A short report in free verse

This just in:

Skied northwest passage Valhalla
Beaver pond
It is scrapey on the groomers
but awesome for this time of year

...by Pudd

A short and sweet snow report from Jonny Jay

December 15, 2014:

For anyone wondering – the snow conditions at Jay are excellent. Mountain is in full swing with snow in the glades and perfect conditions on the lower mountain for anyone recovering from a broken femur . . . Deer Run was reported as super! Beaver Pond and Andre’s had only minor streams, good snow and lots of fun. The snow was sufficiently saturated to hold firm and will provide a great base for the winter snow yet to come. 

So get out the boards, see you there.

- Jonny Jay

Easter skiing at Jay Peak

By Jonny Jay

The early season ice is now paying dividends because, along with some late March storms, it has produced some excellent spring skiing at Jay. Unfortunately it was a work weekend for us but we got down Sunday night to ski on Easter Monday – Buckaroo Soo still in broken femur recovery mode - progressing slowly but surely.

Apparently Sunday was an extraordinary spring ski day and the weekend saw tailgate parties and lots of fun. Monday morning looked like it might rain but I was determined to get a few runs in. Well by noon the sun was out with blue sky and an open mountain with handful of skiers/riders. We topped it off with lunch at the Tower Bar. Conditions were superb. Even Timbuktu was in fine form, Upper Milk still skiable and fun, CanAm fully covered, etc, etc.

If the rain holds off we should be good for a few more weeks, so drop the garden shears and get at it.

Vulcanized: powder, people and pain at Jay Peak.

Let me tell you a story: it was THIS deep...

 There was a lot of hype and anticipation for a winter storm called Vulcan that cruised through New England last week. Living at a distance, I had booked the time off before the forecasters freaked out, and consider myself lucky to have experienced it. And what an experience it was - from the drive down, to the skiing, to the après, to the unfortunate accident that ended our weekend, and one person's season, it was an action-packed few days at Jay Peak.

So, why are we driving through this again? Oh, yes, to go skiing, of course!

Let's start with the drive, something many Jay Peak visitors endure, and few locals truly appreciate. On a good day, I can travel from SBRHQ to the JJ Clubhouse in 7.5 hours. On a bad day - who knows, you might get diverted and spend the night in Cornwall. But not this time: with the dog as my co-pilot, and the valiant Snowbaru providing the ride, we headed into the maelstrom. With wind ripping snow across the flatlands of Ontario and Quebec, the roads were swept clean (mostly) but visibility was a bit of an issue. Once I hit the tree-lined back roads of northern Vermont, I started to realize just how much snow was actually sticking to the ground. I knew that Thursday would be a good day and was glad I hit the road in the late morning, and arrived in the early evening.

An on-map glade, late Thursday morning. Still plenty for everyone.

Thursday, March 13, was destined to be a day to remember for east coast skiers. From Magic to Middlebury, Wildcat to Whiteface, Stowe to Saddleback, it was a "powder day" of some sort. I use quotes because, depending who you talk to (or which ski report your read!), the definition of  powder seems to vary. For some it is fluffy, loose "blower" snow only, for others, well, if it is untracked and deeper than your bindings, it is a powder day. I would put Jay Peak on Thursday, March 13, as solidly in between. While there was LOTS of snow, it was well distributed by the incredible wind, so runs could be lovely cream-cheese goodness, obstacle courses of intermittent waist-deep drifts, filled-in surprises, or wind-scoured hellholes. Fortunately, the latter was the exception and wonderfully interesting skiing was the order of the day.

Not so thin thin cover on NWP.

My "run of the day" had to be Northwest Passage, a quirky little pitch not often in condition. Heeding beta gleaned in the bar the night before, I was heading to North Glade but decided to stop and survey the upper entrance to NWP. Often a siren's call leading skiers to a gnarly rock garden, it occurred to me that, today, of all days, it had to be good. And it was. The five tracks ahead left ample room for untracked turns and, upon reaching the steep part, I discovered that the relentless wind and continuing snow had filled everything in. Even the shark teeth on skier's left were navigable. Zip, zam, zowie and swoosh, off we go!

Ooops. Hit a surprise drift, double eject, sitting on my ass, might as well snap a photo.

A rabbit hole on Tramside. Watch out for the spike.

The crowds were out in force that day, due to a winning combination of Jay Peak powder frenzy and March Break madness. Despite the interesting people I was meeting on the chairlifts, the number of people on the hill finally got to be a drag. All the reliable glades were tracked up and busy. The Jet shut down with a mechanical problem at 11:30 and the Tram was on wind hold. I called it a day by 2 pm and headed up to Jay Pass for a short tour. What a contrast! Only a few cars were parked in the upper lot, so I chatted with a random snowboarder, and with a stuck truck providing entertainment, geared up for the trek on the Catamount Trail and into the woods. Being kind of pooped from the morning's activity, plus the fact that I was solo and nobody on the planet knew where I was, I kept the tour mellow and easy. The wind-packed cold snow in the upper glades was slow, and even with 112 mm skis underfoot, I had no trouble keeping speed under control. A fine end to a great day.

A little unexpected activity on the 242.

Up we go. Damn post-holing snowshoer!

Untracked up high, not far from the madding crowd.

On Friday, I was joined by Jonny Jay and his darling companion, the DC. I did, however, forget my camera, so have no photographic record of that day. Temperatures had warmed up a tad, the wind moderated a little bit, and the crowd increased considerably. With the Jet still closed in the morning, both the Bonnie and Freezer had the longest lines I had seen in a long time. The Tram line was ridiculous. Hardy folks were hiking to the summit from the top of the Flyer, even though the Tram was running. We don't do hardy, so stuck to the lifts.

Maybe we should take up hiking.

The overnight wind had refreshed many trails, and some (like JFK) were much improved over the day before. We enjoyed two back-to-back stellar runs in Beaver Pond before coffee break, which given the popularity of that glade, was, frankly, a bit surprising. After lunch, the DC headed over to the Taiga Spa for a massage, a gift from JJ, but the boys kept skiing. The Jet had re-opened, so we headed over, only to observe another monstrous line-up. Ahh, the joys of skiing during March Break! After some discussion of what to ski, we headed for Timbuktu and found fantastic conditions. Our legs were done by the time we got to the bottom, so we cruised over to the Bonnie and decided to have last run down the Can-Am. After Jonny Jay escaped the ranting and raving of a very tightly-wound 12 year old in the lift line, we inspected the run of choice from the lift and decided that it looked pretty good. Approaching the top, I observed that the wind had shifted and was now howling UP the Northway. Well, that settles it, we are definitely headed downwind! But you can't see the Can Am rollover from the chair, and you couldn't really see the ground due to the wind-driven snow. Feeling a bit like Antarctic explorers, we headed downhill. I stopped to assess the situation, but as usual, Jonny Jay cruised right by, confident as ever, and I got to observe his well-controlled sideslip into oblivion, snickering a little, as only a little brother can. Fortunately, he did finally hit a snow patch, and after a few scratchy turns, I joined him on the excellent snow below. Another fine end to a good day, capped off by a beer in the Bullwheel Bar, something we Clubhouse-dwellers rarely indulge in.

Traffic snarl at 8:55 AM. Yikes.

Saturday was a different kind of day. It started off well, though the crowd level went up another notch or three. We started a little slow that morning, and pulled into Stateside around 9 am. I think we snagged the last parking spot in the main lot. Later, we heard that cars were being towed from any no-parking zone, which would be a really crappy way to end a ski day: "Dude, where's my car?" But there are crappier ways to end a ski day. After a few pleasant runs and a nice break at Tramside, JJ, DC and I were heading over to the Bonnie for a last run before lunch. In the tail end of Buckaroo Banzai, below Taxi and just above where the glade exits onto Lower Can-Am, the DC simply zigged when she should have zagged, with excruciatingly painful consequences. As in, a broken leg. JJ stayed with her while I skied down to alert the ski patrol, not far away. This is why tree skiing in groups of three is a good idea. It is a weird feeling, skiing as fast as you can, but not wanting to have an accident yourself, through the people out there having fun, knowing that someone dear to you is in severe distress and needs help. The Jay Peak Ski Patrol were fantastic, getting her off the hill securely and safely, into the waiting ambulance. Great care continued at the North Country Hospital in Newport, VT, where the doctors announced that she would need surgery, and, well, we don't do that here. So, the doctor's orders were a cross-border trip in another ambulance, off to Montreal General. Jonny Jay had the presence of mind to ask if she might need her passport. Hmmm. Anyway, we bolted back to the Clubhouse so he could get the passport, and I could get organized for the long drive home. Moral of the story? All you Canadians skiing at JPR - have travel insurance! Thankfully, JJ did.

Not the view you want at the end of the day.

So the DC rests at home, with a titanium rod in her leg, mending slowly. Heal well, my friend, and we will see you on the slopes next season.

A mid-winter Jay Peak update from Jonny Jay

Mid-winter you say? Yes, I believe the best is yet to come. Things are shaping up well for epic March conditions, if that big storm would just materialize....

Jonny Jay reports after an expended sojourn at the mountain:

The last ten days have probably been the best of the season for consistent variable powder, packed powder and some afternoon scrape just to keep one honest! Glade runs were in great condition although, as always, another dump of snow would help the whole mountain.

Can-Am went from superb (as long as you avoided the shiny ice patches) to very slick at the top a scant hour later - as a few members of the group discovered after I told them how good it was – oops! Always good to challenge yourself . . . Power Line was a treat as usual, full of surprises and lots of good turns.

Oh – and the sun came out.

See you all at the mountain.

Jonny Jay

Skiing the Big Chill (AKA Polar Vortex) and loving it

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."

According to the Internet, it may have been a Norwegian who coined this phrase. No matter. Norwegians, in my experience, are somewhat loony and would certainly embrace the experience of skiing at Jay Peak in the throes of the Vortex and the dismal northern dregs of winter storm "Hercules." Embracing our inner Norwegians, we dressed for the weather and embraced some classic Jay conditions during the first days of 2014.

Clear and frosty at the top of the Montrealer.

As usual, many members of the Jonny Jay Ski Club gathered at Jay Peak over the Christmas and New Year's holiday. The weather was all over the place, ultimately laying waste to the fine start to the season enjoyed by those lucky enough to ski before Christmas. Reports were contradictory: BBP was awesome, or BBP was awful; Valhalla was "not awful" - that sort of thing. I arrived at the end of the holidays, just in time for the deep freeze and some surprisingly fun skiing.

The marked path through the snowmaker's ice fog

Day one found Jonny Jay, yours truly and the two nephews enjoying some quality bonding time. JJ and I are actually great uncles to these lads but since it tweaks our vanity to admit it, we simply call them "the nephews." No pictures were taken due to technical difficulties but a good time was had by all. The surprise of the day was Timbuktu, which skied very nicely given the snow levels. But we won't talk of Kitzbuhel, which was definitely having an off day. The Kitz has its moments but that was not one of them. Oh well, if you want to know what conditions are really like, there is only one way to find out.

Snowmakers manage to fashion a mound of snow that resembles the classic profile of Jay Peak.

On day two, only my sister-in-law and I would ski, a very rare event. The fact that Friday, Jan. 3, was the coldest day so far made it even more special. My car registered -22 C in the parking lot, so it could only be colder on the hill. We had a great day, complaining about the temperatures but enjoying the snow, which was really nice. The day started off well with a first run down Goat to Buckaroo and a little fresh snow in that glade. We adopted a "two runs and take a break" schedule due to the extreme cold. After four runs, it was time for a long lunch at Howie's, the new eatery at the new Stateside Lodge. For a crew used to sitting in the old Stateside  "locker room," eating white bread sandwiches and "crisps," this was quite a shift. The service was cheerful, the chowder outstanding and my sandwich very tasty. All of which made heading out again into the deep freeze a little less daunting. Surprising the nay-sayers, we lasted until 3 pm, when both the sun and the mercury started to dip below the horizon.

Nice view from the lunch table!

 Jonny Jay joined us for somewhat warmer (or at least less cold) day three, a Saturday. Ushering in the balmier (only -15 C) was our old friend the wind, which, along with the extra people a weekend brings, scoured many exposed areas. With the Freezer being open, we ventured over to that side and even found some nice snow in Beaver Pond. You just had to ski where the snow was, a lesson learned the hard way at the top of the Northway. While I was enjoying a few inches of windblown ice crystals on the left edge, those sticking to the middle were rewarded with a surface worthy of the Ice Haus.

JJ inspects Can Am

 Besides the cold, the topic of the week (of course) was the new Stateside Lodge. Even with experienced guides, my first day using it was a bit confusing. By the second day, I had the lay of land sorted out, and a few mysteries solved (like, who was Howie, and what vintage is the bus?). There are pros and cons. I have to say, the 54 stairs up from the parking lot are a bit daunting. The inside stairs - very ski boot friendly. And the cubbies are nice. Though there could be a few more hooks. And the bar? What a concept! The jury is still out on the bowling alley effect between the ski racks and the two lifts, and, just like at Tramside,  people are already leaving their skis at the top of the pitch. Is it different? Absolutely. Is it better? In some ways. Did the architect make some mistakes? Let's have a beer at The Bullwheel and talk about it. I could go on but what's done is done, and when it all boils down, buildings are just places to park your stuff. We really just come for the skiing and the people, don't we?

No visit to Montgomery would be complete without paying respects to Don and Frosty.

And then there is the long drive home...