SKIING JAY PEAK IN MAY
Kitz Woods on April 27.
Looking up at Haynes on May 3.
Last Sunday, I skied in heavy snow at Jay Peak. Today it was the opposite with mild temperatures and rain in the air. May is here and that means the ski season is quickly winding down in the East and Jay Peak is no exception, even with the 475 inches of snow they received.
Peter from Vermont cruising down Angel’s Wiggle.
Jay spun the Bonaventure Quad and the Jet Triple today, with access to 11 trails. I showed up to the mountain around noon. On my second run I came across Peter from Vermont, who’s a diehard Jay Peak local. We actually skied together at Jay last May and have been messaging back-and-fourth about linking up for some turns all season, so it was great to finally meet up.
It rained steadily all afternoon. As a result, the snow was mostly soft, but variable. Believe it or not, there were still some firm patches to be found on the mountain. Last weekend, coverage on the open terrain was still pretty good. This week’s warm temperatures clearly had an impact, as many trails that you could ski from edge-to-edge last weekend have either dwindled down to narrow paths in spots or have large bare patches on them.
The top of Middle Northway.
The top of Jet.
Looking down Haynes.
Looking down Jet from just below the top narrow top part.
For instance, Middle Northway coming off the Bonaventure Quad was pretty narrow, as was the Jet near the top of the run. Both runs had more snow as you went down a ways. Haynes off the Jet Triple was in skiable shape, but there were bare sections that were connected by a narrow path of snow or even no snow at all.
The tree's between Jet and U.N.
The tree's between Jet and U.N.
While Kitz Woods was marked as open on the snow report, the glade was roped off. You may have been able to enter from the side or another location, but I didn’t try. Aside from that, no other trees were marked as open. I found the trees between Jet and Upper U.N. to still be skiable, albeit with thin cover at times. These trees aren’t named and I don’t think I’d ever skied them before. I found the terrain to be pretty fun and I will definitely be back next season to check them out in better conditions.
I’m glad to still be skiing in May, but this time of year is always a bummer. In just a few weeks, this ski season will be a thing of the past and we will all move on to other hobbies. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy what’s left of this ski season.
Never Quit Skiing,
Lincoln