Final Day??

By Jonny Jay

The classic spring view of the Jet

Although Jay is doing its best to keep things running it looks like Mother Nature may give winter the last blow this week with announced high temps. One Jay source did say they wanted to keep going until mid-May if they could but . . . check on Thursday. 

Good conditions in Beaver Pond!

Skiing was great on the weekend if you timed it right. Triple chair side in the morning and then the big mountain late morning on. Upper Ullrs and Beaver Pond were perfect on Saturday at noon
but they closed it on Sunday because there was a bit of a walk over a few spots on the runout and I guess you could catch an edge in the various small fissures along Kokomo but hey -- it's spring! Jet, Haynes, CanAm, Expo Glade and even the Goat were all in good shape but the bottom runouts could melt away pretty soon.

A great season overall.

Nice snow on Tramside

Excellent coverage on the Vermonter!

RIP, Bonventure Chair

RIP, Stateside Lodge

Jonny Jay says adieu, for now

Stateside Farewell

By Jonny Jay
 

Were we skiing on these when it was built?

It was a glorious day for the Stateside Lodge sendoff on April 6, also known as the Chalet Shakedown. Albeit a bit chilly, the combination of tailgate barbecues and plenty of anti-freeze kept everything (and everybody) fluid. With demolition only days away, the old lodge put up a valiant effort to defend her weaknesses, and promote her strengths, while diehards searched for souvenirs and newbies wondered what the attraction was to this ski lodge with the inverted "V" roofline and the infamous bathrooms.

The party in the parking lot was in full gear by noon and the Jay Peak management is to be credited with letting it all go full tilt, in Stateside style, while also sponsoring a late afternoon band to wrap things up.

The highlight of the souvenir seekers was revealed when I walked into the seasonal locker room on Sunday morning only to find that the men’s room door – yes that big steel blue one – had gone missing! “Hey honey, look what I got from the lodge!”

I first entered the doors at Stateside in the late 60s, and there are many fine memories of a skier’s mountain with all the basics at hand. Now we are a multi-generational family of stateside groupies, shunning the more sophisticated Tramside cousin. After Monday a new era begins . . . let’s try and stay positive people, even though it looks like the new eating area will be facing the parking lot! Maybe the orientation will allow for a view of the tram, or the mountain, and all will be good again.

And by the way, the skiing is still great with almost anything skiable/rideable, and that’s what we really go for -- see you there.

JJ.

Tailgating in full swing

There is no shortage of snow at Jay Peak

The essence of Stateside

It was an all ages event...

The spirit of Jay is orange!

Do you think he was skiing the next day?

Who let the dogs out?

Bruce got things going and kept the grill grilling

 

Some EB5 construction workers on a day off?

Spring skiing has sprung at Jay Peak

The DC, Sklinda and Jonny Jay ready for some warm temperatures and soft snow.

I am pleased to report that the spring skiing season is "on" at Jay Peak. Over this weekend we went from fully bundled up to tentative lighter layers. Jonny Jay shed his trademark down vest and by Saturday, some other brave souls even left their balaclavas in the locker.

To be honest, I didn't take many pictures. The snow coverage was excellent, the sun was shining and the March break crowds seemed to be dispersed all over the place. Thank God for the Waterpark and the Aerial Tramway!

Many guests spent their day in the Tram line. This is at least a five-tram wait.

I do wish that I had a record of some of the mayhem that took place on the Can-Am. This trail was like a siren of the deeps, luring unsuspecting skiers with promises of sun-baked goodness. Underneath a thin veil of angel dust lurked the glacial results of Jay's hardworking snowmakers. JJ and I skied it both Friday and Saturday. On Friday's run, I used the high-speed sideslip to navigate between snow islands. Saturday, a more conservative approach was employed: I found the sugar piled up on skier's right, and, channeling my inner Sylvain Saudan, hop-turned down the steep part. Honestly, it was quite fun but I did feel sorry for the poor folks we witnessed belly-sliding the pitch, and was relieved that they were unhurt. Another part of March break break madness - lots of folks going where they shouldn't be.

Like the mullet hairstyle of times gone by, Stateside is all business in the front...

In other news, the lucky folks with lockers at Stateside Lodge received a memo from on high: clear your locker out by April 2, demolition day is April 8. Like the demolition of Hotel Jay, this will mark the end of an era. Despite the smelly washrooms, many long-time Jay skiers have a soft spot for the shingle clad relic of the 60s and I, for one, will be a little sad to see it go. But not that sad. Can someone save me a shingle?

And all party in the back. RIP, Stateside Lodge!

The Nephews: An Unexpected Journey

...By Throckmorton

“This epic and historic trip needs to be documented on the blog.” 

Throckmorton is stoked and steezy at the wheel.

It may have sounded hilarious at the time but SBR could not have stated it more accurately than he did. For the first time ever, Grandpa Grindbar and Throckmorton took off for a trip to Jay without our parents. While it cannot be understated that their presence was sorely missed, it is was remedied by the excitement of the brothers heading out on their own. 

After an eight-hour car ride, with actual co-operation and perfect directions taken, we arrived at the Cliff House. There’s a number of reasons why this is one of the best feelings ever: 1) finally getting to stretch out intense cramping; and, 2) knowledge that tomorrow you will be skiing one of the best mountains in the east, after being away for what felt to me like an eternity. Reason number three is the most under-rated and that is the overwhelming feeling of family that we all feel when we come into the house for the first time. It hit me especially hard on this trip and I felt needed to be said.

Grandpa Grindbar enjoys a pre-Valhalla hot chocolate.

But, enough of the mushy stuff; let's get down to the important part. Day one could be described as full tilt, morning to afternoon, of Uncle Pudd and Great Uncle Jonny Jay trying to run their nephews into the ground, about which I’m going to suck up my pride and say: they did. It was definitely not a day of skiing defined as getting your legs back under you, but I couldn’t have asked for it any other way. 

It is important to note that the four of us, without intending to, took our first trip into the Sky Haus Deli, formerly known as Elevation 4000. It is MORE important to note that not only Pudd but also Jonny Jay, who does not greet change with a smile at the best of times, had nothing but positive and supportive compliments of what they have done up there. 

I also fell victim to the best fall of the week on the Upper Quai but such is life on the Quai. On the second day, I felt the Lords get back under me as Grandpa Grindbar, Jonny Jay and I braved the Jay winds that brought on another first, as the JPSP closed the Triple and not the Red, standard Jay Peak inverted logic. As the week went on, the skiing - especially the trees - just kept getting better, with more snow every night. By the final day, Grandpa Grindbar and I were privileged to have one of those runs you’ll remember forever in the Orchard. It was the run where your line is perfect, fresh white stuff the whole way and, of course, at the bottom, a crowd of people who stop and watch you stomp the line they wish they found.

The two of us skied harder than we ever have for those four days and did it with the stupidest smiles possible the entire time. We also achieved an official family first, with proof, that we scored the first perfectly co-ordinated hot chocolate break at the top of the mountain, followed by a run down Valhalla with no one else in sight. 

As always, leaving the hill for the final time is hard, knowing you have to return to the real world the next day; but, this trip, it was done with a proud sense of accomplishment from both of us. Really, the best way to sum it all up would be, as I sit here writing this, I just cannot wait to go back.

The Orchard awaits. Is this really Christmas week?

Editor's note: like it or not. Throckmorton and Grandpa Grindbar have been "Raised Jay." Every fledgling needs to get out from under the wing and this trip was their opportunity to do just that.

The wind.The wind...

The wind informed everything we did at Jay Peak this week. The way we dressed, where we skied, what lifts we rode and, maybe, even what we had for lunch. The wind was constant but it shifted around, pushing us here and there on the mountain. Boy, can you let the skis run when the wind is trying to push you back uphill.

Fortunately, the temperatures were moderate and it was quite bearable to ride a chairlift.

Conditions ranged from this (much better than it looks):

The River Quai in fine form. And really quite skiable.

To this nice surprise:

Four days after the last big snow, Jonny Jay finds some fresh tracks in a popular glade run on Tramside.

And this, even on Thursday, the last day before the thaw:

The wind kept putting the snow back after the skiers disturbed it. This was easy to find.

 There will be more to tell once I have caught up on my sleep.

Uhh, what, wake up, there's news!

Jay Peak investors buy Burke Mountain:

Powder Mag:
http://www.powdermag.com/latest-news/jay-peak-buys-burke/

WCAX Burlington:
http://www.wcax.com/story/18614019/burke-mountain-sold

Ski the East:
http://www.skitheeast.net/posts/id/1080242739/owners-of-jay-peak-purchase-burke-mountain
(including an exclusive interview with Steve Wright)

This is most likely good news on many levels, especially for Burke Mountain. But what we are really waiting to find out is whether or not our Jay passes will be good at Burke...

Jay East?

Photo of Burke Mountain stolen from Ski the East

Easter Monday Freshie at Jay Peak

by Jonny Jay

After only arriving late Sunday in Monkey Centre the forecast didn’t look good for skiing – rain and maybe some wet snow at higher elevations. We treated ourselves that night to a dinner at the newly re-opened Black Lantern – food was delicious. Well the next morning I decided to gear up. I had missed the one powder weekend this year, missed the week of summer weather in March and now was looking at a sparse mountain for the first week of April but needed to air out the cobwebs, so off I went to the mountain on Easter Monday. At the very least I had to empty out the locker! The Devon darling wasn’t too keen on skiing in the cold rain. Rain on the way up 242 until after Alpine Haven and then some snow – good sign I thought. Then several vehicles minus snow tires (Ontario and Connecticut) trying to wedel their way up the mountain.

Only a few cars in the parking area at Stateside and a few diehards slowly getting ready to attack the wet drizzle. Well the drizzle turned to snow. At the top of the Jet (the only big lift operating) there was at least 6” of new snow – a little thick but new snow!! First run the Derrick (oops didn’t see the rope) – awesome. Virtually untracked, heavy but when it is untracked you can just glide. Then the Haynes, then the Jet. Then the Montrealer and I packed it in but it was well worth it. Somebody on the lift said he found a foot of snow on one run – I said where? He says “on the Derrick, done it three times.” Well, it wasn’t a foot but it was more untracked snow than I have seen for a long time this winter.

On the way home 242 still hadn’t been plowed. As I crested the top there was an 18 wheeler stopped just near the top, not able to go any further. A lineup below was headed by someone else without snow tires – glad I wasn’t in that line. The good news: The way it was raining in the valley when we left I would say the upper mountain will be amazing for a day or two. And then they can groom it for the weekend Tailgate Party at Jay!

JJ