planting. This time around, I was lucky enough to have a professional lesson, courtesy of Will, a Cannon ski instructor. Here’s a montage of the lesson, taken on a GoPro camera. My favorite part is at 0:23, when I nearly take out 5 innocent children.

After my lesson, I felt roughly 300% better at skiing. I felt so confident that I decided to move to the next step up from a bunny hill: a green circle! All of that newfound confidence slipped away as I looked down into a vertical abyss from the top of the trail (possible exaggeration). I ended up sliding down on my bottom the whole way, constantly being passed by kids. Oh well, maybe next time!

A great event going on the day I visited was Pirates of the High Skis, a fundraiser for an adaptive sports organization. Adaptive Sports Partners of the North County is an organization that provides sport and recreational opportunities for people with physical or mental disabilities. The Pirates of the High Skis event had hundreds of pirates running around Cannon, following treasure maps and looking for “booty”.

The event was really fun to watch, and was a huge success! Our next stop was the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway.





As we got higher and higher, it felt like we were in a different world. There was almost a complete whiteout on the summit; I could barely see 5 feet in front of me.




All the snow that has been missing from southern New England seems to be hanging out on top of Cannon Mountain.


There was also a warm lounge at the top of the lift to hang out and get a hot drink. Have you ever skied at Cannon?

Thank you so much to Greg K. for setting me up, Will for being an awesome teacher, Greg W. for letting me borrow his camera, and Emily for being my “camera-head”! Big thanks to Grant and Michele as well.

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Theresa Conn, New Hampshire State Parks Winter Intern

Hi all! My name is Theresa Conn, and I’m a sophomore Environmental Conservation Studies major at the University of New Hampshire. Growing up in suburban Massachusetts, my family always ventured north to Lake Winnipesaukee and the White Mountains to hike and relax. When it came time to look at colleges, UNH was an easy choice; between its great location, variety of majors, and college-town feel, I was instantly hooked. In the Environmental Conservation program here, I’ve been learning about New Hampshire’s diminishing natural resources. The more time I spend in nature, the more I realize how important it is to conserve the natural spaces we have left. Keeping parts of New Hampshire wild is critical for the health of the planet and ourselves. What I’m interested in exploring while writing this blog are the people and stories behind the parks. Be it talking to hikers on the trails, going out with animal trackers to learn about wildlife, or meeting with the stewards who protect our lands, I want to know who’s out there and why. People are the force that drives land protection, and I hope that I can share their stories using film, photography, and journalism. Grand intentions aside, I can’t wait to find new ways to enjoy the long winter months. Staying pent up inside is boring, and I’m excited to find ways to get outside like dog sledding, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. I’m ready to explore all that New Hampshire State Parks have to offer, and look forward to sharing my adventures with you!

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