Five days ago, we began this Ski Safari at the most southerly ski resort in Vermont: Mount Snow.
Today I’m posting from the most northerly: Jay Peak.
Jay is indeed a wonder to behold. Just five miles south of the US-Canada border, the mountain towers above the surrounding terrain It’s pretty impressive.
Jay’s been in the news a lot. It recently acquired Burke Mountain, which isn’t too far from here (we’ll be skiing there tomorrow). And not long ago they added a water park and hotel to help establish themselves as a four-season resort.
Yes, yes, you say. But what about the skiing?
Patience, grasshopper, patience.
First, here are some stats:
Vertical feet: 2,153
Elevation: 3,968 feet
Terrain: 385 acres (100+ gladed)
Natural Snow: 377 inches
Trails: 20% novice, 40% intermediate, 40% advanced
Something unique: Vermont’s only aerial tram. Transports up to 60 people from the base to the summit in 7 minutes.
Here’s the tram house at the summit:
And here’s another view, looking up from the top of the Jet Chair:
The views from when you get off the tram are jaw-droppingly beautiful, too:
Here’s a trail leading down from the summit:
The weather today is still bone-chilling cold, but it’s a little bit less bone chilling than it’s been (will this cold snap ever end?). Temps were zero at the summit this morning a lot better than -8. It’s amazing how you cherish every single degree, when the numbers are that small. And the mountain is in need of snow. Conditions were kind of icy, though less so in the glades (and there are a lot of them).
All in all, a good day. But all this driving is taking its toll on my poor little Subaru, which is definitely in need of a bath:
Tonight we’re in a hotel, washing our fleece and looking forward to watching a Sy-Fy Original Movie, Abominable Snowman, which features skiers in hot pursuit of the aforementioned creature. After all, what else should a good Ski Diva do?
Truly beautiful. People tend to say, “Go West, Young Man,” when it comes to skiing, but there’s still too much in my own backyard to explore!
It sounds like you didn’t have a great day at Jay, which is a shame. I hope you return when the snow is better, and get a local to take you through the woods. Jay is a great mountain, especially when you avoid the trails.
Did I give that impression? I didn’t mean to. Jay is a fabulous mountain, and
we did have a very nice time. Yes, the snow could have been better, and I’ve kind
of had enough of the extremely cold weather, but that didn’t matter. It was still
fun, and it was great to see what the mountain had to offer — which is considerable.
I’ll definitely be back!
As my name might suggest, I’m not a diva. Maybe a devo? (lower case ‘d’, for sure there.) I enjoyed reading about your safari, and utilized your site’s expertise when researching skis for my wonderful wife. Question: how was the Sy-Fy Original Movie “Abominable Snowman”?
We actually fell asleep during it, so not that exciting!