The competition for ‘Best Ski Area’ in New England is an ongoing fight for first place. Of the 75 ski areas throughout New England, each mountain has something to offer that another one doesn’t, which makes it harder to pick a favorite. In this series, The Triton Voice will be reviewing ski areas, starting with Cannon Mountain in
, New Hampshire, and Loon in Lincoln, New Hampshire.
Cannon Mountain has been a raving tourist attraction since the early 1900s. Until 2003, Cannon had the Old Man on the Mountain located on its back side and as of last year, North America’s first aerial tramway. The tram opened in 1938 to boost year-round tourism and closed in 2025 due to mechanical issues.
On top of that, Cannon’s history dates back decades. From NewEngland.com, author, Bob Curley shares, “Cannon Mountain extends its $54 deal on Wednesdays to every resident of the Granite State.” The neighboring mountain, Mittersil, was founded by an Austrian man fleeing Hitler’s control, named Baron Hubert von Pantz in 1945. His idea was to replicate his home town in Austria; fast forwarding to today, it still has the Austrian character. Cannon offers skiing/snowboarding, skinning and a lively apres life.
“I love Cannon, it’s pretty steep but can be pretty icy. It’s fun though, a lot of trails, a lot to do, but it’s definitely icy,” said physical education teacher Megan Martin.
Around 10 minutes south of Cannon is Loon Mountain, right off of Route 93. Loon is an extremely popular tourist attraction that draws in skiers, snowboarders and pedestrians alike.
Boston Magazine, author David Gawkoski says, “Just two hours from Boston, Loon is one of the most accessible mountains around.”. The resort at Loon is beautiful to say the least, located on the Pemigewasset River, offering over 145 hotel and condo units. Every weekend starting around Christmas break, Loon attracts hundreds of tourists from all over New England and further. With that being said, Loon is crowded more often than not due to its variety of intermediate trails on the gradual slopes, although it is a great place for beginners to become comfortable with the sport. From the perspective of advanced skiers, Loon can be a pain because of the lack of experience held by the majority of skiers who ski and ride the mountain.
“Loon is too small, too crowded. It’s convenient but you’ll ski the whole mountain in one morning. Week days are great but weekends are awful. I do like the resort though, the outdoor pool is great,” PE teacher Jennifer Killian shared.
All and all, Cannon and Loon are two mountains that have reviews from both ends of the spectrum. Them both being around 2.5 hours from Boston makes them busy areas during school vacation weeks. Nonetheless, time on snow is the most important thing during the winter time no matter where you are.
