(formerly '''Profile Mountain''') is a 4,100 foot (1,250 meter) peak in the
White Mountains of
New Hampshire . Known for both its technical rock climbing (particularly on Cannon Cliff, pictured) and its skiing (it is a
State Owned 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 meters), collectively known as "The Cannon Balls."
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 2022 feet 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.
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.
There are a number of trails that criss-cross Cannon Mountain and the surrounding region (a map can be found
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 .
Cannon Cliff (pictured above) is the largest vertical rock face in the Northeast at rougly 1,000 feet (331 meters) in height and more than a mile (1.6 km) long. As written in a
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.
The Cannon Mountain Ski Area is state owned and offers nine lifts and servicing 165 acres of skiing (158 with snowmaking). Until 1984, the north-northwestern face of Cannon was operated under the name
Mittersill Ski Area (the current area occupies the north-north eastern 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 unvieled plans to purchase the north-northwestern face and use the already-cut trails as an expansion to the current ski area. US Olympic
Skier Bode Miller grew up skiing at Cannon.
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. There, an observation tower provides a panoramic view of the
White Mountains Region . 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.
