Jay Peak 1/8/2014

[Abubob]

Start with breakfast.

Miss Lyndonville Diner by Bob Misu, on Flickr


Add wind holds ...

Wind Hold by Bob Misu, on Flickr


a wind chill factor ...

Cold by Bob Misu, on Flickr


and a coupla nut cases

Coupla Goofballs by Bob Misu, on Flickr


Crystalline conditions

Jet Triple by Bob Misu, on Flickr


A warm up

Upstairs Stateside by Bob Misu, on Flickr


More goofiness

To Infinity by Bob Misu, on Flickr


Fun

Fun in the Park by Bob Misu, on Flickr

 

[ss20]

How do the naturals and trees look? How much will it take to get them back? Poach worthy (if poachable at all)?

 

[Abubob]

There is about 4 to 5 inches of wind blown snow unevenly distributed about the mountain. So some areas had thick drifts, while 50 ft lower down was blown bare. We didn't even bother going into any glades. A couple glades were open off the Bonne chair but we could hear some folks scraping through them. There was also a couple guys that popped out of Buck Woods and they said it wasn't bad. With the Freezer down for wind the whole right side of the mountain was inaccessible so I have no idea what it was like over there. The only thing open off the Jet was Jet and Montrealer although I saw a couple brave souls drop into woods just before Kitzbuehel.

Poach worthy - not to me. A good foot of heavy snow would probably cover things. An inch or two of fluff will just get blown all over the place. I don't know the area well enough to predict where it will settle best. Find a local. Prepare for ice.

The only areas on the entire mountain that had even conditions were the parks. We took about 5 runs on the "large" jumps just working on popping off the knuckles and 2 or three runs on the "small" jumps.

 

[hammer]

Sounds worse than the one time I made it to Jay Peak a few years ago which was also after a rain/freeze event. At least when I went a lot of the glades were in play and the Freezer was running.

Beats not going at all though.

 

[billski]

I thought Freezer was fixed-grip?

 

[yeggous]

I thought Freezer was fixed-grip?

Freezer is definitely a detachable quad. I'm getting cold just thinking about it.

 

[thetrailboss]

How was the new Stateside Lodge?

 

[billski]

Freezer is definitely a detachable quad. I'm getting cold just thinking about it.

so why is it not running? Something should be running on that side.

 

[yeggous]

so why is it not running? Something should be running on that side.

Don't know, but the freezer and tram are very wind prone. Just guessing.

 

[from_the_NEK]

Tram and Freezer run perpendicular to the prevailing wind = lots of closures. The Metro quad was probably running but it only gets you up 1/4 of the mountain.

 

[Abubob]

How was the new Stateside Lodge?

Immense. So big I didn't get a look at all of it. Not sure if it can regain the same vibe as the old lodge.


New Stateside Hotel and Lodge by Bob Misu, on Flickr

 

[Abubob]

Tram and Freezer run perpendicular to the prevailing wind = lots of closures. The Metro quad was probably running but it only gets you up 1/4 of the mountain.

While temps were well above zero the wind chill was brutal! I hadn't worn my neoprene mask since 2003. I could have used another layer or a better puffy layer - the old one has worn thin. So even if the Freezer were running I wouldn't have ridden on it. I was only hoping the Tram would open.

Anyway, it was worth the $10 Liftopia tickets I purchased back in August. Not what I had hoped for but just about what I expected for early January.

 

[PaulSt Romaine]

Those are really lovely pictures! I would actually suggest that you pop by the private ski lessons to ask the instructors about the slopes because they would probably be able to give you a good forecast of where's best to go for the day.

 

[Abubob]

^^ Well seeing as this was months ago (two months now) it hardly matters but we did ski everything that was open that day and it was all pretty much ice. The only place where there was edgeable snow was in the "terrain" park which is ironic as all the other terrain was useless.

 

[billski]

Immense. So big I didn't get a look at all of it. Not sure if it can regain the same vibe as the old lodge.

Holy chit man. I told them all I needed was one table! Is it easy access or do you have to walk a mile.

 

[Abubob]

Is it easy access or do you have to walk a mile.

The parking lot is right next to just like the old lodge was, although the lot itself is more than twice the size. Since this visit I had a chance to see a bit more of the lodge area itself. The upper floor is a noisy bar and is more or less on the level with the Bonne chair. The lower level isn't any larger in terms of capacity it seems and has little connection to the slope. Its separated from the slope side doors by a staircase and ski school desk and from there is kind of a steep climb to the chair. I'm not diggin it so far.

 

[Abubob]

Jet Triple by Bob Misu, on Flickr