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I had a friend who took his kid up to Jay a week ago during his Winter break, and then my son was up there last weekend with his college ski club and all had similar experiences. Firm/windblown in many places both in the trees and on the trails. Tons of snow on the gorund, but the surface isn't very soft at the momentI'm gonna get flamed by a couple certain people here for writing this but I don't care, just being honest...
If you're coming here anytime before whenever the next good dump ends up being, expect the woods to be hardpack and the groomers to be slick. Because that's how they are. People will tell me my "expectations are too high" or whatever, but I'm just telling it how it is. It's quite evident to me that I probably got very spoiled at Stowe last year, but unfortunately I haven't been able to get back there this year since November. But the honest report from Jay is that the woods are full of hardpack bumps. Off map stuff is definitely better. But it is honestly night and day how much better Burke was skiing yesterday.
That said, the amount of snow on this mountain is insane and it's gonna be great up here either after the next dump or when spring hits!
Additionally the systems over the last week or 2 have certainly seemed to favor more snowfall in Southern and Central VT than up at Jay and it seems like, from the snow reports, that the Jay Cloud has been taking a breather for a bit after how much it has been firing the 1st few months of the seasonYeah that's the one drawback of Jay. Everyone here skis the woods. For good reason..
the woods here are in play more often than anywhere else in the east. But it also causes the woods to get beat up faster than almost any other mountain so when it's been a while since a big dump it can start to suffer a bit.
Obviously it's a lot better having bumped up hardpack woods than no woods at all! But just don't want people expecting nice soft packed powder woods that I was kind of expecting after getting that at Burke yesterday.
cannot speak to jay but sugarloaf is at a similar latitude and was absolutely spectacular yesterday, just soft and bottomless everywhere I went.Additionally the systems over the last week or 2 have certainly seemed to favor more snowfall in Southern and Central VT than up at Jay and it seems like, from the snow reports, that the Jay Cloud has been taking a breather for a bit after how much it has been firing the 1st few months of the season
Sounds great. I'm glad pretty much everywhere in New England is having a good season! Unfortunately the resort that more often than not has better snow than everyone else in New England has missed out on some of the snow and isn't skiing as well, but I'm an asshole for saying so.cannot speak to jay but sugarloaf is at a similar latitude and was absolutely spectacular yesterday, just soft and bottomless everywhere I went.
You are going to have to work harder if you want to be labeled AZ asshole.I'm an asshole for saying so.
At least it was that and not down to the bone as well. That is pretty much how SR is right now off the snowmaking runs.Sounds great. I'm glad pretty much everywhere in New England is having a good season! Unfortunately the resort that more often than not has better snow than everyone else in New England has missed out on some of the snow and isn't skiing as well, but I'm an asshole for saying so.
Anyway...I think I skied Staircase for the first time today, but I'm not sure I actually skied it. I usually ski Everglade when I get into those woods but I continued down to Staircase. The entrance looked like shit so I kind of ducked into the woods skiers left and I was in TIGHT trees for a while and then a more open line came in from the right. The snow was glorious in those tight trees though!
Jet opened after noon and was skiing quite a bit better (though Timbuktu was full of that aforementioned bumped up hardpack) and overall it was a very fun day! It's just one of those rare times that it would've been better to head somewhere else that usually wouldn't be as good.