Trail of the Week: Coming around the mountain at Cranmore [12/15/2007]

By Marty Basch

There are lyrics in an American folk song that apply to early season skiing and riding at Cranmore: She'll be coming around the mountain.Those lyrics apply not just to females, but also to males for taking a run that wraps around the North Conway mountain with the intermediate Schneider and Artist Falls trails combined with the benign Beginner's Luck.The combination makes for a nice long run with a thrilling short pitch followed by a ride through woods.The high speed Skimobile Express is the launching point for this pleasant marriage of trails. Exit the lift to skier's right, sliding past the East Bowl Double chair and by the Meister Hut. There is the beginning of the Schneider trail with its East Bowl views. Later in the season, the East is the place to go for both sun and a chance to rest those quads after playing on trails like Kandahar, Arlberg and Rattlesnake. Steep at the onset, with even a few bumps on the side sometimes, Schneider's compression is like a funnel. Swing to the right and hook up to Artist Falls, a blue square forest jaunt.Long and narrow, Artist Falls has a couple of wiggles to keep the run interesting. As the season progresses, look for kids to find those short roller coaster pitches by the blue barrels. Artist Falls connects to the easy Beginner's Luck where novices concentrate on those first turns. It also passes by other snow play options like the Lucky Loop jib park and tubing zones. Pick up some speed crossing the South Slope to make the lift for another shot at skiing 'round the mountain.