Jay Peak

Of course -- I'm just guessing your level but here's the ones that are on the less gnarly side but in many cases still pretty awesome

Beaver Pond *
Timbuktu *
Expo Glades
Bonaventure Glades
Show Off Glades
Half Moon
Buck Woods
Stateside Glade
Hell's Woods
Bonaventure Glade
Buck Woods
Stateside Glade
Canyonland *
Half Moon
Bushwacker
North Glade *

The ones with asterisks you might need to traverse to avoid steep spots, the other ones are just plain easy. Definitely ski Timbuktu and North Glade though.

Let us know how Ragged is if you go , hoping to get there myself in the next couple weeks.

When you go to Jay, don't waste your time taking the Tram a lot. The Flyer, Bonaventure and Jet get you to 90% of the terrain there. There are a couple blues you can ski off the top, but Green Beret, Valhalla, Face and Tuckerman Chutes are experts only.

bdfreetuna said:

Jay Peak > Stowe.

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Someone needs to be shown around Stowe.

I have been to Jay more times than Stowe, to a point of being very familiar with Jay.

Stowe I've been to enough to know/ski most of the lift accessible sidecountry and nooks however I'm less drawn to return. I can never think of a time I really want to go to Stowe. Just rather ski Jay, Smuggs, Mad River Glen, Magic, even Sugarbush which I love to hate. You'll think I'm nuts but I'd rather ski Bolton too because I know it like the back of my hand and I maximize days there with sick terrain. I even rather ski Killington if the conditions are equal for the same reason. Killington is just my vibe and I go there a lot.

I mostly go to Stowe just so I get $112 value on one of my Ski VT passes.

That said -- open to the offer some day! Would love to ski some of the hike-to stuff.

bdfreetuna said:

I have been to Jay more times than Stowe, to a point of being very familiar with Jay.

Stowe I've been to enough to know/ski most of the lift accessible sidecountry and nooks however I'm less drawn to return. I can never think of a time I really want to go to Stowe. Just rather ski Jay, Smuggs, Mad River Glen, Magic, even Sugarbush which I love to hate. You'll think I'm nuts but I'd rather ski Bolton too because I know it like the back of my hand and I maximize days there with sick terrain. I even rather ski Killington if the conditions are equal for the same reason. Killington is just my vibe and I go there a lot.

I mostly go to Stowe just so I get $112 value on one of my Ski VT passes.

That said -- open to the offer some day! Would love to ski some of the hike-to stuff.

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There is easily as much lift served glades and gnar at Stowe as Jay, IMO. Maybe I just know Stowe so much better. Only thing missing are the chutes.

Pretty much every where you look there is something to get into at Stowe. Seems endless to me. No need to hike.

Having said that - hoping to hike the Chin for the first time this year!

What I think sets Jay apart is the seemingly cleared nature of the glades - skiable with minimal snow, and just so nice.

Jay == trees, and trees ONLY
Stowe == tree + everything else

I think most people would agree Jay has MORE trees and more DIVERSE trees from easy to expert. And it's all marked and easy to find. Stowe takes some inside knowledge. Also, a lot more skier traffic in Stowe means many of the easier trees got "groomed" by excessive skier traffic. Jay? Not so much. The crowd at Jay is much lower than Stowe. And with more trees to spread them about, the snow last longer. Add more snow it receives, it can be quite nice a lot of the time.

But if you end up in Jay when the trees are out of play? It's one tiny, boring mountain with fierce wind and boiler plate runs!

I think next weekend is shaping up to be decent weather for Jay.

To the OP, think of Jay as adding the trees of Bretton Woods to Wildcat. You're not going to like the groomers of Jay. To enjoy Jay, you need to embrace the trees.

P.S.
Whether one likes Jay or not is largely about attitude. If you have a child like attitude, enjoy the variety and challenge offered by the trees, it's hard not to like Jay even if you aren't great at it. It can be fun to ski 15 different lines in one patch of woods. And Jay has many such patch of woods.

P.P.S.
BTW, I don't "get" Burke. It skis tiny without the trees. But its trees aren't as well marked as in Jay. It's quiet alright. But without lift lines, I found I exhausted its "obvious" runs pretty quick, which was then followed by the stress of "am I getting in over my head" in my hunt for the less obvious trails.

Jay is a skier's playground to the extent it's almost a surreal experience the first few times I went. Even still, Jay is a remarkable sight to behold when approaching on the drive.

As for Burke I don't think there's much to "get"... I'm sure for some it's their favorite mountain. For me it's a pretty good hill with pretty good groomers, pretty good trees, no lines and no crowds. Straight up 91, put on the cruise control and enjoy a few albums and you're there.

There isn’t much to get at Burke. I always feel that it skis smaller than the trail map suggests.

I can see Burke being a home mountain. Sadly have not been there in years. When 100% open it is really something.


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KustyTheKlown said:

Mansfield Gondola and Spruce Peak terrain sound like what this guy wants.

Stowe may be expensive and bougey and vail owned, but it is the heart and soul of American skiing. it oozes with history. and its terrain passes the pepsi challenge with anything in the east. fun for the whole family. steeps and trees and sidecountry for some, chill groomers for others.

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I agree with this guy. Stowe is the quintessential classic New England ski resort. The long uninterrupted runs follow beautiful natural fall lines and with the hike to terrain off the summit and into the notch there really isn’t a fair comparison. Jay Peak is nice but it gets real flat towards the bottom.

We can add Big Jay and backcountry up that way to Jay if we're going to count Mansfield chin / nose / summit / notch as part of Stowe.

bdfreetuna said:

We can add Big Jay and backcountry up that way to Jay if we're going to count Mansfield chin / nose / summit / notch as part of Stowe.

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Can you get back to the lift?

Depends in both cases; and then depends if you can hitch a ride.

Interesting though how this thread turned into Jay Peak vs Stowe though.

I'm also glad we don't all have the same favorite mountain, helps spread out the crowds!

Ok, after boarding in the woods at Ragged yesterday, I am super motivated to try the woods at Jay Peak next weekend. Out of the previous list of trails, which glades or wooded trails would be lovely for a beginner, please?

Any other tips on where to stay, cheap?

Before I went to college I was a subpar tree skier. Poked around plenty of times but never skied them comfortably or gracefully. After 4 years at Burke and Jay I can ski anything. Nothing else in the east is like Jay. I'm not going to say it has the best trails or that it skis bigger than other places, but it has by far the best snow and that makes the trees there second to none. If you're an iffy tree skier check the snow report and if the snow is good, go to Jay. You'll become a better tree skier in 1 or 2 days.

Burke is a lot tougher to get great conditions at. Some years are great, but years with a lack of snow really hurt there while Jay still gets the snow. But if Burke has good snow and the trees are open they have some good lower advanced stuff too.

This is where I like to stay... about as affordable as it gets and 3 minutes from the hill

http://www.woodshedlodge.com/home.html

caribchakita said:

Ok, after boarding in the woods at Ragged yesterday, I am super motivated to try the woods at Jay Peak next weekend.

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Definitely post a report!

caribchakita said:

Ok, after boarding in the woods at Ragged yesterday, I am super motivated to try the woods at Jay Peak next weekend. Out of the previous list of trails, which glades or wooded trails would be lovely for a beginner, please?

Any other tips on where to stay, cheap?

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Better book soon. Or, you’ll being staying somewhere cheap - 30 miles from the hill.

Or sleeping in the car

A little stoke - 1/2 hr ago


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caribchakita said:

Ok, after boarding in the woods at Ragged yesterday, I am super motivated to try the woods at Jay Peak next weekend. Out of the previous list of trails, which glades or wooded trails would be lovely for a beginner, please?

Any other tips on where to stay, cheap?

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Which woods at Ragged did you hit?
I'd say start with Bushwaker off the Metro Quad at Jay. Its a blue, lower angle and pretty open. The trees get a little tighter together towards the left and the right sides when you feel a little more comfortable. Once you feel good about being in the trees there, try the Beaver Pond Glade. If it looks a little scary dropping in at the trail sign, just continue down Ullr's Dream a little ways and then cut in. The entrance by the trail sign is probably the steepest part.