Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)
| Cannon Mountain | |
|---|---|
Cannon Cliff, the southeast face of Cannon Mountain
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4080+ feet (1244+ m) |
| Prominence | 740 ft (230 m) |
| Listing | White Mountain 4000-footers |
| Coordinates | 44°09′23″N 71°41′54″W / 44.1564536°N 71.6984172°WCoordinates: 44°09′23″N 71°41′54″W / 44.1564536°N 71.6984172°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Parent range | White Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Franconia |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Kinsman Ridge Trail |
Cannon Mountain (formerly Profile Mountain) is a 4,080-foot (1,240 m) peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is known for both its technical rock and ice climbing on its cliff face and skiing at Cannon Mountain Ski Area. Until the formation collapsed on May 3, 2003, it was also home to the Old Man of the Mountain.
Cannon has three sub-peaks 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." Geologically, it is an exfoliating granite dome. Part of the Kinsman Range, the mountain is located within Franconia Notch State Park.
Rock climbers were pioneering routes on Cannon's cliffs in the 1920s. Its 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.
Cannon hosted the first Alpine Skiing World Cup races ever held in North America in 1967, with races being listed as occurring at Franconia.
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Wikipedia