Privatize Cannon?

SOUND OF MACHINERY.

It is dark here on Cannon Mountain.

The skiers are long gone from the steep, expert slope called Paulie’s Folly.

Wayne Natti is driving Cannon’s new winch cat.

It moves along on tracks, like a tank.

SOUND OF WINCH CAT.

Its half-mile long cable can be anchored to something solid, like a huge tree.

So, when the snow conditions mean the tracks would have poor grip the winch cat can safely groom the steepest of slopes.

“Gravity works every single time whether it is a golf ball or a 13-ton snow cat.”

WINCH CAT SOUNDS.

“I started to slide sideways there and all I did was increase the cable tension a little bit. It brought the back of the machine back into my line.”

It can also push snow from the bottom of a slope up to the top.

“The time that this winch cat saves in man hours and machine hours is incredible.”

For years Cannon had a reputation for steep and often icy slopes and, well, not the best grooming.

But a bunch of changes, such as improved grooming, has caused Cannon to get a lot more respect.

Bill Jones is the editor of Snow East Magazine.

“I would say that the mountain itself has done quite a bit over the years to bring it up to modern times and yet still keep that classic resort that the Cannon skiers and riders like so much.”

Ski Magazine’s 2008 reader survey of Eastern resorts ranked Cannon 3rd best for “Overall Satisfaction.”

It was 1st in “Value.”

The winch cat is one example of the changes under the new general manager, John DeVivo.

DeVivo came to Cannon about a year and a half ago after 20 years of experience at ski resorts like Sunday River and Attitash.

In addition to the winch cat and upgraded snow-making equipment DeVivo did some human engineering.

He gave employees the authority to use their expertise to do the best job possible.

And he also held them responsible for doing it.

“All we really needed up here was to be able to have somebody turn the key and remind all of ourselves the gas pedal is on the right.”

He increased coordination between the snowmaking and grooming departments.

And, he pumped up marketing.

After DeVivo’s first full year, Cannon’s winter operation showed a profit of $366,000.

In each of the previous two years Cannon had lost about that much .

In fairness DeVivo says part of the credit for the profit goes to a snowy year.

“You know, it really came down to Mother Nature being worth about half of that and Cannon Mountain working very, very hard at the other half.”

Cannon appears to be on track to make money again this year.

DeVivo says skier visits are up.

So are season ski passes.

Just as it appears Cannon is on the mend as a state run park, lawmakers are considering a legislation to turn Cannon over to a private company.

Sen. John Gallus of Berlin is sponsoring the bill.

Gallus says the problem isn’t the people working at Cannon or the new general manager.

“I think that John DeVivo is the greatest thing to happen. Yes, he has been a real positive influence on the mountain.”

Gallus says a private company would pay the state around a half million a year.

But more important, it could afford to invest more money to fix up the mountain.

“The problem is the legislature. We have held them back. We just don’t have the funds to really put the capital improvements into the mountain to really make it work and glow and be the product it should be.”

The idea of Cannon going private resurrects old hopes and fears.

Some think going private would bring more business to the area.

Others fear a private firm would push for a building boom changing the nature of the region.

Gallus, a realtor, dismisses such concerns.

“I think, you know, some of the concerns are really myth. Some people have mentioned that we are going to put condos around Echo Lake and around the mountain and that is the furthest thing from anyone’s imagination there could be.”

Similar bills have failed in the past with opponents including Gov. John Lynch.

But, says Gallus, this year may be different.

“You know, we have a good possibility of running this bill through this particular year specially with the economic situation where in Concord we are looking for every penny.”

For NHPR News this is Chris Jensen.