fbrissette
Well-known member
If we are not talking about slack country then that makes my case against Jay even better. Throw out West Bowl and the stuff in between it and BP. Throw out Big Jay, and everything beyond Timbuktu. What your left with is the ridge....this puts it in the top 5 discussion by itself. The rest of the glades on the map are pretty blah that lack any real character. No super steep gnar chutes with no way out rock bands. The trees are all neatly spaced as if someone measured the space between each one. All the glades allow skiers to easily link turns without any serious challenge. That is why Stowe is better. And the Mansfield backcountry is far superior to BJ and West Bowl.
Ok, I see where you are coming from. By 'glades' I'm talking official terrain with names on a map. Talking slackcountry or backcountry requires another thread. By most people definition (amount of runs, total acreage, progression etc..) Jay Peak is undoubtedly top three.
If your definition of a bonafide glade is 'rocky gnar face with mandatory air' then so be it. I've yet to see an official run out east that would fit your category and I've skied most places (the notable exception begin Mad River Glen). Nothing fits that category of the ridge at Jay either.