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Cannon Nears Deal To Open Abandoned Mittersill Ski Area |
State Gives Land To Federal Government In Exchange For Mittersill
FRANCONIA NOTCH, N.H. -- An abandoned ski area in Franconia Notch could be months from reopening as Cannon Mountain nears an agreement that could let it expand, but not everyone is happy with the plan.Mittersill Resort closed in the 1980s, and its chairlift is now rusted and the trails are overgrown. Photos from 40 years show a resort that stretched out to the north of Cannon Mountain ski area.A deal between the U.S. Forest Service and the state of New Hampshire would allow Cannon to take over the closed ski area and rebuild it."This just adds another dimension," said John DeVivo of Cannon Mountain. "We pride ourselves on diversity of terrain, and this just gives them one more thing to go after when they're out there."The deal took more than two years to complete. The state gave land in Piermont to the federal government in exchange for Mittersill."It will boost our skiable terrain by 70 to 75 percent," DeVivo said.Many backcountry skiers opposed the plan. For years, people looking to get away from Cannon's busy trails hiked Mittersill and skied here. On Internet blogs, people criticized the Mittersill plan, saying it would ruin the backcountry environment.But some skiers said they can't wait for Mittersill to open again."I think it's fantastic," said Richard Murphy, of Massachusetts. "It was a ski area. Why not reopen it?"The federal government set out specific environmental guidelines that Cannon needs to follow, including protecting bird habitat near the top of the mountain.The earliest Cannon could cut trails would be this summer.
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