Jay Peak 4/10/12

[Zand]

Date(s) Skied: Tuesday 4/10/12

Resort or Ski Area: Jay Peak, VT

Conditions: Wet Powder, 12-18" and up to waist deep in the woods, wintry mix, 40s

Trip Report:

Got to the mountain just after noon, which was nice timing as for the next 2 hours the precip was either very light or stopped completely. Rain/snow line was literally at the Stateside parking lot when I arrived. Only about 3-4" at the bottom, but what a difference a few hundred feet above that makes. Deep, DENSE snow, must've been 3" of water packed into that snow. If we got a storm like this in November every year, snowmaking wouldn't be necessary. They could be 100% open right now (only problems are lower mountain runouts which are full of waterbars). Jay Facebook says this storm might push their closing back into May.

Anyway, hopped on the Jet and headed up, taking a first run right back down Jet as I didn't want to hop right into the deep stuff or my legs would've screamed at me. They groomed it last night at some point, so it had a few new inches of crud on top. A blast to ski as long as you are a bit defensive, as one wrong move will send you down in the dense stuff.

Hit Montrealer to Taxi to Queens next to get over to the Flyer. Montrealer is in great shape. Taxi has a few mounds poking through, but as long as you're defensive you can pop right over them. Queens was SLOW like the rest of the lower mountain flats, had to pole or skate down most of it.



The Flyer was a PITA in the usual windy spot at the top because right when you got to it, sleet was falling. Below that there was nothing... thanks mother nature. Anyway, first run down there was Goat to Expo Glades. Goat was good. Expo glades are DEEP... most of it knee deep, some waist deep. Ended up bailing out because turning got to be too difficult and I didn't want to pop a tree.

Next up was River Quai. It's nuts right now... the big rocks are just about all covered, and the snow is so dense that you can ski over most of them without hitting them. The moderate pitches were fun because you didn't really have to turn as much as float down over the powder, but the steeper ones that required turning were a bit sketchy because it felt like my knees were trying to rip away from my legs with the dense snow.

Hit Powerline next. Just like River Quai, you can float right over most of the rocks. Started to get very exhausing laboring through all the dense snow though. Hit Lower Can-Am jumps at about 2 mph... the only way to keep moving on it.

Headed back to the triple and hit Haines for a break from the deep stuff. Right at the top it started sleeting heavily which majorly sucked to ski in as far as your face getting ripped off, but the surface was fantastic. By the time I got to the bottom it changed to rain, so I decided to wrap it up.

Last run was Kitz Woods and down Northway. Kitz Woods had more insanely deep snow. Not as steep as Expo glades, so turning was a bit easier, and otherwise you could float through everything. Northway was nice for the most part until the flat at the bottom which was full of water bars and water holes. Finished up soaked in the rain, but while I was inside changing, it went back to snow, and very heavy snow at that. Was already covering the roads in about 5 minutes, even with temps at or above 40 which shows how hard it was coming down. Rain/snow line was about halfway back to Jay village at that point.

Moral of the story, get up there. Spring skiing is back on in a big way, this weekend is going to be insane. Wouldn't be surprised to see them counting more feet of snow as the storm will stick around through Thursday. Kitz, UN, Derick, and Can-Am should be off the hook with bumps this weekend. As for me, I'll be back up Friday and Sunday. My 2 best powder days this season were October 31st and April 10th... don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing but go get it.

[from_the_NEK]

Way to get after it.

[Zand]

Way to get after it.

I wasn't even going to go until my 11am class got cancelled. I was still saying to myself how dense and manky everything would be, then the good voice in my head finally said GO, ITS APRIL lol.

A picture of the depth in Kitz Woods... left pole is resting on the snow at basket depth, and right pole is to the ground.

[thetrailboss]

I wonder if some resorts that just closed are now kicking themselves.

[Zand]

I wonder if some resorts that just closed are now kicking themselves.

Really depends on how the base areas are at any specific resort. Even today you can tell Jay's was in rough shape, and the base obviously got much less than the upper mountain (compacted to about 3" down at Stateside and Tramside), so at many other resorts the base areas were probably gone to the point where even today's snow wouldn't make them skiable.

On the other hand, I'm sure Sugarbush could've opened the Summit Quad at Ellen after this. Hint hint...

[thetrailboss]

Really depends on how the base areas are at any specific resort. Even today you can tell Jay's was in rough shape, and the base obviously got much less than the upper mountain (compacted to about 3" down at Stateside and Tramside), so at many other resorts the base areas were probably gone to the point where even today's snow wouldn't make them skiable.

On the other hand, I'm sure Sugarbush could've opened the Summit Quad at Ellen after this. Hint hint...

Sugarbush was the one I had in mind. They just closed. From what I heard ME was done. But if LP got a lot then they should have kept the option open. But like 2010 they are more focused on construction than skiing I guess. Not the 'bush I know and love....

[marcski]

Not the 'bush I know and love....

....O.k., I won't go there.... or tell your wife. .

[riverc0il]

Not the 'bush I know and love....

I don't think much has changed since you've been gone, just your perceptions.

Sure would be a class move for them to open up next weekend. They had snow down to the road by the quad. With the storm, I am sure they have enough snow to put a base down to the get the Quad going and of course Heaven's Gate will be doable. Ski out via traverse to Stein's should be fine, I am sure even more is skiable over there.

[thetrailboss]

I don't think much has changed since you've been gone, just your perceptions.

For a few seasons SB was pushing the envelope on its season....trying to be the last to close and skiing into May. In 2010, IIRC, we had a similar meltdown and Sugarbush closed up about the same time, ending that streak. Coincidentally, they were getting ready to build Phase II of LP. This season they are working on Phase III.

I will admit that this season was simply bizarre though and the March meltdown was simply something that could not be overcome. But the Sugarbush I knew was really aggressive and would have at least closed midweek to try to reopen. They probably have tighter overhead now and it was a business decision that had to be made since they are doing other things besides just ski operations.

[from_the_NEK]

I wonder if some resorts that just closed are now kicking themselves.

I doubt it. The fact that Jay made snow a couple weeks ago allowed them to make it to this point. A lot of other areas weren't willing to take that risk.