Ownership
To set the record straight:
Cannon Mountain's facilities are state-owned, on state property (Franconia Notch State Park, which sits within Federal property, White Mountain National Forest.)
Wildcat Mountain's facilities are privately owned, on Federal property (White Mountain National Forest) and operate on a special use permit from them.
The big thing about Wildcat is that it faces northwest. All winter long, it gets no sun. It can be quite challenging, weather-wise, to ski there in winter. BUT, the tradeoff is the best thing about Wildcat. All winter long, snow blows off the summit of Mt. Washington and over to Wildcat. They also get a good deal of naturally-falling snow that no one else gets. Since it faces away from the sun, the mountain keeps its winter snowpack. Wildcat has always been my favorite place to enjoy midwinter conditions in spring. I have had my best ski days up there in March, April, and May... in deep snow... even had some powder days up there in mid-April after everyone else was closed.
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