Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I got this book today from Amazon, and proceeded to read it obsessively in one sitting interrupted only by dinner. What a great book! My hearty congratulations to Meghan McCarthy McPhaul (that's a lot of Mc's for one name) on a really superb, well-done book. A History of Cannon Mountain does a remarkable job of conveying the spirit, atmosphere, and joy of what Cannon Mountain is for those of us fortunate to have skied, hiked, or otherwise recreated there. As someone who has skied Cannon continuously since 1978, I have to say that it was a lot of fun to read the history that I knew, and the history that I didn't know.
And there is a lot of history worth knowing. Cannon has always been regarded as a special place, and to this day it still retains very special qualities that you won't find at other ski areas. Aside from the remarkable setting, with the imposing Mt. Lafayette range across the notch, there is a lot at Cannon that is unique. And the author successfully captures that and conveys it. She is a great writer, and she obviously knows (and loves) her subject.
I've read other books of this sort and most are nowhere near as good. If you are even a little bit interested in Cannon Mountain and its history--and even if you haven't skied there, its history is well worth knowing--then this is a book you will want to read. And the collection of pictures in the book is especially great too, they tell a significant part of the story. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm sure I will be reading it again.
This book comes out at a time when Cannon is being threatened by foolish, short-sighted state legislators in NH who want to sell off--oh excuse me, "lease" or "privatize"--the crown jewel of the NH State Park system. In order to save a few measly dollars, they want to leave it to the private sector to rape and pillage Cannon Mountain, which will destroy the essence of what makes this place so special. The question that needs to be asked is, what kind of legacy do we want to leave to our children and grandchildren? Do we want to leave them an intact and beautiful State Park that is lovingly cared for by long-term employees who to a person see themselves as stewards in a long line of citizens protecting our common heritage, or do we want to instead leave our children and grandchildren the beauty of condos as far as the eye can see, crass commercialism, and perhaps even a "charming" and "quaint" village built at the base of the ski area, where the elite can go purchase the latest ski fashions from Europe, get facials, and then after dinner the whole family can go to the IMAX theater to watch a film about bears and other wildlife that used to live in the park and on Cannon Mountain. Is this what we want?
The reason why we have government is to protect the common good. This book does a wonderful job of explaining what the common good is in this situation. I hope that NH finds the wisdom and courage to do what's right for all of us, rather than in the excuse of "budget cuts" giving to the few that which rightfully belongs to all of us.
Click Here to see more reviews about: A History of Cannon Mountain: Trails, Tales and Ski Legends (NH)
Cannon Mountain's history is steeped in skiing legend and lore. Rising at the western edge of New Hampshire's magnificently beautiful Franconia Notch State Park, the granite-domed mountain has been the playground of skiers since the 1930s. Here, the country's first down-mountain ski trail was cleared in 1933, the first aerial tramway was built on the mountain and the first professional ski patrol was established. More than a dozen members of the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame--whose contributions to the sport include historic racing feats, the development of ski techniques and designing countless ski areas across the country and around the world--have called Cannon their home hill. Join author and longtime Cannon skier Meghan McCarthy McPhaul on the slopes of this historic mountain.
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