Trail work update for Jay Peak

I may have to put JPTracker on the RJPSR payroll. The guy has a knack for finding things out. Here is a recent post from the AlpineZone Jay Peak development thread:

Jay has submitted their ACT 250 permit application for trail improvements for this summer. They include:

1) Andre's Paradise - The exit trail at the bottom is going to be double in length giving easier access to more terrain. No changes to the entrance or actual glade as promised.

2) Alligator Alley / Goat intersection - Will be regraded

3) Taxi - Some of the breakovers into the woods will be cleaned up.

4) Haynes - Part of the upper trail will be widened.

Details can be seen here.

The permit is also for the relocation of the power line. It will be going up Lift Line and Can Am.

 It is worth looking at the map linked above. It show detailed contours of the hill and indicates the various work areas.

As I commented on AZ, #s 2 and 3 seem like no-brainers. Personally, I don't see any reason why the Haynes Glacier needs to be any wider than it is (I have been since informed that it will enable the Haynes to meet FIS requirements). The AP exit extension is interesting - could have negative repercussions if it tempts more people to go "Beyond Beyond" and they still miss the exit trail.

 AP and Goat work areas. Too bad they put the info box over the most interesting contour lines.

Meanwhile, it is a balmy 30 degrees C at SBR HQ. That's degrees 86 F to you non-Metric readers. Hot, hot, hot either way and way hotter in many other places, including Vermont.

Here's a little shot to help you cool cool off.  March 2011, taken somewhere in Andre's Paradise. Matt surveys the snowy scene:

Is Jay Peak becoming McSkiing?

Got your attention, didn't I?

So, what is the answer? Personally, I don't think so, although I'm sure some Jay Peak regulars will disagree. I'm not sure who coined the term "McSkiing" but it is well described in The Death of McSkiing, by former Powder magazine editor Matt Hansen. In short, McSkiing is the situation a resort finds itself in when real estate, amenities, fashion and money take centre stage, and the skiing experience slides into the background.

What is going on at Jay Peak is small change compared to the developments Hansen describes at mega-resorts like Vail, Steamboat and Vermont's own Stowe. These struggling developments, and rescued projects like the Yellowstone Club, only serve to underline the one thing Jay Peak is still keeping at the top of the agenda: the skier.

Editor's note: I wrote this a while ago, just found it again. I'm not sure why I didn't post it earlier but now seems like a good time.

The Steve Wright interview on Harvey Road

Just when you had breathed a sigh of relief that I had stopped blabbing about the Northeast Ski Blogger Summit, here is one more installment. JamesDeluxe spent time chatting with Jay Peak marketing guy Steve Wright before, during and after the NSBS. The end result is full of interesting insights into why things are the way they are at Jay, and where things are going. Click the link for the full story:
http://www.nyskiblog.com/2011/05/steve-wright-of-jay-peak-resort.html

Steve W listens as Snoway Steve asks a tough question. MadPat and Matt look on.

How Jay Peak ended the season

Correct me if I'm wrong but late spring skiing in Vermont is really for the locals. Commuter skiers like me are highly unlikely to get in car and drive seven hours to ski on one lift and two runs. All the more reason to give Jay lots of credit for keeping the Jet Triple running right up until there was no point in skiing anymore, and then some.

This Tweet from today, dug up by my more tech-savvy sources over at Harvey Road, pretty much sums it up:

And more so, kudos to the "one guy" for getting out there and skiing by himself in the pouring rain on the last day of lift-served skiing in New England for the 2010/2011 ski season.

A unique perspective on Jay Peak

I know, I know, you are not supposed to create web content that drives people away from your site. In this case, my loyal readers, it is worth it. Over on Harvey Road, a web site allegedly dedicated to ski news from New York State, some trip reports have emerged focusing on none other than Jay Peak, Vermont. And these aren't just your average "hey, I went to Jay last weekend" kind of trip reports. No, these reports are by Laszlo Vatjay, owner of Plattekill Mountain, nestled in the western Catskills of New York. Do you remember when Powder Magazine had a feature called "Little areas that rock?" I don't recall if Plattekill made it to Powder mag but from what I hear, it should have. Like Jay, Plattekill has steep, challenging terrain, lots of snow, a friendly vibe and a dedicated posse of core skiers. Unlike Jay, it is off the radar for many eastern skiers. So when the ski area owner decides to take a ski holiday with his family, where does he go? To Jay Peak, of course!

Here are links to Laszlo's insightful, funny and entertaining reports of his family's stay at Jay the week before Easter:

Episode One, in which Laszlo arrives, and gets the lay of the land:
http://www.nyskiblog.com/2011/04/laszlo-at-jay-peak.html

Episode Two, in which Laszlo experiences a "Welcome to Jay Peak" kind of day, retreats to the Ice Haus and comments on the development situation. All from his cell phone:
http://www.nyskiblog.com/2011/04/jay-peak-vt-42111.html

Episode Three, in which Laszlo has better weather, enjoys the great snow, meets some friends and reflects on the Jay Peak experience:
http://www.nyskiblog.com/2011/04/jay-peak-vt-42211.html

A weekend of classic spring skiing at Jay Peak

Sometimes it is hard to believe you are going skiing.

Sometimes you just hit the nail on the on head.

A little air underneath the Aerial Tramway.

Pudd and SBR left their respective hideouts in the Hinterland and headed towards Vermont last Thursday, each thinking that things were looking very promising. The stars had definitely lined up: lots of snow in general; fresh snow earlier in the week; a stellar weather forecast of sunshine and warm (but not too warm) temperatures and the fact that most people have given up on skiing and were staying at home doing yard work. For us, and the rest of the lucky souls at Jay last weekend, yard work could wait.

What is it about spring skiing? For easterners, at least, I think it is the combination of being released from the death grip of winter with the fact that we can still ski. Conditions are very forgiving. Mellow, even. Everyone is relaxed, you can drink a beer on the deck afterwards, the people watching is highly entertaining and for some reason, many skiers feel compelled to wear funny hats, shorts and even t-shirts on a day that really requires a jacket and helmet. People that ski once a year come out of the woodwork with ancient equipment. Tailgate parties develop at the base of the lift and elsewhere. Lawn chairs appear in the parking lot. Everyone is having a great day. Half the people on the hill are probably impaired, one way or another (except for Sunday morning, when half the people on the hill are probably hung over). Very often, skiers will put up with pretty marginal conditions to enjoy this sacred rite. Not this time. Jay Peak delivered, with full coverage, no closed trails and amazing conditions. We skied places you don't often get to ski in early April: Green Beret; Valhalla; Powerline; Northwest Passage; Andre's Paradise and and more. On Friday, conditions were even a bit "wintry" and we found patches of powder in the woods.

Pudd enjoys fresh tracks, in the woods, in April.

Perhaps the weekend can be best summed up by a random encounter we had on the Tram on Sunday. Knowing that we both had to leave by noon, Pudd and I arrived at the hill early and were ticking off our favourite runs to store in the ski memory bank over the summer. We took a chance and headed for the Tram lineup, on Pudd's estimate that we would make the next ride. Well, we did but I was the last one through the turnstile, and only because I pointed at Pudd and said "I'm with him!" Being last on a Tram is rare and the best part is that it means you are first off. No need to dawdle and wait for the crowd to disperse, especially on this day when everybody else was bound to lollygag at the summit taking pictures. So there we were, minding our own business, when the young man beside me started quizzing me about my Prophet 100s. We shall call him Shogun Guy, because that was what he was skiing on. Long story short, it was clear that he and his quiet friend were completely stoked (as in: off the meter) about being at Jay Peak this weekend. After getting a great deal on a condo, they had driven the eight hours from New Jersey, past their beloved Plattekill, to ski at Jay. He listed the runs they had done so far, told me how his skis performed forwards and backwards, all the while giving us the impression that he had quickly consumed four or five Red Bulls and was just starting to peak. Needless to say, we followed them down the Vermonter, the four of us ahead of everybody else. Seeing them resting at the Green Beret junction, I stopped as well, and looked uphill to observe Pudd straightline the pitch above, launch a full Todd Brooker move off the lip and ski it out at Mach 10. I didn't have to check if Shogun Guy was watching, because all I could hear was a full-on Red Bull-infused bellow of appreciation:

"NOOIIIIIIIIICCCE!!!!!!!!!"

Nice it was. So long Jay Peak, see you next season.

More air on Green Beret.

Pudd sticks a Jonny Jay Jet Turn in Valhalla.

You have to like the first chair feeling...

The Lord of Powder revels with the minions looking on through the window.

Conditions are perfect on NWP.

Let the spring celebrations begin!

Rock on buddy: Olin Mark IVs, Burt bindings, safety straps, Lange XRs and awesome toque.

A very appropriate spring-skiingmobile.

Pudd bids adieu to Jay Peak for another season.

Happy first birthday, new ACL...

April 2, 2010

April 2, 2011

 

Which was preceded by some earned turns:

It's been a great winter, with lots of skiing at Jay Peak and elsewhere. And it is not over yet.