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Cannon Mountain Ski Area

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Cannon Mountain Ski Area is a state-owned ski resort located on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire , United States. Cannon is located within Franconia Notch State Park and offers 10 lifts servicing 265 acres (1.07 km) of skiing (168 with snowmaking). Cannon has 23 miles (37 km) of trails and a north-northeast exposure and has the only aerial tram in New Hampshire. Cannon used to have the most vertical of any ski area in New Hampshire, 2,180 feet (660 m), and is the eighth largest in New England . US Olympic skier Bode Miller grew up skiing at Cannon.

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50-566: Cannon Mountain was the site of the first passenger aerial tramway in North America . From its construction in 1938 to its 1980 retirement, the first tram carried 6,581,338 passengers up the 2.1-mile (3.4 km) route to near the summit of Cannon Mountain. On May 24, 1980, the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway II was dedicated. Alexander Bright , a skier involved in developing the sport in the area, conceived

100-441: A haulage rope ), and one or two passenger or cargo cabins. The fixed cables provide support for the cabins while the haulage rope, by means of a grip, is solidly connected to the truck (the wheel set that rolls on the track cables). An electric motor drives the haulage rope which provides propulsion . Aerial tramways are constructed as reversible systems ; vehicles shuttling back and forth between two end terminals and propelled by

150-607: A $ 250,000 bond issue to finance erection of the tramway. Later Roland E. Peabody was named Managing Director of the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway. In August, American Steel Wire Company was awarded the construction contract and the project rapidly took shape. As the contractor began construction of the tramway, a 200-man CCC camp began work on a parking area and developing the Coppermine, Tucker Brook, Kinsman and Cannon ski trails. Old logging roads on

200-461: A cable loop which stops and reverses direction when the cabins arrive at the end stations. Aerial tramways differ from gondola lifts in that gondola lifts are considered continuous systems (cabins attached onto a circulating haul rope that moves continuously). Two-car tramways use a jig-back system: a large electric motor is located at the bottom of the tramway so that it effectively pulls one cabin down, using that cabin's weight to help pull

250-502: A continuously circulating cable whereas aerial trams simply shuttle back and forth on cables. In Japan, the two are considered as the same category of vehicle and called ropeway , while the term cable car refers to both grounded cable cars and funiculars . An aerial railway where the vehicles are suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable) is known as a suspension railway . An aerial tramway consists of one or two fixed cables (called track cables ), one loop of cable (called

300-533: A contract for the replacement project was awarded to Nuova Agudio. Preliminary construction begun in July 1978, with the lower terminal completed in April 1979. During the summer of 1979, helicopters were briefly used to airlift some major components. Unlike the original construction project in 1937, there was no need to erect a freight tramway since the existing tramway could be used as the work-horse for moving materials up

350-560: A full-service PSIA Ski and Snowboard School. Slopeside ski shops are located at Peabody Base Lodge and Tram Base; a ski/snowboard rental and service shop is at Peabody Base Lodge. A slopeside High Performance Tuning Center is located at the Peabody Base Lodge. All rental skis are "shaped" skis; all rental snowboards feature "step in" bindings. Aerial tramway An aerial tramway , aerial tram , sky tram , aerial cablecar , aerial cableway , telepherique , or seilbahn

400-547: A narrow trail that descends via a series of cliff steps. The trail is rarely open because of the amount of snow required to cover the boulders and cliffs scattered throughout the trail. DJ's Tramline has been included in Vermont Sports Magazine's "Gnarly 10 Toughest Trails in the East". There are no double Black Diamonds on Cannon Mountain, only Black Diamonds, although the color/shape nomenclature for trail rating

450-531: A subsidiary of the worldwide Doppelmayr Garaventa Group . The United States company was formed in 2002 after the merger of Garaventa of Goldau , Switzerland , and Doppelmayr of Wolfurt , Austria . Between 2002 and 2010, the company was named Doppelmayr CTEC . From 2011 the company has operated using the Doppelmayr brand name, in common with most other Doppelmayr Garaventa Group subsidiaries. CTEC, which stands for Cable Transportation Engineering Company,

500-545: A suitable site for a tramway and to estimate construction costs. In November 1933, the first physical survey of Franconia Notch was made by Batemen, E.J. Lloyd and Roland Peabody of Franconia , who was called in as an advisor because of his knowledge of the area and his enthusiasm for recreation development in the White Mountains. Bright's idea appealed to an increasing numbers of people and groups associate with winter sports, and Peabody, through his enthusiasm, aroused

550-399: Is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations. In comparison to gondola lifts , aerial tramways generally provide lower line capacities and longer wait times. Cable car

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600-460: Is always relative to the other trails on the mountain. The Tramline, for example, could earn double black diamond at another mountain, and the same thing is possible in the reverse. It is therefore recommended that skiers take careful note of the mountain's average challenge, and to proceed with caution when attempting a new run labeled as "advanced" or "experts only". Besides the Tramline, Avalanche

650-722: Is done at Doppelmayr CTEC's Salt Lake City factory, while all line equipment and detachable terminals are made in the Quebec plant. In 2003, the company installed its first UNI-GS detachable chairlift, the Panorama Quad, at Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, New Hampshire . In 2003, the company was selected to design, fabricate, install and maintain the Portland Aerial Tram at a cost of $ 57 million. In 2005,

700-598: Is most easily accessed via the Eagle Triple Chair, from the Peabody Base Area. The Brookside learning area, a beginner skiing area, is segregated from the rest of the mountain. It is serviced by its own triple chairlift as well as two surface lifts. Its location allows novices to progress to the nearby short beginner trails off the Tuckerbrook quad chair. Although touted as an expert's mountain,

750-576: Is the steepest run, measuring at a 31 degree vertical pitch. Trails such as Paulie's Folly and Hard Scrabble also have a high vertical pitch. The Mittersill area consists of some of New Hampshire's only sidecountry skiing. Many glades and mogul runs can be found here. One of the longest glades in the east is Kinsman Glade, on skier's right of the tramline. The Front Five trails are accessed via Paulie's Extension or Lower Cannon. Three of them, Avalanche, Paulie's Folly and Zoomer, are marked black. The other two, Rocket and Gary's, have less pitch and no bumps. From

800-516: Is the usual term in British English, where tramway generally refers to a railed street tramway . In American English, cable car may additionally refer to a cable-pulled street tramway with detachable vehicles (e.g., San Francisco's cable cars ). As such, careful phrasing is necessary to prevent confusion. It is also sometimes called a ropeway or even incorrectly referred to as a gondola lift . A gondola lift has cabins suspended from

850-649: The San Juan Mountains of the US state of Colorado . Another famous use of aerial tramways was at the Kennecott Copper mine in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park , Alaska . Other firms entered the mining tramway business—Otto, Leschen, Breco Ropeways Ltd., Ceretti and Tanfani, and Riblet for instance. A major British contributor was Bullivant who became a constituent of British Ropes in 1924. In

900-691: The 1950s under the name "Alpine Lift." The first Doppelmayr chairlift in North America was installed at Marmot Basin , Alberta , in 1968. Doppelmayr's first North American manufacturing facility in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, opened in 1978. Unlike its competitors, Doppelmayr used exclusively European designs in North America. The company built the world's first detachable high speed quad chairlift in 1981 at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. In 1996, Doppelmayr's European holding company purchased

950-535: The European ownership and parts supply of Garaventa allowed it to win contracts for large lifts such as the Gold Coast Funitel at Palisades Tahoe , California, gondolas at Telluride Ski Resort and Vail Ski Resort , and Steamboat Springs Ski Resort in Colorado, and Deer Valley , Utah. Doppelmayr was a world-renowned Austrian ropeway manufacturer that began exporting surface lifts to North America in

1000-484: The beginning of the 20th century, the rise of the middle class and the leisure industry allowed for investment in sight-seeing machines. Prior to 1893, a combined goods and passenger carrying cableway was installed at Gibraltar . Initially, its passengers were military personnel. An 1893 industry publication said of a two-mile system in Hong Kong that it "is the only wire tramway which has been erected exclusively for

1050-637: The cable car business: Bleichert , Heckel, Pohlig, PHB (Pohlig-Heckel-Bleichert), Garaventa and Waagner-Biró. Now there are three groups dominating the world market: Doppelmayr Garaventa Group , Leitner Group, and Poma , the last two being owned by one person. Some aerial tramways have their own propulsion , such as the Lasso Mule or the Josef Mountain Aerial Tramway near Merano , Italy . While typically used for ski resorts, aerial tramways have been ported over for usage in

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1100-456: The cable run. The first design of an aerial lift was by Croatian polymath Fausto Veranzio and the first operational aerial tram was built in 1644 by Adam Wybe in Gdańsk , Poland. It was moved by horses and used to move soil over the river to build defences. It is called the first known cable lift in European history and precedes the invention of steel cables. It is not known how long this lift

1150-549: The carriage of individuals" (albeit workmen). After the pioneer cable car suitable for public transport on Mount Ulia in 1907 ( San Sebastián , Spain ) by Leonardo Torres Quevedo and the Wetterhorn Elevator ( Grindelwald , Switzerland) in 1908, others to the top of high peaks in the Alps of Austria, Germany and Switzerland resulted. They were much less expensive to build than the earlier rack railway . One of

1200-621: The company purchased Partek , a small chairlift manufacturer based in Pine Island, New York . Also included in the purchase were Partek's rights to Borvig lifts. Jan Leonard stepped down as president of the company in October 2007 to start a new company, Skytrac Lifts. He was replaced by VP Mark Bee. In 2007 and 2008, Doppelmayr CTEC constructed two notable lifts at Jackson Hole , Wyoming, and Whistler Blackcomb , British Columbia . The new tram at Jackson Hole cost $ 31 million and replaced

1250-435: The current ski area. The purchase was completed in 2008. A $ 2.6 million Doppelmayr double chairlift was ordered, to be installed for the 2010-2011 ski season. The Tuckerbrook Quad Chair serves beginner trails (Bear Paw, Deer Run, Fleitmanm and Coyote Crossing) that are segregated from the upper mountain. The bottom half of Cannon has four long runs suitable for beginners (Lower Cannon, Parkway, Gremlin and Turnpike). This area

1300-399: The famous slopes of Cannon Mountain for 5,359 feet (1,633 m). Its two cabins, each with a capacity for 80 passengers and one attendant, travel at a speed of 1,500 feet (460 m) per minute, with an hourly passenger capacity of 1,540, or 770 in each direction, more than three times the capacity of the original tramway. Until 1984, the north-northwestern face of Cannon was operated under

1350-599: The first trams was at Chamonix , while others in Switzerland, and Garmisch soon followed. From this, it was a natural transposition to build ski lifts and chairlifts. The first cable car in North America was at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire in 1938. Many aerial tramways were built by Von Roll Ltd. of Switzerland, which has since been acquired by Austrian lift manufacturer Doppelmayr . Other German, Swiss, and Austrian firms played an important role in

1400-535: The highest vertical drop of any ski mountain in the state, became the pinnacle of Eastern skiing. The success of the state's venture attracted the interest and investment of the private sector, and the ski industry in New Hampshire grew and prospered. In early 1965, Commissioner George Gilman of the Department of Resources and Economic Development recognized the need to begin planning for the replacement of

1450-638: The iconic original Jackson Hole Tram. Whistler-Blackcomb's Peak 2 Peak Gondola is the largest lift of its kind in the world, breaking multiple world records and costing CDN $ 52 million. In February 2021, the new Pucci chairlift which went into service in 2020/2021 season at the Timberline Lodge ski area in Mount Hood, Oregon furnished by Doppelmayr USA broke down due to an electronic failure causing 42 people to become stranded. The Doppelmayr USA chairlift's auxiliary motor failed to bring down

1500-549: The idea of building a tramway in New Hampshire during his trip to Europe as a member of the US Olympic Ski Team in 1933. In Europe, Bright had seen passenger-carrying tramways and recognized that building one in New Hampshire could foster the growth of skiing and summer tourism in the White Mountains. Bright persuaded L.R. Batemen of the American Steel and Wire Company to conduct a preliminary survey to locate

1550-466: The mountain had been used for skiing since 1929, and the famous Richard Taft Race Course had been developed in 1931-1932. To build the final passenger tramway it was first necessary to construct a freight tramway to carry materials. Carrying cement and materials by backpack, four dozen men completed the formidable task in December. Construction of the tramway continued through the winter, with almost all

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1600-520: The mountain. Even as construction proceeded heavy summer passenger traffic was maintained. Construction continued through the cold but nearly snowless winter of 1979-1980. In February 1980, the tramway successfully passed a series of stringent operational tests conducted by Nuova Agudio and was approved for passenger traffic by the State of New Hampshire. Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway II ascends

1650-493: The name Mittersill Ski Area (Cannon Mountain Ski 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 (decade), the state of New Hampshire unveiled plans to purchase the north-northwestern face and use the already-cut trails as an expansion to

1700-411: The nation. Later Lowell Thomas made evening news broadcasts from both the valley and mountain stations. The tramway quickly became a major tourist attraction, carrying 163,000 passengers in its first year. As its proponents had predicted, the tramway proved not only a sound financial investment for the state, but also confirmed the viability of skiing as an industry in New Hampshire. Cannon Mountain, with

1750-412: The new company was named Garaventa CTEC. Prior to the merger, Garaventa had built only a few lifts in North America, including Aerial Trams at Snowbird, Utah , and Palisades Tahoe , California . The combined company utilized the designs and manufacturing facilities of CTEC since Garaventa never had much of a presence in North America besides supplying parts to CTEC. CTEC's growing reputation combined with

1800-425: The original tramway. Although still in prime operating condition, thanks to a diligent maintenance program, the cost of custom-made replacement parts and the tramway's limited passenger capacity made replacement desirable and economically practical. The replacement project was authorized by the New Hampshire legislature in 1977 after a study by consulting engineer Robert Heron proved the project feasible. In July 1978,

1850-444: The other cabin up. A similar system of cables is used in a funicular railway. The two passenger or cargo cabins, which carry from 4 to over 150 people, are situated at opposite ends of the loops of cable. Thus, while one is coming up, the other is going down the mountain, and they pass each other midway on the cable span . Some aerial trams have only one cabin , which lends itself better for systems with small elevation changes along

1900-412: The ropeway department of Von Roll , a Swiss manufacturer which had been making lifts in North America since the mid-1980s. Von Roll owned Hall Ski-Lift , an American company that produced more than 400 lifts from 1960 to 1985. Doppelmayr now controlled all the spare parts sales for Doppelmayr, Von Roll, and Hall brand lifts. In 2002, Garaventa of Switzerland merged with Doppelmayr of Austria , forming

1950-501: The ski area offers slopes for lower ski levels. From the summit, Vista Way, Tramway and Upper Cannon descend through the forest. These feed into a collection of intermediate runs, including Middle Cannon and Middle Ravine. An alternate route, Cannonball Express Quad, is also available. The Tram Cutback is an intermediate return route to the tram from Gary's, considered the easiest of the Front Five. Expert trails include DJ's Tramline,

2000-577: The summit of the Stanserhorn in Switzerland carries 60 persons, with the upper floor accommodating 30 people in the open air. Despite the introduction of various safety measures (back-up power generators, evacuation plans, etc.) there have been several serious incidents on aerial tramways, some of which were fatal. Doppelmayr (North America) Doppelmayr USA, Inc is an aerial lift manufacturer based in Salt Lake City , Utah , and

2050-640: The summit, trails include Cannonball, Skylight or Upper Ravine. Cannon has 8 lifts, with 2 surface lifts in the Tuckerbrook family area. In its 2013 issue, SKI Magazine named Cannon #1 in New Hampshire for value, challenge, lifts/lift service, and overall satisfaction. In the same issue, Cannon was listed in the Top 10 in the East for value, access, challenge, character, lifts/lift service, and overall satisfaction. Brookside Learning Center offers all-day and part-day youth programs, plus childcare for ages six months and older. Seasonal programs are available. Cannon offers

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2100-458: The support of the New Hampshire legislature. In the spring of 1934, after estimating construction costs, completing research on operating costs and potential income, and examining seven promising sites for a tramway, a committee appointed by Governor John G. Winant unanimously recommended Cannon Mountain. Environmental concerns were a principal reason for selecting the Cannon site. At Cannon, it

2150-644: The urban environment in recent times. The Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City, the Rakavlit cable car in Haifa, Israel and the Portland Aerial Tram are examples where this technology has been successfully adapted for public transport purposes. The telpherage concept was first publicised in 1883 and several experimental lines were constructed. It was designed to compete not with railways, but with horses and carts. The first commercial telpherage line

2200-443: The work, pouring 32 carloads of cement, assembling 232 tons of steel and four miles (6 km) of cable, done by hand. It was considered an outstanding engineering feat of the period. On June 28, 1938, after nine months of construction and one year after the passage of legislation, North America’s first aerial tramway was dedicated. The opening attracted newspapermen, photographers, newsreel cameramen and syndicated writers from across

2250-800: The world's largest aerial lift manufacturer. The new company would be known as the Doppelmayr Garaventa Group in Europe and Doppelmayr CTEC in North America. Starting in 2003, Doppelmayr CTEC produced a new line of products that combined the best designs of Doppelmayr and CTEC. The Uni-GS detachable chairlift terminal design was specifically designed for the North American market and incorporated elements of Garaventa CTEC's Stealth line and Doppelmayr's Uni line. Many of CTEC's fixed-grip designs were kept. Today, manufacturing of fixed-grip chairlift terminals and all tower tubes and chairs

2300-717: Was in Glynde , which is in Sussex, England. It was built to connect a newly opened clay pit to the local railway station and opened in 1885. There are aerial tramways with double deck cabins. The Vanoise Express cable car carries 200 people in each cabin at a height of 380 m (1,247 ft) over the Ponturin gorge in France. The Shinhotaka Ropeway carries 121 people in each cabin at Mount Hotaka in Japan. The CabriO cable car to

2350-571: Was performed in Sacramento, California , where Ballantyne worked. CTEC slowly grew to become one of three major lift manufacturers in North America along with European -owned Doppelmayr USA and Poma of America . In 1989, CTEC partnered with Von Roll to build its first detachable chairlift at Solitude Mountain Resort , Utah. From 1990 onwards, CTEC used detachable grips built by the Swiss company Garaventa. In 1992, CTEC and Garaventa merged and

2400-533: Was possible to build a tramway with only minor cutting of forests and without marring the scenic beauty of the Notch. In addition, the area was already a major route for tourists in the White Mountains. Legislation was drafted and passed in 1935, but the project hit a snag when federal financing, a provision of the legislation, proved unavailable. In June 1937, a bill was passed by the New Hampshire legislature and signed into law by Governor Francis P. Murphy authorizing

2450-437: Was the successor to Thiokol , a company which built 41 ski lifts between 1971 and 1977. By 1977, Thiokol had decided to stop producing ski lifts and sold their designs to two employees, Jan Leonard and Mark Ballantyne. CTEC's first lift produced as an independent manufacturer was at Seven Springs Mountain Resort , Pennsylvania , in 1978. Leonard oversaw engineering at the company's Salt Lake City facility while manufacturing

2500-474: Was used. In any case, it would be another 230 years before Germany would get the second cable lift, this newer version equipped with iron wire cable. Tramways are sometimes used in mountainous regions to carry ore from a mine located high on the mountain to an ore mill located at a lower elevation. Ore tramways were common in the early 20th century at the mines in North and South America. One can still be seen in

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