Zand
Well-known member
Date(s) Skied: 2/22/06
Resort or Ski Area: Jiminy Peak, MA
Conditions: PP, LSGR, FRGR, WETPS, VC
Trip Report:
Well, today was an OK day at Jiminy. I'll get more in-depth about the resort itself later, but here's the trail-by-trail in no particular order.
Whirlaway/Exhibition: Got first tracks down it first thing in the morning. Very fun and fast then. As the day wore on, it got very icy in the middle. They tried race training, but it was even too icy for them. The sides were still good through the afternoon.
Whitetail: Got probably 10th tracks down it. It was very fast all day, but very icy after 1. Sometimes, you couldn't even find powder to the sides. Q1 Quad was running pretty quick for a fixed grip and was ski-on for most of the day with an occasional 10 chair wait.
Jericho: Or as the sign calls it, "O". Best trail in the morning, but got icy as the day wore on. Lower steep had tons of corn by late morning and that held up all day. Berkshire Express was running slower than normal according to the regulars and had a variable wait, from 1 to 5 minutes.
Wild Turkey: Probably the worst trail in the morning, but became the best later on. The whole upper section was great after noon. The lower section was nice on skiier's left, but scraped to the right.
Nor'Easter: Got very first tracks. Hell, I even beat the ski patroller to it. I ripped some wide GS turns down the steep section. After that, the grooming got all crappy and I had to slow down. That was the only run I took on it.
Panorama: Got pretty early tracks on this one too. Too bad Sugarbush doesn't own Jiminy, or it would be "Panorama Glades" with a 5 trees in the middle. Great views and pretty fast.
Easy Does It: Got first tracks, even 20 minutes after the lift opened. It was very flat at the top like every other trail at Jiminy, but had a good pitch the rest of the way. Widow White's Quad was slow as ever, but no line and nice views.
Left Bank/Cutter: Left Bank was strewn with beginners. Cutter was crap. No bumps and it was 100% ice. Left Bank had pretty good conditions with a few bumps.
North Glade/360: First, I'm proud to say I made it down the first part of West Way and all of Outback without touching a pole to the ground or skating at all. I felt so proud skiing around everyone walking up the second half of Outback while I had enough speed to make it all the way up. North Glade was pretty icy by the time I got to it. 360 was very crowded.
Riptide/Willie's/Raccoon: Pretty good trio. I took nice turns down Riptide thanks to the nice snow. Raccoon was a great alternative to the overcrowded 360. The triple was running at a decent speed for a fixed grip.
Foxes/Slingshots: Upper Fox is pretty steep, but after 500 feet, it magically turns into lower fox. That's marketing for ya. The trails were kind of icy, but good to the sides and low light due to the shade. Slingshots were crowded.
Grand Slam: Outside of the park, it was very icy. The intermediate park is pretty good. The double goes down as the weirdest lift I've ridden in my life. And what are those towers next to the triple that kind of look like a mini Skycoaster?
So, after my second trip to Jiminy, I'm going to say I actually like Wachusett better. I'm serious. Jiminy's runs are VERY short. I like the motto I heard a few times today: "5 minutes up, 30 seconds down". Hell, the 6-pack took more like 3-4 minutes. All of the blacks and some of the blues off the top were definitely shorter than Wachusett's summit runs. The 6 overpacks the summit greens BADLY. The food and drinks are horribly expensive compared to Wachusett and not as good (besides the soda, Pepsi kick's Polar's @$$). The only advantage Jiminy has is that it's slightly more challenging.
Speaking of Wachusett, just 2 days till the 24 hour skiathon. I'll be up there for about 12 hours of it.
Resort or Ski Area: Jiminy Peak, MA
Conditions: PP, LSGR, FRGR, WETPS, VC
Trip Report:
Well, today was an OK day at Jiminy. I'll get more in-depth about the resort itself later, but here's the trail-by-trail in no particular order.
Whirlaway/Exhibition: Got first tracks down it first thing in the morning. Very fun and fast then. As the day wore on, it got very icy in the middle. They tried race training, but it was even too icy for them. The sides were still good through the afternoon.
Whitetail: Got probably 10th tracks down it. It was very fast all day, but very icy after 1. Sometimes, you couldn't even find powder to the sides. Q1 Quad was running pretty quick for a fixed grip and was ski-on for most of the day with an occasional 10 chair wait.
Jericho: Or as the sign calls it, "O". Best trail in the morning, but got icy as the day wore on. Lower steep had tons of corn by late morning and that held up all day. Berkshire Express was running slower than normal according to the regulars and had a variable wait, from 1 to 5 minutes.
Wild Turkey: Probably the worst trail in the morning, but became the best later on. The whole upper section was great after noon. The lower section was nice on skiier's left, but scraped to the right.
Nor'Easter: Got very first tracks. Hell, I even beat the ski patroller to it. I ripped some wide GS turns down the steep section. After that, the grooming got all crappy and I had to slow down. That was the only run I took on it.
Panorama: Got pretty early tracks on this one too. Too bad Sugarbush doesn't own Jiminy, or it would be "Panorama Glades" with a 5 trees in the middle. Great views and pretty fast.
Easy Does It: Got first tracks, even 20 minutes after the lift opened. It was very flat at the top like every other trail at Jiminy, but had a good pitch the rest of the way. Widow White's Quad was slow as ever, but no line and nice views.
Left Bank/Cutter: Left Bank was strewn with beginners. Cutter was crap. No bumps and it was 100% ice. Left Bank had pretty good conditions with a few bumps.
North Glade/360: First, I'm proud to say I made it down the first part of West Way and all of Outback without touching a pole to the ground or skating at all. I felt so proud skiing around everyone walking up the second half of Outback while I had enough speed to make it all the way up. North Glade was pretty icy by the time I got to it. 360 was very crowded.
Riptide/Willie's/Raccoon: Pretty good trio. I took nice turns down Riptide thanks to the nice snow. Raccoon was a great alternative to the overcrowded 360. The triple was running at a decent speed for a fixed grip.
Foxes/Slingshots: Upper Fox is pretty steep, but after 500 feet, it magically turns into lower fox. That's marketing for ya. The trails were kind of icy, but good to the sides and low light due to the shade. Slingshots were crowded.
Grand Slam: Outside of the park, it was very icy. The intermediate park is pretty good. The double goes down as the weirdest lift I've ridden in my life. And what are those towers next to the triple that kind of look like a mini Skycoaster?
So, after my second trip to Jiminy, I'm going to say I actually like Wachusett better. I'm serious. Jiminy's runs are VERY short. I like the motto I heard a few times today: "5 minutes up, 30 seconds down". Hell, the 6-pack took more like 3-4 minutes. All of the blacks and some of the blues off the top were definitely shorter than Wachusett's summit runs. The 6 overpacks the summit greens BADLY. The food and drinks are horribly expensive compared to Wachusett and not as good (besides the soda, Pepsi kick's Polar's @$$). The only advantage Jiminy has is that it's slightly more challenging.
Speaking of Wachusett, just 2 days till the 24 hour skiathon. I'll be up there for about 12 hours of it.
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