Thursday, February 7, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Becoming a Man
I got the chance to go to Jay for 2 days with Grandmom, Grandad and Pudd. I had an amazing two days and I did 8 new runs that I had never done before. Best of all , Timbuktu in the sun and powder. Ill also never forget the tree in kitz woods that both pudd and I thought was a drift and turned out to be pudd's grindbar. It was cold but it didn't matter as the conditions were great. We were joined on the second day by jonny jay, and it was then that I had the privledge of skiing the upper quai. As pudd looked over the edge he described it as "picky" and it was definitely "picky". I survived though and at the bottom it was made official by jonny jay " I had become a man". What young Throckmorton might have seen at the top of the QuaiSBR took this picture last year when conditions were equally "picky" |
Monday, January 28, 2008
Good Weekend At Jay
I had the pleasure of introducing my nephew to the real Jay Peak on the weekend. We went down about 7 runs he had never been on before. These include Kitzwoods, Power Line and Canyon Land to name a few. He also had the pleasure of touring Cat Walk (one of the "lost runs")
There were multiple crashes and smiles. On day two we were joined by the legend... Jonny Jay!
After a long day of skiing powder ,grinding over rocks ,bashing through bush; Jonny looked at the rookie at the top of Buckaroo Bonzai and said, " now you are man"
It was a very moving moment.
Jay had a great recovery from the the thaw of the previous week. Lots of snow
Pudd
There were multiple crashes and smiles. On day two we were joined by the legend... Jonny Jay!
After a long day of skiing powder ,grinding over rocks ,bashing through bush; Jonny looked at the rookie at the top of Buckaroo Bonzai and said, " now you are man"
It was a very moving moment.
Jay had a great recovery from the the thaw of the previous week. Lots of snow
Pudd
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The lost runs of Jay Peak
Telemark Dave, one of our faithful (and perhaps only) non-family readers, recently commented to me that while he enjoyed the last two posts, he was concerned that the Jonny Jay blog was veering off in a decidedly non-Jay direction. Realizing the need to address this, I went and sat in the thinking room and perused this year's Jay Peak magazine (there's fuel for a rant...) for inspiration.
While gazing at the trail map in the magazine, it occurred to me that there are many trails at Jay that are "lost trails." Yes, you can see them on the map, rated green, blue or black and given a number but somehow, over the years, these trails have become forgotten, ignored or even lost their reason for existence. Some lost trails may still get skied regularly but somehow they have lost their original charm and character. Or maybe they have simply disappeared off the trail map, only remembered by those of us old enough to have ridden the Jet T-bar. These trails have been orphaned by lift relocation, the cutting of new runs, expanding old runs, glade development and even the changing tastes of skiers.
Imagine being a first-time visitor to Jay Peak and trying to find some of them. "Hey kids, we haven't skied Catwalk yet, let's try that one!" Pity the hapless intermediate that thinks it might be fun to try Wedelmaster. Good luck finding it!
Here are SBR's picks for the Lost Trails of Jay Peak. Feel free to comment or send me a description of the lost trails in your Jay world.
This is a work in progress. I'll keep updating this post as I have time and new information arrives.
1) St. George's Prayer - #36, rated intermediate
The ultimate lost trail. You couldn't pick a more suitable name for a nice trail that the average skier can't even get to. It turns out that George was a soldier and martyr who died around 303 in Palestine. Few details of his life are known and the best-known story about him is that he rescued a beautiful princess in Libya by killing a dragon. His name appears on a list of "good men, justly remembered, whose good deeds are known only to God."
Among other groups, George is patron saint of the Boy Scouts. This is a good thing, because you'll need the fortitude and perseverance of a Boy Scout to ski this run. Once a popular trail easily accessed off the original Red Chair, SGP is now only used as an out-run for those brave souls who have skied the Face Chutes. I suppose you could hike up to it off the Northway but really, would you?
2) Poma Line - #65, rated intermediate
Someone in this crowd might have ridden the Poma to the top of Jay Peak. I didn't but do have this dim memory of standing in a snow storm, somewhere on the Northway below the Sky Haus, looking at a line of rusting yellow towers (now gone) and wondering "why would they put a lift there?" Maybe this was the first time I questioned the sanity of the Jay management!
3) Catwalk - #17, rated intermediate
This trail seems to have no reason for being there at all. The map tricks you into thinking that Catwalk might be a short cut to somewhere. I don't think so.
4) Supertrail - not on the map
Somewhere under the windblown surface of the Can-Am lives the spirit of Supertrail.
Others to come: JFK, Lower Kitz, Upper Quai....
While gazing at the trail map in the magazine, it occurred to me that there are many trails at Jay that are "lost trails." Yes, you can see them on the map, rated green, blue or black and given a number but somehow, over the years, these trails have become forgotten, ignored or even lost their reason for existence. Some lost trails may still get skied regularly but somehow they have lost their original charm and character. Or maybe they have simply disappeared off the trail map, only remembered by those of us old enough to have ridden the Jet T-bar. These trails have been orphaned by lift relocation, the cutting of new runs, expanding old runs, glade development and even the changing tastes of skiers.
Imagine being a first-time visitor to Jay Peak and trying to find some of them. "Hey kids, we haven't skied Catwalk yet, let's try that one!" Pity the hapless intermediate that thinks it might be fun to try Wedelmaster. Good luck finding it!
Here are SBR's picks for the Lost Trails of Jay Peak. Feel free to comment or send me a description of the lost trails in your Jay world.
This is a work in progress. I'll keep updating this post as I have time and new information arrives.
1) St. George's Prayer - #36, rated intermediate
The ultimate lost trail. You couldn't pick a more suitable name for a nice trail that the average skier can't even get to. It turns out that George was a soldier and martyr who died around 303 in Palestine. Few details of his life are known and the best-known story about him is that he rescued a beautiful princess in Libya by killing a dragon. His name appears on a list of "good men, justly remembered, whose good deeds are known only to God."
Among other groups, George is patron saint of the Boy Scouts. This is a good thing, because you'll need the fortitude and perseverance of a Boy Scout to ski this run. Once a popular trail easily accessed off the original Red Chair, SGP is now only used as an out-run for those brave souls who have skied the Face Chutes. I suppose you could hike up to it off the Northway but really, would you?
2) Poma Line - #65, rated intermediate
Someone in this crowd might have ridden the Poma to the top of Jay Peak. I didn't but do have this dim memory of standing in a snow storm, somewhere on the Northway below the Sky Haus, looking at a line of rusting yellow towers (now gone) and wondering "why would they put a lift there?" Maybe this was the first time I questioned the sanity of the Jay management!
3) Catwalk - #17, rated intermediate
This trail seems to have no reason for being there at all. The map tricks you into thinking that Catwalk might be a short cut to somewhere. I don't think so.
4) Supertrail - not on the map
Somewhere under the windblown surface of the Can-Am lives the spirit of Supertrail.
Others to come: JFK, Lower Kitz, Upper Quai....
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Yin, yang and yoyo skiing
The Green Beret has a tough life. He called the other day (on the toll-free # of course, in true dirtbag style), reporting that it was his day off and he couldn’t decide whether to go skiing or not. Quel dommage! On my day off I have to decide what other things won’t get done if I do go skiing. For example, yesterday, I thought I could go skiing AND get a little renovating done. Well, the baseboard installation didn’t start until about 4 pm and the skiing was pretty good. Yesterday, Telemark Dave and I experienced the two faces of eastern skiing: the lunacy of the holidays at a small ski hill and the peace of the backcountry stash.
I met TD and his two sons just after Hidden Bump opened for the day. I was testing my new tele setup for the first time and it is much better. Less work plus faster turns. This is good! We yo-yoed up and down the 300 feet of vertical until about noon, when the grown-ups had had enough. By this time all three parking lots were full and people were parking on the road. Time to go. While the boys waited for their Mom to retrieve them, TD and I reconvened at the liquor store to select a suitable beverage for washing down the smoked Atlantic salmon and crackers Dave generously brought for lunch. Share this with poutine-eating preteens in a crowded ski lodge? I think not.
After some dithering in the beer section, we settled on Creemore Pilsner. With two tall cans stashed in the pack, we headed for our favourite stash, The Pipeline. Even with the recent rains, there was new snow and we figured conditions could be good. This hill is, literally, part of a natural gas pipeline. Though it boasts almost as much vertical as the lift area, a nice pitch, only a few trees and frequently offers knee-deep powder, the ski-in and snowshoe up aspect (not to mention the top-secret location), tends to keep out all riff-raff but us.
Long story short, our one run at Pipeline was the sketchiest and best run of the day. After recovering from the gut-busting straight-up-the-hill snowshoe trek, we enjoyed the beer, salmon and great view at the top. Snow conditions had deteriorated but the run was still very skiable, if you don’t mind threading your way through bonsai hemlocks and balsams growing up in the cut. I used my alpine tele gear for the experience, which had its pros and cons. Mostly cons, due to weighty boards and stiff boots. I resorted to parallel turns so I could negotiate the bushes and still enjoy the fresh tracks. What a contrast to what we had experienced earlier in the morning, only a 15-minute drive away!
It's nice to have your own private ski area...
TD earning his turns
TD drops in with Utah hot on his freeheels
Skiing too fast for focus!
SBR found some deep powder
Later on at Bonk Hill, in SBR's back 40
I met TD and his two sons just after Hidden Bump opened for the day. I was testing my new tele setup for the first time and it is much better. Less work plus faster turns. This is good! We yo-yoed up and down the 300 feet of vertical until about noon, when the grown-ups had had enough. By this time all three parking lots were full and people were parking on the road. Time to go. While the boys waited for their Mom to retrieve them, TD and I reconvened at the liquor store to select a suitable beverage for washing down the smoked Atlantic salmon and crackers Dave generously brought for lunch. Share this with poutine-eating preteens in a crowded ski lodge? I think not.
After some dithering in the beer section, we settled on Creemore Pilsner. With two tall cans stashed in the pack, we headed for our favourite stash, The Pipeline. Even with the recent rains, there was new snow and we figured conditions could be good. This hill is, literally, part of a natural gas pipeline. Though it boasts almost as much vertical as the lift area, a nice pitch, only a few trees and frequently offers knee-deep powder, the ski-in and snowshoe up aspect (not to mention the top-secret location), tends to keep out all riff-raff but us.
Long story short, our one run at Pipeline was the sketchiest and best run of the day. After recovering from the gut-busting straight-up-the-hill snowshoe trek, we enjoyed the beer, salmon and great view at the top. Snow conditions had deteriorated but the run was still very skiable, if you don’t mind threading your way through bonsai hemlocks and balsams growing up in the cut. I used my alpine tele gear for the experience, which had its pros and cons. Mostly cons, due to weighty boards and stiff boots. I resorted to parallel turns so I could negotiate the bushes and still enjoy the fresh tracks. What a contrast to what we had experienced earlier in the morning, only a 15-minute drive away!
Here are a few pictures from a more recent expedition to the Pipeline:
It's nice to have your own private ski area...
TD earning his turns
TD drops in with Utah hot on his freeheels
Skiing too fast for focus!
SBR found some deep powder
Later on at Bonk Hill, in SBR's back 40Friday, November 30, 2007
nOVEMBER IS OVER
Well Hello Again To all the readers of this website!
This may be my first blog of the year, but it is not the first ski report as I have been on the boards since Nov. 15th. But I figured I would give a report today as November is finally over. I'm still running with the Volkyl's, its my second pair now as I busted the top binding on my last pair, this pair are a lot slower but actually have some edges, so i can sort of carve on the groomers.
As weve put up all the snowfences on the mountain, theres not much more we can do until it snows. There calling for snow Sunday through Monday, so hopefully that will be a big dump. I started the day today doing "Trail Check" which was basaically freesking until we heard the call from our boss Towers to meet somewhere to do some work. But today was the first day we didn't hear anything, and got to ski right up until lunch. Got quite a few runs in, but it gets repetitive skiing the same stuff over and over, but you can always somehow get a different line. The most action I saw all morning, was a little kid on a snowboard caught up on a cliff in Virgin Chutes. As I saw him from the chair, I skied down to where he was, but at that point he had made it out. I told him it was a pretty dangerous place he was riding, he appreciated the advice.
Ski Packing all afternoon today, so side-stepping down the runs, packing down all the powder, it really creates ruts in the snow, looks just like a Cat went up it, so hopefully it will trap some more snow.
Im going to take out the Scratch's next wendesday or thursday on my day off. We're all getting pretty sick of our rock skis, as everyone else is on their good skis.
Thats about all the news from the world of Snowfarming, Ill get back to you with a Powder Report.
Over And Out
the GREEN BERET
This may be my first blog of the year, but it is not the first ski report as I have been on the boards since Nov. 15th. But I figured I would give a report today as November is finally over. I'm still running with the Volkyl's, its my second pair now as I busted the top binding on my last pair, this pair are a lot slower but actually have some edges, so i can sort of carve on the groomers.
As weve put up all the snowfences on the mountain, theres not much more we can do until it snows. There calling for snow Sunday through Monday, so hopefully that will be a big dump. I started the day today doing "Trail Check" which was basaically freesking until we heard the call from our boss Towers to meet somewhere to do some work. But today was the first day we didn't hear anything, and got to ski right up until lunch. Got quite a few runs in, but it gets repetitive skiing the same stuff over and over, but you can always somehow get a different line. The most action I saw all morning, was a little kid on a snowboard caught up on a cliff in Virgin Chutes. As I saw him from the chair, I skied down to where he was, but at that point he had made it out. I told him it was a pretty dangerous place he was riding, he appreciated the advice.
Ski Packing all afternoon today, so side-stepping down the runs, packing down all the powder, it really creates ruts in the snow, looks just like a Cat went up it, so hopefully it will trap some more snow.
Im going to take out the Scratch's next wendesday or thursday on my day off. We're all getting pretty sick of our rock skis, as everyone else is on their good skis.
Thats about all the news from the world of Snowfarming, Ill get back to you with a Powder Report.
Over And Out
the GREEN BERET
Friday, November 16, 2007
Welcome back - winter is here!
How do I know this? Let me count the ways...
1) The Green Beret has left the East and has already started his ski bum dream job on the Sunshine Trail Crew. Check out the new link in the sidebar for the Sunshine web cam.
2) It's Warren Miller film night in Huntsville. Woo Hoo! Off to see Playground and dream of helicopters.
3) Our friends at Jay are are reporting that the Jet and Upper Haines will be open this weekend.
4) There was enough new snow on the ground this morning to make me put the truck in four-wheel drive. There was not enough snow to make me think it would be slippery so consequently I skidded merrily through the stop sign at the end of the road.
5) I wore Sorels to work today (see # 4).
6) Pudd is e-mailing snow reports to us all and Jonny Jay is vying to be first on the mountain.
7) I'm blogging about snow.
I haven't found it yet but Telemark Dave tells me that the current issue of The Ski Journal has a great article on Jay. Check your local news stand. Here's the teaser:
1) The Green Beret has left the East and has already started his ski bum dream job on the Sunshine Trail Crew. Check out the new link in the sidebar for the Sunshine web cam.
2) It's Warren Miller film night in Huntsville. Woo Hoo! Off to see Playground and dream of helicopters.
3) Our friends at Jay are are reporting that the Jet and Upper Haines will be open this weekend.
4) There was enough new snow on the ground this morning to make me put the truck in four-wheel drive. There was not enough snow to make me think it would be slippery so consequently I skidded merrily through the stop sign at the end of the road.
5) I wore Sorels to work today (see # 4).
6) Pudd is e-mailing snow reports to us all and Jonny Jay is vying to be first on the mountain.
7) I'm blogging about snow.
I haven't found it yet but Telemark Dave tells me that the current issue of The Ski Journal has a great article on Jay. Check your local news stand. Here's the teaser:
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