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.

JJ update: Why is THIS the Real Jay Peak Snow Report? (Part Two)

Jonny Jay checks in, as told to SBR. He apologizes for no pics.

After the early March snow dump, that I of course had to miss in the interest of making a living, I was getting excited about a ski day planned for March 11 with a bunch of guys I hadn’t seen in many years. But Mother Nature was punishing me again -- with rain this time -- so after breakfast on Friday morning at the JJ Clubhouse, I decided to call the snow phone at Jay Peak. As you can tell from the title of this blog site, I always have mixed reactions to the snow phone wisdom. Sometimes it’s a whole new ski vocabulary, sometimes you can taste the obvious optimism, sometimes you wonder what mountain they are reporting from and sometimes (when the sun is shining and there is no wind) they get it just right! Well at 8:15 on a wet March morning, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that all 7 lifts “were spinning” and all trails open. Plus they mentioned a "mini snow fall" expected for that evening and somehow overlooked the fact that it was raining at the moment – but that was quite obvious.

Being a diehard and likely a masochistic skier who can find the joy in any kind of weather, off I went to the mountain. Arriving just before 9:00, the first thing I see is that the Bonnie is not running. Then a report from a fellow masochist that the only lift running was the triple and a couple of lower mountain lifts. That’s a big change from half an hour earlier when all seven lifts “were spinning!” Well,  I thought, not much to explore but it will be fun. But the other guys all wimped out! So by 10:15 I was off with my plastic Jay baggie over my jacket to check out the snow. First run I tested the Derrick, which turned out to be far better than expected but a bit slow because there was about 6” of now wet snow to plow through. A good test for the Line Prophet 90s, which I am happy to say have worked out very well in most conditions (thanks to SBR for buying a pair the year before to give us all a report). Then it was the UN, which I rarely ski now as the knees can only take so much in a day. All alone, new snow to check the speed so I could “let 'em go” and the knees were fresh and ready. Great run! I looked back up and remembered the old days when it was called “The UN Express.”  They’ve dropped “Express” from the name now and I am thinking that is because it is not as narrow as it used to be – and certainly not as gnarly.

So what the heck, we’re on a roll, why not try the Kitz? Another great run, especially without any people interference, but my arms and pants were starting to get pretty wet. Well after a cruiser down the Montrealer I chose the last run to be lower Powerline or Lift Line (since I couldn’t get to much else and the glades were a bit heavy and I was really alone). Good thing it was the last run – very heavy down Powerline – and I was soaked. But you can always have fun if you’re dressed for it at Jay.

Moral of the story – the Jay Peak snow phone is a guide, if you’re a skier or rider then Just Do It, you never know until you get there!

And by the way, the weekend turned out to be actually very good with the promised few inches of snow covering the firm surface very well. Even had an epic run down the skier left Upper Kwai with my two great nephews and the tram running overhead – It was “showtime boys" and the old knees and the Line Prophets delivered!

Jonny Jay

Part one is here...

Seeing Jay Peak through new eyes

Despite the twin-tip mid-fat skis, baggy pants, newschool poles and internet-based apres-ski activity, I am an old-school skier at heart. Or maybe just a little stuck in my ways. The experience of skiing at Jay Peak with five people I had never met, and living the "condo lifestyle" for the first time, gave me a unique opportunity to see a very familiar place from a variety of new perspectives. You might even say it bounced me out of very pleasant rut.

Ski in condo - no kidding!

Boot up to ski out is very handy...

Like Steve the day-tripper, I had never stayed in a "ski-in ski-out" type of accommodation before the NSBS. Not at Jay Peak, not anywhere else.  Skiing anywhere else has either been day-tripping or sleeping on someone's couch (or floor). When visiting Jay, Blue Toes and I are very fortunate to have access to two very nice ski houses in the Jay area, owned by family members. Before those houses were bought, there were rentals, and before that (which was before Blue Toes), we were all in day trip range from Montreal. Whether staying within driving distance or driving up for the day, one still ends up being lodge-based at the hill.  On top of that, our family has some routines. We start the day with oatmeal and coffee. Unless the skiing is sketchy or everyone is a little hungover (say, on New Year's Day), we usually roll into Stateside Lodge before 9 am. Those that miss that meet-up know that "hot chocolate break" is at 10ish, over at Tramside. Then lunch at 12ish, back at Stateside. After that you are on your own, just make sure you have a ride back to the house. It works, because everybody follows the drill.

Another summit based on communication

This condo thing got me all messed up. I had to think about food and booze before arriving, rather going shopping after skiing was done. I had to check-in, get keys, be certain that other people got their keys and tickets, not lose the keys, so much to think about, aaahh!!! I wasn't even sure who I was rooming with, let alone it was someone I'd never met. We organized a meeting at Stateside by e-mail. Everybody made it. We sent an e-mail with directions to MadPat from the chairlift using an iPhone. It worked. After skiing was done, we settled in to the comfy Jay Peak Village Condos. And settled is the right word. Once you realize that the car is parked, the lift is a short walk and ski away, and there really is no reason to go anywhere, much stress is relieved. Yeah, OK, I'll have another beer. I could get used to this...

Then we went skiing. Skiing with a group of people you only met in person that morning doesn't really fit with my "slow to adopt change" philosophy on life. On one of our first runs, trying to be a good host, I stopped in the usual spot and waited for everybody. Hey, wait a minute, everybody is skiing by me! But, but, we always stop here. Why aren't you stopping here? Oh well, off we go... Then it started snowing heavily and powder madness took over. MUST SKI IN THE TREES was the mantra. Later I learned that some people actually viewed "groomers" as a necessary evil to get to the various glade runs on a mountain. But wait, this is a cool run, not simply a "groomer." And it is covered in a lot of new snow. There are no trees in the way. On day one, Steve and I sure got that, and had the "Run of the Day" on Upper Exhibition. Oh yeah, did I mention that? We have to play "Run of the Day" at the end of the day...

Willis meets the bloggers.

Eventually, I chilled out. The chairlift discussions about where to ski next took on a familiar tone. The collective knowledge of three experienced Jay Peak skiers and the turbo-charged enthusiasm of the others had us skiing all over the place. Like I said in an earlier post, rope to rope, and a little beyond. A flow developed and everybody went with it. Despite skiing at Jay Peak on a semi-regular basis since I was twelve, I skied places I had never skied before. I took people to places they hadn't been before, or back to places they hadn't been in a long time. We skied runs like the Quai and the Green Beret, that, while well marked on the trail map, could never be considered "groomers." Beyond that, we ate at the Tram Haus Lodge with our ski boots on. We blogged like uber-geeks in the restaurant on the first evening. The jovial and accommodating Willis Whitaker of DEW Construction gave us a hard hat tour of the Waterpark construction site. By the end of the day on Friday, I was exhausted.

SBR's big sister shreds Haynes

It is good to be jolted from the routine every now and then. Seeing Jay Peak through the eyes of five different people has given me a fresh perspective on a long-time friend. I have found a few new creases in the armor, and a few new quirks in the personality of Jay. After the other bloggers left, I stayed an extra day and skied with my sister and her husband, who had appeared out of the blue on Friday. Saturday was one of those days you could feel a little smug and say "you should have been here yesterday." The weather was damp and it eventually started raining. Line-ups were long due to school break crowds and wind delays on the Bonnie and Tram. Who cared? Not me. After a couple of great runs on the Derrick and the Haynes, we had the usual bag lunch in the usual place and then Sklinda and Dogski called it a day. I carried on for while, and after a great chat on the Flyer with some guy from Philly, I skated off for a solo run down the Can Am. From the top of the pitch, I could not see another person. The Bonaventure chair was silent and unmoving. The rain-wetted ice glowed blue in the grey light. I knew that if I fell, it would be a while before anybody found me. After all the preparation for the blogger event, and the intensity of the previous three days, I suddenly felt like the last skier on earth. There was no choice but to ski down.