Guide for Big Jay?

[RIDEr]

From the books I have read it is fairly easy to get to if coordinated, but wondering if anybody knows of a guide that you can use to get to Big Jay and back. Myself and a friend are heading up in March and looking to be on the safe side when heading over for the first time.

 

[Mpdsnowman]

I put on a meet every year at Jay. (there is a thread in the meets section in this forum) It is always the last day in Feb thru the first week of March. I have locals and others from over the years who do big jay a few times when we are there. Also we do the "dip runs"(im sure many on here know of those) at the end of each day of the meet.

Imo Big Jay is a perfect training ground for BC experiences. You just need to know where to come out to avoid a long hike to the road (242). Over the years we have accessed it directly from the tram or from 242. We even know of a neat run that brings us to "alpine haven" a residential area a few miles down the road...When I used to rent houses in that area we would BC back to the homes lol.

 

[fbrissette]

Big Jay is like fight club.

Rule no 1: You do not talk about Big Jay.
Rule no 2: You DO NOT talk about Big Jay.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Everyone knows about Big Jay. He's just asking for some advice on how to do it properly without getting super lost or anything.

I'd say bring a GPS if in doubt, or a smartphone with accurate navigation.

 

[crank]

I have skied Big Jay just one time and may venture back there again this season. Have skied the Dip as well, but more often head OB to the edge of the dip and back to the Jet. The Alpine Haven run intrigues me. We have stayed there several times over the years and I asked the owners about skiing there from Jay. They did say it is doable and they have one resident, a middle aged woman, who does it regularly. I am supposed to meet some Epic skiers at Subgarbush and Stowe the first week of March but may have to come up early to do some exploring at Jay.

 

[Cheese]

I'd say bring a GPS if in doubt, or a smartphone with accurate navigation.

Bring the GPS. When the smartphone loses it's data feed and can no longer download maps for the current position, he's screwed. Sort of a beef of mine. Smart phones have more memory than most GPS units but the navigation apps still continue to download "mini" maps for a trip rather than accessing a 2gig map one could easily download and store locally on the phone.

 

[fbrissette]

Everyone knows about Big Jay. He's just asking for some advice on how to do it properly without getting super lost or anything.

I was being sarcastic. Big Jay is in a frickin book. Ain't exactly a secret stash.

 

[riverc0il]

I'd say bring a GPS if in doubt, or a smartphone with accurate navigation.

If your navigational skills in the BC are such that you need a GPS or smartphone, you probably shouldn't be in the BC. Not saying these are not tools to take along with you just in case you get into trouble, but they shouldn't be your primary reference point. That should be adequate research and solid off map navigational skills.

I would suggest skinning or slow shoeing up from the bottom if you are not comfortable dropping in at the top without a guide. It is good to be prudent and know your limitations. If you skin or slowshoe in, you have a bread cumb trail to get back out, as long as you drop in from the appropriate side of you track. Goodman's book has detailed directions. If you still need a guide after reading Goodmans book, good luck!