Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)

Infobox Mountain
Name = Cannon Mountain
Photo = CannonMountain-CliffFace.jpg
Caption = Cannon Cliff, the southeast face of Cannon Mountain
Elevation = 4,100 feet (1,250 m)
Location = New Hampshire, USA
Range = White Mountains Franconia
Prominence = 740 ft (225 m)
Coordinates = coord|44|9|24.39|N|71|41|55.05|W |type:mountain_region:US |display=title,inline
Topographic
USGS Franconia
First ascent =
Easiest route = "Kinsman Ridge Trail"
Listing = White Mountain 4000-footers

Cannon Mountain (formerly Profile Mountain) is a 4,100 foot (1,250 m) peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Known for both its technical rock & ice climbing (particularly on Cannon Cliff, pictured) and its skiing (the state-owned Cannon Mountain Ski Area), the mountain was home to the Old Man of the Mountain until the formation collapsed on May 3, 2003. It is the parent mountain of three mountains, with heights of 3,693, 3,700, and 3,769 feet (1,125, 1,127 and 1,148 m), collectively known as "The Cannon Balls." The mountain is a type of geological formation known as an exfoliating granite dome which is layered like an onion. Cannon Mountain is located within Franconia Notch State Park.

History

In 1972, the US Board on Geographic Names officially changed the name from "Profile Mountain," which it had been called officially since 1917, to "Cannon Mountain." The two names both are derived from natural rock formations featured on the mountain; the former being the famous "Old Man of the Mountain" and the latter being a series of boulders which, when viewed from the foot of the mountain, resemble an antique artillery cannon.

Cannon's ski area is one of the oldest in North America. Trails had been cut on the mountain prior to 1933, but the mountain gained widespread recognition that year, when the Taft Slalom was cut as the first racing trail in North America. The mountain gained lift service with the construction of the first aerial tramway in North America, in 1938. A new tram was erected in 1980 with a vertical ascent of 2,022 feet (616.3 m) and a capacity of 140 people (two seventy-person cabins), roughly three times larger than the original lift.

The old tram base- and summit-stations remain intact, and one of the old cabins serves as the entranceway to the New England Ski Museum, opened in 1982 at the mountain's base area. The museum houses what it calls "the most extensive collection of historical ski equipment, clothing, film, photographs, literature, and artwork in the East" and is one of four museums in the U.S. to be recognized by the United States Ski Association as a Regional Museum.

The summit of Cannon Mountain is home to a UHF Amateur Radio repeater on 449.875Mhz.

Recreation and tourism

Cannon Mountain and the surrounding base area are used year-round for a variety of recreational purposes, including sports such as hiking, climbing and skiing, as well as being a popular tourist destination.

Hiking

There are a number of trails that criss-cross Cannon Mountain and the surrounding region (a map can be found [http://nhparks.state.nh.us/library/pdf/state-parks/franconia-notch.pdf here] ), but only one trail, the Kinsman Ridge Trail, can be taken un-interrupted from the trailhead to the summit. This trail begins in the Aerial Tramway parking lot and ascends the north face of the mountain, which is shared by the ski area. Two other features of the mountain which attract hikers are the Appalachian Trail and the Appalachian Mountain Club-maintained Lonesome Lake Hut. The base of the cliff face can be approached via an ambiguous path up the right side of the talus field.

Climbing

Cannon Cliff (pictured above) is the largest vertical rock face in the Northeast at roughly 1,000 feet (300 m) in height and more than a mile (1.6 km) long. As written in a [http://www.summitpost.org description] of climbing possibilities on Cannon, "Some of the aid lines are long and difficult enough to require a bivy, making Cannon the only Big Wall in the northeast." Cannon is popular both in the summer months with free- and aid-climbers alike, and in the winter it attracts both ice climbers and mixed climbers (climbers who ascend routes with some pitches of ice and some pitches of rock). There is a log book climbers are asked to sign into and out of. If an unusual amount of time passes before a climber signs out, a search party is formed. Several guide books exist for Cannon and Franconia Notch, most notably 'Secrets of the Notch' by Jon Sykes which covers both rockand ice routes.Notable rock climbing routes:
*Whitney-Gilman Ridge: 5.7, 5 pitches. This prominent arête in the center of the face is possibly Cannon's signature climb. The 3rd pitch (the 'Pipe Pitch') features outstanding exposure over the Black Dike. Protection is a mix of trad and fixed bolts and pitons. First ascent Bradley Gilman & Hassler Whitney August 3rd 1929
*Moby Grape: 5.8, 9 pitches. Ascends the tallest section of the cliff. Starts with Reppy's Crack; superb climbing all the way up. First ascent Joe Cote & Roger Martin July 1972Notable ice climbing routes:
*The Black Dike: 4+/5-, 500 ft (150 m) tall;3 pitches. A popular mixed ice climb. First ascent John Bouchard December 18th 1971 (solo)
*Omega: 5+, 3 pitches. Mixed climbing. Hardest ice climb in the region. First ascent John Bouchard & Rainsford Rouner 1976

kiing

The Cannon Mountain Ski Area is state-owned and offers nine lifts servicing 165 acres (0.7 km²) of skiing (158 with snowmaking). Until 1984, the north-northwestern face of Cannon was operated under the name [http://www.nelsap.org/nh/mittersill.html Mittersill Ski Area] (the current area occupies the north-northeastern face). The trails are often skied by those that know the area as a result of their ease of accessibility (only a short hike is required from Taft Slalom to find them). However, in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the State of New Hampshire unveiled plans to purchase the north-northwestern face and use the already-cut trails as an expansion to the current ski area.ref|mit US Olympic skier Bode Miller grew up skiing at Cannon.ref|bode

Tourism

Cannon has a number of non-sport related features which make it a popular tourist attraction. The aerial tramway operates year round, and in the summer is the only way up the mountain other than hiking. Though the lift terminates at the summit of the ski area, which is not the peak of the mountain itself, two hiking trails (the Cannon Mountain Short Trail and the Rim Trail) provide a way to the summit. The tramway opens for the summer season in mid-May and closes in mid-October, which is open daily from 9am to 5pm. There, an observation tower provides a panoramic view of the White Mountains Region. A restaurant and gift shop are available at the summit tramway station. Another attraction until the spring of 2003 was the Old Man of the Mountain; However, the "Old Man of the Mountain Historic Site" remains an attraction. Also notable is Profile Lake, a lake popular with both fly fisherman and anglers. Lastly, the New England Ski Museum attracts skiers to the area in the off-season, as well.

ee also

*Four-thousand footers
*White Mountains Region
*List of mountains in New Hampshire

References

* [http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/local_news/story/c705125ed Plans for Mittersill Expansion]
* [http://www.cnnsi.com/si_online/news/2002/02/13/bode_audacious/ Story on Bode Miller]

External links

*Gnis|873192|Cannon Mountain
* [http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-IMPACT/1999/April/Day-19/i9665.htm EPA Federal Register of Cannon/Mittersill Land Exchange; White Mountain National Forest, Grafton County, NH]
* [http://www.cannonmt.com Cannon Mountain Ski Area Homepage]
* [http://www.nhparks.state.nh.us/state-parks/alphabetical-order/franconia-notch-state-park/ Franconia Notch State Park]
* [http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=6895 PeakBagger.com: Cannon Mountain]
* [http://hikethewhites.com/cannon.html hikethewhites.com: Cannon Mountain]
* [http://www.snowjournal.com/tm_archive.html A Skiing History website with information on the Taft Slalom and the Aerial Tramway]