OMG! Someone beat me to it and it's not even snowing.

Dogski, not annoying at all! It's reassuring to see that our humble clan has not forgotten about the JJ blog. I was gearing up for a post tonight and was stoked to see that you were already on top of things.

Well, game on, as Pudd would say.

So, new skis for a couple of us this season...

Throckmorton, through the assistance of the official ski shop, has obtained a pair of Salomon Lords. I have to say that it warmed my heart to see him peeking around the corner when we pulled up to Pudd's house for the after-auction party with the skis stashed in back of the Snowbaru. As I am sure any of us can recall, there is nothing so so exciting in the world of a 16 year old skier as the sight of your first pair of serious skis, purchased with your own money. Rip it up, Throcky. Hopefully you will post a pic of the Lords in some place of honour, waiting for the first turn.

Hey, if someone is going to be a Lord, someone else might as well be the Prophet. SBR may have to change his handle, due to the fact that he is awaiting shipment of a shiny new pair of Line Prophet 100s. Looking forward to ACL reconstruction in the spring of 2010 (oh, didn't you get the memo) SBR was seeking something a little turnier and fatter. The Prophet is it and may be the ideal Jay ski. Extensive Internet research narrowed down the choice between the Prophet 90 and 100, and after much deliberation and consultation, the 172 length was selected. SBR even emailed the Line Ski Company for an opinion and was impressed that resident pro and ski designer Eric Pollard answered his question, agreeing with Pudd and The Green Beret that the 172 would be the way to go. SBR is hoping that he can keep up with these skis and is training in earnest.

Meanwhile, we are waiting for snow and reveling in the fact that the ortho Dr. has recommended lots of strength training prior to surgery. We interpret this as more skiing.

Just to be annoying

Hi all wanted to be the first to add to the JJ blog this ski season. (The season has started because A) it has already snowed at Jay and B) our skis are at the house in Montgomery and C) it feels right. We are planning our first weekend at Jay on Dec 5th assuming it opens. G.O.D.

Our report is better than their report

SBR here, signed in under Blue Toes' account. This is a groundbreaking moment. We're camped out at the JJ clubhouse, blogging away on a poached internet signal.

BT and I have joined JJ and the DC for a a possibly final weekend of skiing at Jay. The drive down was a bit wet. This morning, inquiring minds wanted to know: "What is the snow report?" Snow report, we don't need no snow report: it will be mixed precipitation, machine groomed granular, rain at the bottom, snow at the top." And so it was, fun and fast for the first two runs, then getting wetter and mushier as the day went on. DC joined JJ and SBR for two runs in the am, then left when the rain started in earnest. JJ and SBR then experimented with Valhalla ("picky"), BP (mushy), Exhibition (a little fast) and Haynes (mixed crud). Low visibility, wet and a lot of fun.

All for now - we're off to the Belfry. JJ is tying his boots.

Jonny Jay digs in to the archives for six degrees of separation

As you might imagine, the tragic death of Shane McConkey caused some chatter on the Jonny Jay sno-phone. Turns out that, back in day, Jonny himself went skiing with Jim McConkey, Shane's dad, while Jonny was doing the ski bum thing at Whistler (as it was known then, only as Whistler).

Among other things, Jim ran the ski shop and so was Jonny's boss at Whistler. As a reward for all their hard work that season, he treated his staff to a day of heli skiing on a nearby mountain named Blackcomb Peak. Jim would have been in his mid-forties at the time and Shane possibly just born.

JJ waiting for the heli in super-cool fashion.

JJ, as ever, enjoying the food. Note the classic Trappeur boots. McConkey is behind with the ball hat and camera.

Jim McConkey launches off while everyone else stands around.

Storm Skiing on Jay Peak

I have to concur with the previous blog. New Years Day was probably the closest I will ever get to Everest. The wind was screaming and the ice was hard but I had a great time. The JKF was true eastern skiing.

Pudd

"Run of the Day" on New Year's Day

What a crazy day to go skiing. The car reported that it was -20 C in the parking lot, the hill was reporting 60 MPH winds at the summit, which means the temperature was pushing -40 with wind chill. I had to borrow Max's scarf to avoid frostbite. I can't remember the last time I skied with a scarf. Tram and Freezer both on wind closure. Pudd and I skied in the afternoon and had a blast despite the arctic conditions. The best run was hiking off the Bonaventure chair to go over to JFK. Pudd found a sneak route to avoid the snow-less expanse of the upper JFK. Only at Jay will people hike for groomed hardpack. The run was fresh corduroy, ultra fast, no other skiers. At 2 pm we were the third and fourth set of tracks down JFK. Woo hoo! Then up Snail, down Perry Merrill, up the Bonnie again, do the hike, down Wedelmaster to Ullr's and Beaver Pond, where we found the odd patch of powder.

Tram stair mystery solved

A few points and questions are raised by this picture:

• Will there be a roof? Imagine the grumbling while standing on those stairs exposed the elements. Not to mention the huge potential for wipe-outs induced while climbing snow-covered wooden steps in ski boots.
• Can JJ and the posse handle the change from left to right? Imagine also zooming to catch the end of a tram line, navigating at high speed between the Snail-bound beginners and pizza-toting Wallys exiting the lodge door below.
• These stairs look a lot narrower than the old ones. How will this affect the claustrophobic among us?
• There is a big puddle that forms there. Pudd hopes they thought about that.
  
• And so much for sitting in that corner of the deck.
• Sklinda reports with first-hand information:

  We saw it under construction. If you think the other stairs were steep, these look like a killer! I think we have to wait another year for the washrooms. Must be a part of the new hotel. The amount of money that went underground at the mountain this summer was phenomenal. The drains start half way up the hill to the left of Snail and go down beside the golf course.