A low-key visit to Jay Peak - March 2025

It is no secret that Canadians are a little pissed at the US of A right now. That said, last weekend I took a chance, headed for the border and landed in Vermont for the weekend. It could be the 11th province, dontcha know. Easiest border crossing ever - do they really care?

Conditions were fine at Jay Peak on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Sun, spring snow and good company were available in abundance, although Sunday was a little cloudy. Friday was a bluebird day with nice snow and moderate crowds, while Saturday offered a ridiculous crowd, with the tram on wind hold (second busiest day of the season, according to Steve Wright, the GM) but everyone was in a good mood. Sunday was surprisingly quiet and the clouds kept the snow in good condition

 We skied all over the place. The glades were a bit sketchy overall, though the Green Beret did have a good run in Timbuktu. The usual groomer runs were fine and natural snow runs like Upper and Lower Milk Run, the Derrick Hot Shot and others were in good form. My personal favourite of the weekend were JFK, the Derrick, Haynes and Ullr's, with with Lower Powerline (aka Mickey) coming in a close second.

 Twas a fine weekend of family bonding, wine drinking and great skiing. Let's hope that this kind of cross-border shopping will continue.

 

 

 

JJ goes off-piste

 The second installment, as promised:

Bluebird day at Jay today with sunshine and temps above zero. Hit Beaver Pond this morning as promised and it was bumps in the trees with the moguls having a scrapey downside and powder on the other. Another challenge! Andre's was better and managed a few proper turns in a bit of powder from time to time. Ullr's was pretty good except for the pitch which was a cluster---- of people who weren't too familiar with HARD surface skiing. Met up with S again who reported good conditions on Village Chair and again her favourite Deer Run, and then I went to Stateside. 

 

Timbuktu into Corona thinking there might be more snow. Pretty good but again skied-out overall and you had to be on your guard for the occasional icy patch. Derrick after that which was slick and fun. Montrealer to home. It is Presidents Week with half the state of Massachussetts here because the schools have the week off.

 

Going to live it up and have a drink at the Black Lantern!

JJ & S

A real snow report from Johnny Jay!

 This just in, from those on the ground:

Well, just to provide the real Jay Peak snow report: No three feet of snow in the village but I guess the mountain might have gotten that except that it was on top of a pretty meagre base. It was snowing today and cold. The freshie still on the sides (8-10") was very light and fluffy but the groomers were showing some slick spots. After a few runs with S, who reported some nice turns on Deer Run (better than Interstate or Queens Hwy), I was feeling adventurous so went up the Flyer. After my buddy on the lift reported that Beaver Pond was skied-out, I decided on the old standby of River Kwai or Powerline. On my way towards the top of the Bonnie I figured Powerline -- oops 601 to Mickey -- was a better bet. Packed snow with lots of rock and scrapey moguls. Hard work but in the end the masochist in me enjoyed it. But I am glad I was alone because there were many breaks! Mickey was a 5 out of 10. Anyhoo, it was nice to see the mountain finally 99.9% open (mid Northwest passage closed). 

 Tomorrow I will venture off-piste and provide a glade report.

- Johnny  Jay

In case anyone feels like they're missing out...

 Happy New Year! SBR here, and while I'm not in Vermont, some other members of the JJSC are, and dutifully taking one for the team during the Christmas Week excitement. Throckmorton checked in with a brief report on his outing yesterday with Jonny Jay (click on an image to enlarge):

 

The real JP snow report...

Picture of the people doesn't really do it justice but that's the only route available from the Bonnie.

 

When we left the hill it was snowing so, may get some dust on boiler plate tomorrow!

 

Not much coverage at The Clubhouse!

Don't go there!

JJ broke out the classic Salomon Screams for the occasion.

Looks nice in the picture!

 

:

Hello! We've been quiet but there is some news.

Well, that pesky pandemic precluded visits to Jay Peak but we are gearing up for a return in the 23/24 season, Meanwhile, there is some big news:

Skilinda and Doogski are selling their beloved house in Montgomery village, VT. Cool and funky house, 15-ish minute drive from Stateside parking at Jay Peak, 30 second walk from trout stream, sleeps many, could be great full-time residence or seasonal house:  

https://s.paragonrels.com/goto/F74mo5

Powder day at Jay!

 Jonny Jay sent this report earlier today:

You can still see untracked snow on the Haynes and Jet. About 10" of new snow on top of a fortunately packed dump from yesterday with still some hard crust exposing itself in windswept areas -- like the famous Goat. Skiing was great where I was but the tracked powder gets tougher as we get older! Lots of snow in the glades.

 

 

Talk about "Raised Jay"

While your humble editor is stuck here in Ontario (where it is not so bad, really), other members of the JJSC  are enjoying some pretty nice conditions. Here's my oldest sister Sklinda, who just turned 80, skiing with her son Pudd and his wife CB. In terms of Jay peak skiing experience, I'd guesstimate somewhere in the 120+ year range with those three. 

 

 

Jonny Jay takes a day off

 These "working from home" guys have it made. Jonny Jay sends an update from today:

I am taking the day off today -- skied enough cold weather already! Pudd has gone up but tomorrow is supposed to be a lot warmer and also the rest of the week. Pudd actually got frostbite on his face yesterday. We hiked over to JFK and had a fun run. Pudd did the Kwai after I went home and reported it to be quite sketchy.

Hello, hello, anybody out there? We're back at Jay!

Well, some of us at least. 

Long time no blog! As you know, there have some factors complicating Canadian visits to the United States. But a few members of the Jonny Jay Ski Club have ventured down since November, cleaned out the mouse poop from the Clubhouses, fixed the multitude of plumbing leaks and even ventured out the the mountain. Here is Jonny Jay's report from today, he was skiing with his big sister Sklinda:

Went with Sklinda today -- she was a bit nervous being 80 and not having skied since 2020. Perfect lower mountain day with fresh snow on hardpack, she did well and gained confidence. A wee bit of sun and about 5 inches of freshie. We did four big runs on Taxi and Village chair then Sklinda did one on the Snail to Perry Merrill and I went up the Flyer. Still thin coverage up there with Green Mtn Boys and Alligator Alley closed, for example. Was thinking of doing something challenging but, I only had one run so did Northway to Upper Milk and then Whole Milk! 

Lower Milk wasn't open at Christmas week. Milk was very good and fun with no one on it and still some fresh snow although the hard under surface isn't far away. Supposed to be big snow coming which is desperately needed to fill in the holes. 

 But the big news is that it seems like they have finally recognized the big mistake in not having outside seating at Stateside and have now erected a firepit at the exit of Howie's towards the ski patrol area. There are about six chairs around it and a small pergola/gazebo affair.  Maybe it is temporary just for Covid times??? Anyway will get a pic next time I am up.

Gotta love the fact that our big sister is still shredding at 80. Of course, the rest of us aren't far behind.

Taking "Raised Jay" to the physical level.

I don't need to tell you that the COVID times are strange and weird. There is a lot of uncertainty about the upcoming VT ski season for we Canadians and the temptation of keeping the border closed so we can go heli-sking at half price is pretty high. Not really. It is still very expensive. 

Despite all that, some of are keeping the stoke fired up, and Grampa Grindbar, AKA my great-nephew Jason, is among them. He has decided to celebrate his "raised-Jay" heritage in a permanent way. See image and unexpurgated story below.

By Grampa Grindbar

 

As both a proud Jay Peak Alumni and also Sous Chef a tattoo of something Jay was all but inevitable. On the tattoo side the idea's been kicking arround my brain for several years now but only putting serious thought into it for the last 4-5 months. Perhaps I was subconciously waiting until I became the Sous Chef seeing how most people in my position have more tattoo than skin. Originally I was thinking more on the cook side for my first tattoo but nothing seemed to fit right. Then I started thinking skiing, more and more that started to make sense and I was thinking about what that would end up being. Started as getting my current skis but current era graphics are lame and that didn't seem right. Then i thought about getting my K2 Revivals seeing how I ski'd those for the better part of a decade and would still to this day if I still bombed down Jay. Then finally I landed on jay peak itself. 

 

I started thinking about getting the logo since it's easy to execute, and very meaningful to me and realistically the family as well. Then it became a question of if that was all I would get. Strong contenders went to the logo with "raise em Jay" written around it, Also Laura found a company that did stylised trail maps (I might have done that if it had been very obviously Jay, most likely I would have gotten thousands of questions as to why there were so many lines on my back.) Then came when I would do it. As it turns out never.

 

It took me taking a week off while my friend Josh came over to visit. As we roamed the streets of Victoria he pointed out a cool looking tattoo shop, I (jokingly) asked if they did walk ins, he looked closer and said they in fact did, so knowing I would never do it if I didn't just go in we went in the shop. We went up to the counter, showed them what I wanted done and where and in about an hour I officially became a walkling billboard for the raise em Jay lifestyle. As I write this i still wonder if I should've gotten raise em Jay written on me too. 

 

Before i got in the chair I texted my brother saying I was going to do it, he thought i meant i was making an appointment saying I should get it in the green and blue then was surprised when i texted back saying I did and it hurt. Seeing how most people reading this are my un-tattoo'd family members I will say the first 2 minutes hurt, then it became a nagging annoyance pain. Then 2 days later came the gross part when it started flaking and I was shaking green and blue skin out of my shirt.

 

As with everyone else who gets tattoo'd now I want more and will take suggestions, that said no im not going to get a headshot of Donny on my chest. Stay tuned for when I take the title of Johnny Jay after these alleged Greek trials that are on the way take place.

 

Happy Skiing

 

Johnny Jay Jr/ J-rock/Grampa Grindbar/ Rockpile

Closing day 2020 at Jay Peak

by Jonny Jay

 

Well I had to go, today being the last day before Covid 19 invades Jay. Got there about 9:30 with lots of parking. Didn't see any other vehicle from Quebec and only a few Ontario plates. Very weird. Anyway then I look up and see that the Jet isn't running nor is the Bonnie -- good coverage still but it rained yesterday and now it is cold so they shut it down! Just my luck, the day we are here and no one else is allowed in! I did a run on each of the open chairs -- Taxi quad, Snail and Village, emptied the locker, and was home by 11. Conditions were good as it had  been groomed and nobody there but the edges were very firm and uninviting. 

So I kept looking for a sign about the closure (there is a good letter from Steve Wright on the website) but there was not a sign anywhere on the mountain or lodge. So at the end, before I emptied the locker, I checked in with Stateside ticket staff to see if the mountain really was to be closed for the season. The answer was yes so I suggested that a sign on the ticket window might help those who don't check the Jay website every few hours. "Oh that would be a lot of signs and we only made the decision yesterday." Then I suggested that a marker pen and some paper might work but decided to give up as it was too much for the millenial . . .

 

Supposed to get colder and maybe even some new snow -- probably be an awesome spring!

A birthday Family Day at Jay.

Dear Reader, I hope you've figured out that this blog does not support the timeliest of reporting.

JJ and the Green Beret disappearing down the Haynes.

 Sometimes, you go skiing because of the snow, and sometimes you go skiing because of the people you get to ski with. Sometimes you go for both. This was the case on Valentine's Day weekend at Jay Peak. Jonny Jay was having a special birthday and some Ontario residents of our clan took advantage of the Family Day holiday to make the trek to Jay Peak.

One of the really special guests was the Green Beret, who has returned to the east from his sojourn in the Rockies. This weekend, he was finally able to make a return to Jay Peak and ski with the family. This young man was truly "Raised Jay,"and it was real pleasure to ski with him and his dad again. And try to keep up!

Needless to say, there was a birthday party apres-ski, but I can't say much about that other than that the food was fantastic, excellent gifts were presented, a certain kind of entertainment was provided, speeches were made and that there was alcohol involved. But I can say this. Jonny Jay gave himself a present that no-one was expecting: a new jacket! After 27 years of skiing in his now-very-faded Helly-Hansen shell, he went shopping all on his and revealed a fancy new Spyder coat at the party. Wonders will never cease and the collective gasp was probably heard in Newport.

Who is that guy in the black and grey coat?

Jay Peak is back in action.

Bonnie lift operator Michael Pfaff addresses his loyal followers. Photo by Tim Fater, lifted off the JPR Facebook page.

Well, the mountain is back! 

After a good foot of snow over the last few days, following snow last week, everything opened up with skiers on the Face, Canam etc.

Temps of  -20 Celsius this morning but since we had played hooky we ventured up , and lo and behold the sun came out and a bluebird day was the result. Yesterday we left early and got behind stopped cars at the top of the 242 hill so we waited about 15 minutes to get by. Temps kept the on hill traffic down and conditions were great with groomed groomers (big deal at Jay) and lots of snow in the woods ( a few stumps and ditches with the lack of base).

 

Let's hope the thaws are behind us and the snow will only get better for the rest of the year.

 

by Jonny Jay

First day at Jay for Jonny Jay: the 2019/2020 season begins

By Jonny Jay

Sunday December 1 at Jay was hard and fast. The two+ feet of the week before had softened with rain and then frozen, but I still had to hit the slopes as the sun was out and early season guilt was setting in. First outing for the year, so lugged the gear to the locker and checked the trail guide which stated that only two runs were open on Stateside, the Jet and Haynes. Anyway no crowds. 

 

First run down Haynes was very slick -- no ice just hardscrabble. The Jet looked better but you really had to be on the skis - saw two toboggans with injured skiers in the short time I was there. No access runs were open to the lodge so had to hike back over, up the stairs at Harvey's and down the others -- good workout for the legs and heart! Saw that the UN was actually open, as well as the Derrick, but reports on both were not positive. Then I bumped into someone at the locker who has stupidly gone down Timbuktu only to report that that was a big mistake and that was his run for the day!

 

All in all, a good time for the first time, lots of base for the winter and they were pounding snow at the bottom. Oh, and the plastic pipe footrest protectors have been replaced on the triple! Wow. . . .

No pics but wouldn't do it justice anyway because the mountain looks great! You would never know it was a bullet-proof surface until you were on it or heard it.

Last day of the season at Jay Peak

Loyal followers of this blog (I know you are out there) will have noticed a dearth of posts this winter. Long story short, life matters prevented some of us from visiting Jay Peak as often as we'd like, and your humble editor never made it there at all. Harrumph.

Fortunately, our stalwart reporter Jonny Jay did make the trek down the last weekend and sends this report and some excellent images:

Warning this might depress you -- or perhaps it will make you feel mellow for a minute! Saturday was dense fog but a very fun surface with a few inches of corn snow on top of the ice sheet. Sunday the sun came up and I was there skis on the mountain before 9:00! Got a little heavy by 10:30 or else my legs were weak . . . People arriving at 11:00 with parking full. Other than the pictured toughies, the Goat and Northway were superb. No one on the Goat because that side of mountain was closed -- lovely cruising.

Wait a minute, they never said anything about this in the Snow Report...

We're thinking the Can Am is done.

Summit ridge, hmmm.

A rare and collectable selfie of JJ. Note the jaunty hat.

The JPSP displays their typical honesty.

Timbuktu looks nice.

Still in Timbuktu.

Kitzbuhel is a little picky.

Bye bye, ski ya next season.

Sad news from Jay Peak

RIP Bruce Charron

 

Tragically at Jay Peak, we have lost a fine man, loyal, full of fun, a good friend and awesome skier. Bruce was a proud family man who lived with passion and pride. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

from Jonny Jay

Bruce at the annual Stateside tailgate party

PFC at Jay Peak

Anyone going to Jay Peak this weekend? Looks like lots of snow and pretty chilly:

Forecast for January 17-21, 2019.

"601 to Micky...601 to Micky..."

Chances are, Micky was here:

March 2015. First tracks.

One of our favourite runs at Jay Peak has a new name. Powerline, once the line of the "red chair" and a power line with guy wires that could decapitate you, is now 601 (the upper part) and Micky (the lower part).

Powerline is one of those special runs at Jay. In our family's Raised Jay traditions, getting the invitation to ski Powerline from an older brother, uncle or even Dad was a real coming-of-age thing. One day you were deemed ready and got the nod. With that under your belt, you could move up to other challenges. It is not the most difficult trail at Jay by any means but it is quirky, off-kilter and challenging, and for some, even the name added to the intimidation factor. 

Thanks to the the ever-vigilant-on-social-media Steve Wright, we learned that "601" was the radio call number of long-time ski patrol director Peg Doheny. Micky is her husband, as in Micky Doheny, the long-time ski school director. When she needed to track him down on the mountain, it was "601 to Micky" over the radio. Out of respect for the couple's long service to Jay Peak and its skiers, it seemed fitting to the powers-that-be to rename one of Micky's favourite runs in their honour.

The new name(s) seemed a bit unusual at first, and even caused a bit of upset in this group of change-resistant skiers. Once we learned the backstory, though, I think we'll come to embrace it. 

I'm told that the new Jay Peak magazine has the full story, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

First and last at Jay Peak

Full coverage, let's ski the Kitz.

A variety of circumstances prevented me from getting to Jay Peak this winter but, finally, in late April, the planets lined up for a road trip. After some frantic packing, I herded the canine into the Snowbaru and hit the road for Vermont to meet up with Jonny Jay.

JJ on the Derick. No snowmaking here.

 Once again, your faithful reporter found himself driving through the snowless flatlands of Ontario, Quebec and northern Vermont on the premise that there was actually snow at Jay Peak. In the end, there was lots of snow for late April, reasonable weather (mostly) and even a tailgate party. All things considered, the wait was worth it. Well, maybe not worth having bronchitis for the first half of the winter. But some fine skiing, surprising snow coverage, a complete lack of lineups, canine entertainment and catching up on brotherly matters all added up to make for a fine long weekend.

Lots of snow in the woods of Timbuktu

Friday offered the best weather but the slowest snow. We made the mistake of going for the normal spring skiing routine: show up late for the softer snow. We should have got there earlier for the firmer snow, oh well. Only the Jet and Taxi chairs were running that day, so a complete exploration of the Jet area proved quite worthwhile. After warming up on the Montealer, we found the Haynes to quite lovely, and were stoked to find full coverage and nice slow moguls on the natural snow of the Derick Hotshot. We even gambled on Lower Milk Run, a family favourite, and found it very skiable except for the sketchy last bit below the Sweetheart cut-off (what is that - Kangaroo?).

Nice cooking platform!

Rain was forecast Saturday but despite some threatening clouds, it never materialized. In fact the day was a nice mix of sun, wind, cooler temperatures (still above freezing) and interesting clouds. The snow was firmer and faster and with the opening of the Bonaventure Chair, more ski options opened up. We skied both Timbuktu and Expo Glades and my ski legs found the snow VERY heavy in there. Jump turns, anyone? Despite that, coverage was impressive for the time of year. Run of the day was probably Kitzbuehel, another natural snow favourite. Soft bumps, one rock sticking out at the top and nary a bare spot. Unbelievable. Lunchtime was a real treat, we enjoyed the generous tailgate hospitality of the Alpine Haven crew, grilled up some burgers, ate pickles, drank beer and actually socialized. In our world, this is a big deal, really.

Two lonely burgers. Things heated up quickly.

Sunday was a bit wet. Really wet, actually. As the ads from the 90s suggested, it was "a great day for Gore-Tex." Or a collectible Jay Peak plastic bag raincoat, take your pick. Despite the precipitation, the skiing was fast and reasonably firm and the hill was empty. How often do you and 25 friends get to have Jay Peak all to yourselves?

Foggy and wet on the Haynes.

I've left out a lot. For me, the Jay experience includes much more than skiing. There is shopping at Sylvester's, chatting with Don (missed that this time), complaining about Jay stuff, walking three deaf dogs, eating, drinking a bit too much, stoking the wood stove and much more. Despite of all the changes and strange goings-on of the last while, the fundamental ski experience at Jay Peak is really like that marketing slogan from a few years ago: Unchangeable.

The indubitably unchangeable Jonny Jay. The bag is collectable.

Firm but fresh at Jay Peak

Jonny Jay reports that the 3-5" of snow that fell on Friday was welcome news and provided a much needed cushion on top of a very crisp surface. Groomers were great in the morning and very fast as the day went on; the gladed trails were much improved, but you had to be on your game as conditions alternated between the untouched "freshie" and the very firm bumps underneath! Thigh-burning but fun. Lots of base still and the cold weather will hopefully ensure good skiing late into April or early May. See you there.

The tailgate weekend is April 28 if you needed an excuse to come to Vermont.