Jay Peak Vermont

As we pulled into Boston last Sunday evening one of the people in the car remarked, “Amazing that we drove 4 hours and it is a completely different world.” True. Jay Peak, VT is indeed another world, one which is covered with snow.

It is not a difficult drive, unless weather hinders ideal highway travel speeds. About ¾ of the total time is spent on 93 & 91. Only about 25 or so miles of back roads after that once you are up there in the northern reaches of Vermont.

Getting there is really not what Jay Peak is about though. Nor am I writing to tell you about driving. People go to Jay Peak because it snows there. I mean it really SNOWS there! We are talking about More Snow than anywhere in the East.

Their seasonal average (358 inches) ranks Jay Peak pretty high in USA, and obviously makes it the king of powder skiing in New England.

S.G. having fun on the face

What I ran into last weekend at Jay Peak was, and still is, beyond words. I have been attempting to piece it together for myself ever sense… It was a three day period that just kept getting better. Here is what I got…the breakdown.
Disclaimer: Since the Saint Valentine’s Day snowstorm Jay Peak, VT has recorded over 115 inches of snow. This is all true.
Wednesday night (2/28): A friend calls. He lives down on Long Island, NY. He asks me if I have seen the recent accumulation maps. The predictions for the big snow out of the storm coming on Friday were moving south…
My response was that this is nothing new. Certainly it is not the first time I have seen a snowstorm roll through New England. It is funny how the same thing seems to happen again and yet again. That being – Jay Peak always ends up with the most new snow once it is all done and measured.
Say what you want.
Criticize how you will.
The reality is that I “Moved Up” and was there last weekend. If anything, the resort UNDER reported the total accumulations of new snow. Maybe they were gun shy because no one in there right mind would believe 60 plus inches out of the V-day storm. Guess what though…it happened, and the proof was in the pudding.
Approaching the mountain: Snow banks and wind drifts continuously grow larger on the sides of the roadways once you get inside a half hour away from the resort. By the time you hit the intersection known as the center of town you are in a different world. As you turn onto the access road odds are it may be snowing. This place is special. They get the most snow in the East. Being SO close and such an easy drive from Boston makes it a gem.
The skiing report – POWDER DAYS!
Snow started around 1:00 AM Thursday night…went to bed after seeing the first flakes.
Friday morning I was up early. One look out the window and back to bed. It was dumping. Probably six to eight fresh inches down at 7:00 am. I am greedy, and all too aware that this was not a one day affair. So, I decided to relax and wait for more accumulations to pile up and get out in the afternoon.
Justin checking out the deep snow

Fast forward to 11:15 AM on the fresh powder at Jay Peak.
Snow – everywhere!
Made it to the Bonaventure Quad and my group and I got on for a ride. We only got that one. By the top the wind was absolutely howling. The lift came to a standstill and we were only one chair away from the unloading ramp. We were rocking even with three us as weight. Makes you feel alive. And, did I mention it was snowing? Fierce flakes moving sideways that were hitting my face so hard it hurt, making it absolutely impossible to see anything without the goggles.
After a few minutes we got off the lift and made the first run of the weekend. No time for warm ups on a powder day. Right down River Quai into the Vertigo trees. The woods provided nice shelter from the wind, definition with the falling snow, and a sign of the powder runs to come. Untracked, untouched and perfect…
By the time we got back at the base of the Bonie chair it was roped off. Not a huge shocker. Frustration was mounting. I was about to freak out. The report was that a guy was checking out the Jet Triple to see of they could still run it in the wind. We stood there in the snow. The Jet triple was the last hope for lift serviced terrain on the day. Mine as well hike over…
Saved by the Jet: The triple chair stayed open all day! It got crowded pretty fast. A dozen powder laps later, alternating – left, right, left, right, off of the top. Hitting trees and trails with reckless abandon and my group and I were ready to call the day a success after three hours.
Lucas in the trees…

Two more days to go…
Saturday was a special day to be skiing. The mountain was loaded, everything open.
Temps into the high 20’s, abundant sunshine, no wind and 15 + inches of fresh snow all meant an early start. We passed on the tram early to get some laps off the Flyer before the crowds kicked in.
Jumped right into the Beaver Pond and Andre’s Paradise glades and there were untracked lines everywhere. Hit Everglade up next. Then once the blood was pumping it was Tram time. The only aerial tramway in Vermont is always a treat. From it we skied down Vermonter (ridge trail) a bit until we got to the spot to take the skis off and climb. Once up the ridge we found ourselves exactly where we wanted to be. To the skiers left of Green Beret, standing atop the steep chute below the little hut up on the shoulder which has been pretty beat down over the years by the elements atop the mountain.
It was a great run. Narrow and steep terrain made for a challenge. We were not the first set of tracks down there so there were spots that got technical with some unmarked obstacles. But it was still stuffed with powder.
the said hut on the ridge

The rest of the day was all good from there. We lapped around the mountain until the legs were shot. The snow was great. It was not wet over heavy. Trails or Trees, take your pick. It really did not mater where you went to make turns at Jay Peak, you would get powder. It was all good!
Saturday in the evening during some Après Ski fun up at the base area it started to snow again and it was a whiteout! Picked up close to 2” of fluff in 45 minutes, just like that. Then the clouds broke and the waning sunlight was back. After sunset it really started to puke. It started snowing hard and did not stop until we were almost too interstate 91 on the way back to Boston.
Sunday morning: Up early again, still snowing hard. Another foot plus of new snow accumulation already on the ground at the base in the Village Condos – on top of Fridays snow.
We made it out at quarter past eight and hit the Tram for a ride to the top. Bee lined it to Green Beret. It was waist deep in POWDER. The rock jumps were launched without fear. Huge, fast turns on either edge or right down the center of the trail, face shots galore!
The rest of the day was more of the same, run after run yielded slopes jam packed with powder and soft bumps. There was as much snow up there as I have seen anywhere since I started typing for this blog. It was definitely some of the best conditions I have ever experienced in my life.
snow in the woods

Unreal skiing, the like of which is not often seen in New England.
The rest of this season is a lock for Jay Peak, VT. Get in the car and go!
Move Up! Go and GET SOME!
photos ~ S.G.