Cannon Mountain
Franconia, New Hampshire
Relief of Cannon Mountain, the steep White Mountain face rising hard above Franconia Notch. Hardwood follows the exposed ridges, abrupt grade changes, and long fall lines. Laser-etched trails mark the ski terrain across the face, clarifying route and pitch within the larger relief.
Complete topographic composition
Relief depth from ridgeline to valley
Approach to base terrain
Inverse relief detail
Created for a friend who patrols Cannon, this piece was shaped by a working relationship with the mountain. For him, Cannon is not only a place to ski; it is weather, responsibility, terrain assessment, and care for the people moving across it.
The goal was to keep the carving as direct as the mountain feels. The relief preserves Cannon’s steep transitions and exposed faces, with hard maple chosen so the horizontal grain could help the terrain read from ridge to base.
The trails were etched as passages through the face rather than as decoration. Their placement was meant to show how limited and specific the usable lines are on Cannon, while keeping the underlying mountain form in control of the composition.
Artist's Note