THE WOODS STILL HAVE THE GOODS AT JAY PEAK
Today was a tiring day at Jay Peak. I skied with none other than Pro Skier Darren White, who is known as ‘The Monster’ and the ‘East’s Most Decorated Athlete’. We spent the day tearing up Jay’s world famous glades. Despite last week’s big melt, coverage is still great in all of the woods, and on the trails, too. To top it off, there was some powder out there today, which made for some really nice skiing.
The view from the top of the Bonaventure Quad.
Expo Glade.
Bushwacker.
I hope the energy drink companies were watching, because Pro Skier Darren White put on an impressive show today in the trees of northern Vermont. I could hear the shock in people’s voices as he tore through the trees, making them seem like beginner runs. It’s not often you get to witness greatness in motion, and people were definitely taking notice. I think I even heard a kid ask his parents if they’d buy him the same skis Pro Skier Darren White has, as he wanted the same skis as his hero.
Pro Skier Darren White in Buck Woods.
Pro Skier Darren White in the Bonaventure Glade.
Anyways, the parking situation was really weird this morning. I parked somewhere I’d never parked before, a ways away from both bases, and I assumed that meant the mountain was busy. It was not. Lines were short to non-existent all day. As such, the slopes and the trees weren’t crowded either. Weather wise, it was pretty nice, with comfortable temperatures. There was some sun in the morning, but the clouds quickly took over. All of the lifts were spinning, and most of the runs and glades were open by late morning.
Over the last few days, Jay has reported nine inches of new snow, with as much as four inches of that falling yesterday afternoon and evening. With the glades mostly closed until today, due to firm conditions, there was powder to be found in the woods. There was ice under that nine inches of snow, but overall, it was pretty fun skiing. Let’s put it this way: I would have skied every glade we skied today multiple times if time allowed.
Beaver Pond.
Andre’s Paradise.
Andre’s Paradise.
Timbuktu.
Some glades did ski better than others. For instance, Andre’s Paradise was really nice. There was plenty of snow in there to cover up the ice and it felt more like a proper powder day. Timbuktu, however, while still filled with snow, was a bit more icy. Like I said though, it was pretty fun skiing. Any icy spots in the woods weren’t too big of a deal, thanks to all the powder laying around. I’d say the best conditions we experienced today was on our first run through Buckaroo Bonzai. The snow in there wasn’t all tracked out yet and it skied like a dream.
Buckaroo Bonzai.
Hell’s Woods.
Ullr’s Dream.
The groomers, which we only used to get to the woods and back to the lifts, were in incredible shape. There was packed powder with very minimal ice, though you could find it on heavily traveled trails like Upper Goat Run, which Pro Skier Darren White and I both agreed may just be the worst groomer run in the East. It’s crowded, and conditions are frequently terrible on it. Another run that was a little icy was The Jet. We only skied it halfway down, and then we jumped in to Stateside Glade, but it was bumped up with soft powdery snow, and in between the bumps there was ice.
Like I said, it was a tiring day at Jay Peak. This was a full blown tree skiing day with Pro skier Darren White, aka the ‘Glade Master’ himself. While exhausting, it was a great day, especially coming off that big melt and freeze earlier this week. Sadly, there’s rain and warm temperatures coming tomorrow, followed by a freeze on Tuesday, so we’re basically going to do this week all over again. I’m hoping that Jay will have the trees back in play next weekend, but it’s all up to Mother Nature.
Never Quit Skiing,
Lincoln