Mittersill History

 
The History...

PAST:

In 1933, the Taft trail was constructed, thanks in large part, to the efforts of Kate Peckett of Sugar Hill. The Taft ran from the top of Cannon Mountain down to the saddle with Mt. Jackson, up over Mt. Jackson, then down the north slope. 5 years later, in 1938, the Aerial Tramway was opened, providing lift service to the Taft, along with several other trails, mainly on the Cannon Mountain side.

In the several years prior to 1938, Baron Hubert von Pantz had been renovating the Schloss Mittersill outside of Kitzbuhel, Austria. The Schloss was taken over by the German Army in 1938, and the Baron fled the country later that year. In 1939, the Baron arrived in the United States, at the Lake Placid Club, where he found bobsledding, and ski jumps, but skiing was only available by climbing. He took a taxi from Lake Placid to Franconia to look over the new Tramway at Cannon. Over the next several years, he raised money, and in 1941, purchased 550 acres on the north slope of Mt. Jackson, including a section of the Taft trail.

He and some partners developed a hotel, built several chalets, and installed a ski lift, and in 1946, Mittersill opened for business. Three years later, in 1949, Swiss Paul Valar and Austrian Paula Kann arrived in the area. Paul would found the Franconia Ski School at Cannon, and with Paula, would run the ski schools at Mittersill and Mount Sunapee through the 1970s.

In 1950, the Baron left the area, and returned to Austria- back to the Schloss Mittersill. He found it heavily damaged, and began work to restore it once again. Back in NH, Mittersill ski area began early experiments with snowmaking, based loosely on a lawn sprinkler system.

In 1961, the Professional Ski Instructors of America was formed, with Paul as one of the 7 original incorporators.

By 1969, Mittersill had 2 T Bars, and a Hall Chairlift, with a vertical drop of over 1000 feet.

The winters of 1980 and 1981 were very poor ones for winter sports, and Mittersill Alpine Resort suffered large losses as a result. In the 80's, the area was operated by the Franconia Development Co. The area finally was closed in 1984, and in 1989, the Special Use Permit from the Forest Service was terminated. The privately held lands on which most of the ski area was located were transferred to the State of NH for the cost of one dollar, an effort spearheaded by the Valar family.

PRESENT:

The ski trails in the Mittersill area are partially overgrown, although some have been kept clear by individuals, in spite of state and federal restrictions. The area is home to several federally listed sensitive species, including the Bicknell's Thrush, Peregrine Flacon, and possibly, the Canada Lynx. On the site of the ski area, there remain lift towers, top and bottom terminals, and miscellaneous lumber.

On March 25, 2009, a celebration in the Governor’s Executive Council Chambers marked a long-anticipated exchange of federal and state lands. After extended contemplation and study, 100 acres of the upper portion of the dormant Mittersill Ski Area joined the system of State Lands as part of Cannon Mountain Ski Area; and the 244 acre Sentinel Mountain Forest, including approximately ¼ mile of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, became federal land to be administered by the White Mountain National Forest. Governor John Lynch, Forest Supervisor Tom Wagner, and Appalachian National Scenic Trail Park Manager Pam Underhill joined in the celebration.

March 28, 2009 - The official "rope cutting" ceremony takes place on the taft Trail with nearly 500 people in attendance. Christina Valar Breen and son, Cannon Breen cut the rope between Cannon and Mittersill, officially reopening the Mittersill ski area as part of Cannon Mountain. Many in attendance completed the hike and skied Mittersill "legally" for the first time in 20 years.


2008-2009:

In the immediate future, there will likely be some limited trimming and clearing of some trail areas, and the removal of some hazards. The area will, for the next season or two, be managed as one large gladed area, with all of the accompanying hazards, with very gradual trimming and clearing to follow. Contrary to the belief of many people, the area is not easy terrain. Much of it is steep and narrow, and must be used with extra caution, with extended rescue time a probability. Any lift construction at Mittersill is at least a year or two away, possibly longer. Plans are being made to provide some type of shuttle service from Mittersill base back to Cannon during the 2009-2010 season.

During the land exchange process between the State of NH and the US Forest Service, an agreement was reached that would limit any cutting on the Mittersill site above the 2500 foot elevation to match, but not exceed, the 1989 trail and lift line footprint. This agreement was reached in an effort to ensure the viability of the Bicknell's Thrush and other species on Mount Jackson. Because of this agreement, and the width of the lift line, any lift accessing the upper elevations at Mittersill will be a double chair. Higher capacity lifts require a wider liftline, which does not exist in the old footprint.

In short, Mittersill will become a part of Cannon, but plans for its eventual appearance are merely in the beginning stages. There will be very limited grooming and patrolling over there in the early stages, with a bit more in the future. There is no snowmaking right now, but there may be limited snowmaking on just a couple of primary trails some time in the future. We don’t want to take away what’s so special about Mittersill, or infringe upon its culture, so as the terrain area is incorporated into Cannon, there will certainly be slower changes on that side than on Cannon proper as the entire ski area continues to evolve.

2009 - 2010 

Cannon will open and manage the terrain on Mittersill as a lift-accessed backcountry area (via the Tramway and Cannonball Quad).

The trail crew has done some thinning and brush cutting for ease of access, but nothing to change the culture or skiing & riding experience over there. With no snowmaking, limited grooming, very limited patrolling and extensive rescue time, the area will carry a designation of “Extra Hazardous.”

We’ll run a weekend/holiday shuttle service from the base of Mittersill to Peabody/Notchview.

Guided Mittersill Tours (at Snowsports School): $55
10:00am on Saturdays & Sundays, conditions permitting. Roughly 2 hour guided tour to explore the new Mittersill Backcountry Terrain Area! For Intermediate & Advanced skiers and riders. Some hiking involved.

We plan to have the new Mittersill Double Chair installed and operational by mid-late December 2010.

Stay Tuned!