Needing a break from the four walls closing in?
How about heading out to a fairyland ice castle in the middle of a New Hampshire Farm. Talk about transporting to another world in the fresh, wide-open spaces of North Woodstock. You expect to see the Elves from Lord of the Rings.
Whenever I need that break my go to location is the Franconia Notch region of New Hampshire. And it did not disappoint on this trip. We planned a quick trip that kept us outdoors for much of our stay, stopping first at The Ice Castle in North Woodstock and then a morning of skiing at Cannon Mountain in Franconia.
Standing on nearly an acre of land off Clark Farm Road with an enchanted forest bordering its back wall, the ice buttresses look like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude jutting into the sky from the slight hill built beside it that includes a dual tubing track. How’s that for some additional winter fun?
The concept for Ice Castles was created when founder and Utah resident Brent Christensen attempted to build an ice cave for his daughter in the yard of his home in Alpine, Utah. The project turned into a winter hit drawing crowds of locals to visit and tour his creation. Ice Castles has since turned into an internationally renowned tourist attraction with New Hampshire one of four locations including Colorado, Utah and Wisconsin.
We made the decision to purchase tickets for 4:30pm, allowing us to experience the spectacle in daylight and dark. As night descended, the lights embedded in the ice grew brighter, casting the world into a kaleidoscope of color. The transition to a glowing jewel became apparent as the multi-color lights danced within the ice.
Walking through the lower level of the castle, a beautifully carved ice moose and a frozen throne are nestled within caves built into the base walls. Walking up a ramp to the second level you begin to feel the majesty of the 25 million pounds of icicles used in its creation. Ice balconies, ice caves, and ice slide tubes are spaced throughout the level. From the balconies, you can look across the lower level, walk through an ice-carved tunnel, and then grab a pad and slide down a tube back to the lower level. It was a total rush, and watching the artisans carving a new tube made you aware of the time involved in creating their icy playground.
Exiting the castle walls, the new Mystic Forest light walk takes you on a magical path through the woods with approximately 150,000 lights and unique lighting elements, including the field of glowing orbs. The colorful orbs in the forest are another way Ice Castles strives to create an otherworldly, magical experience where guests are surrounded by light and immersed in the enchanting glow of a fairy tale land. Under the dark canopy of the trees, the orbs really do have a mystical illumination.
Lights seem to float among the trees on the railed trail winding a quarter of a mile from the back of the castle to a grotto with hot chocolate and tables made of ice.
It was a great way to leave the fairy tale behind.
Our second stop was Cannon Mountain in Franconia, my favorite ski area in the East. I first discovered Cannon thanks to Bodie Miller, one of the best-known Olympic alpine skiers of my generation. Bodie grew up on its slopes, and his BodeFest Ski Challenge benefits the Turtle Ridge Foundation with an annual day of skiing, racing, auctions and fun for all ages. My daughter skied in a group with Miller and met the four-time gold medalist for autographs and a selfie in the historic lodge at the mountain.
I fell in love with the mountain the first time I stood at the top of Avalanche, a black diamond trail that overlooks Echo Lake and the magnificent Franconia Notch State Park. With the highest vertical drop of any ski mountain in the East at 4,080 feet, Cannon offers 97 trails and glades, including a longest run of 2.3 miles.
And it is some of the best free skiing around. With 25-miles of trails, you can spend the day skiing without hitting the same trail twice. In its 285 skiable acres, there is plenty for glade skiers with six named areas, including the well-named “Lost Boys Glade.”
When you arrive, jump on the Peabody Express Quad Chairlift for a ride ¾ up the mountain and take a leisurely run down Bypass, Extension and Rocket. On one visit on an extra clear day, we skied the Front Five trails that drop straight down into Echo Lake as we watched two snowmobilers create a peace sign on its frozen surface.
North America’s first ‘aerial tramway’ or ‘cable car’ was installed on the shore of Echo Lake in 1938 and now the 70-person cable car will whisk you to the summit in just eight minutes. Spend some time on Upper Ravine, Skylight and Profile for some intense high level skiing. When you’re ready for some race training, take a cruise along Taft Slalom, a unique trail across the top of the mountain to The Saddle and a short hike to the top of Mittersill.
Cannon’s second peak, Mittersill is just slightly lower at 3,650 feet and features the Taft Training Slope where most days you can watch side-by-side training on GS and slalom, with athletes using a t-bar to maximize their time on course.
My daughter will be competing in a Double GS race at the mountain in February, 2021. She is excited to ski a venue that has hosted numerous high-profile competitions including the 2017 NCAA Championships, the 2018 Eastern High School Championships and the 2019 National Junior Championship Super-Gs, as well as an official training site of the U.S. Ski Team since 2015. Construction is underway for the Mittersill Performance Center, a lodge of 9,200 square feet that will be open to all resort visitors, as well as provide space required for alpine ski racing and training. Built in a partnership between the Franconia Ski Club, the state of New Hampshire, Holderness School and the U.S. Ski Team, the center will provide ski tuning rooms, coaches’ offices, video review rooms and gear storage areas to enable the resort to hold larger and more prestigious ski races such as Nor-Am Cup races and U.S. championship events. Not to mention my daughter’s Masters Races.
We took advantage of Mittersill’s legendary Baron’s Run, cut for the 1968-69 season and widened in 2014 to become a premier speed venue for super G and giant slalom, for some super G training. Mittersill’s conversion to a racing destination is a storied history beginning in 1933, when the Taft trail was constructed. While Mittersill closed in 1984, a partnership with the State of New Hampshire and the U.S. Forest Service, resulted in its rebirth in the 2009-10 season as part of Cannon Mountain.
So once you’re done with your training, you have all of Cannon for your free skiing. And it is the best in the east.
