Stowe or Jay

[Birdman829]

Smuggsunderstandably extensively advertises itself as Amercia' Family Resort, although we do have glades accessable to intermediate, expert and really really expert skiers, and there's considerable out of bounds skiing as well.

Yeah. I was referring to the section on the site about the glades. My beef with the other guy was that if I had to describe a few mountains in one or two words it would go something like this. Sugarbush - great terrain. Stowe - classic terrain. Smuggs - family resort. Okemo - grooming/cruisers. Jay - snow/glades. This is not to say these are the only things available at those places, its just what they tend to be known for.

 

[ccskier]

I had a pass at Stowe for 4 years and smuggs 1 during college. At that time I lived 25 minutes to Smuggs, 45 to Jay and 30 to Stowe. My first year I went to Smuggs. After that Stowe only. I went to Jay 1 time in the 5 years I was there. I have now has a pass to Jay for the past 3 years. I drive up from the Cape just about everyweekend. I find it hard to compare the two. I went from skiing any where from 60-100 days per year at Stowe to about 30 now at Jay.

Although both have much to offer off piste, I do miss letting them rip on the groomers at Stowe. Midweek spring time was awesome. Stowe has the Chin, etc... Jay has the Dip, Big Jay and just about anywhere you can get.

If you want a ski town then Stowe is the place. Jay is you ski first chair to last chair head to the Bellfry for a beer and burger, in bed by 11 up at 7 and start it all over.

Just my thought. Plus my pass at Jay is about 550 compared to 1300 at Stowe. Plus I was smart and married a girl who grew up in the next town over from Jay.

 

[VTpowder]

go stowe all the way, it wins in every aspect these days. jay is just as crowded on the weekends as stowe and jay is a smaller mt with less steep and stowe has just as much snow, don't let the jay marketing team fool you, the numbers are always inflated. stowe has the largest and best bc and jay is working with a couple of skiable lines on big jay which is a circus show these days, it was bumped out last season, i bet it is hard to find moguls in the bc at stowe. go stowe. it wins hands down!!!

 

[billski]

If you are interested in a broader perspective than just the woods, Jay markets heavily into Quebec and gets a lot of French-speaking Montreallers. It makes for a more "international-feeling", makes you feel more like you've really gotten away from the arrogant American crowd.
(I'll sit back now and wait for the flames....)

 

[JD]

It's not hard to find out-of-bounds bumps in Stowe come February. It seems to be the place ALL the UVM and St. Mikes kids come to get rad in the BC. One day last year I was at the top of the Brook at 6:45, 9 people IN LINE. Must have really sucked for all those people behind us. 4 of them slept on the Mtn. and got to the brook to find 4 people in front of them ready to drop in. It can really be a rat race here. But if you get here early and stat skinning by 6, you get great sunrises and will feel like the whole place is yours. And there is alot to choose from. Hard to find, but there. When I had a pass, on a good day (more the 6 fresh), the line up starts at 7 for an 8 o'clock opening. On Saturdays, you had to be in line by quarter of and by the time they kick the gate down there is easily 50+ people, some days way more, waiting. C R A Z Y ! ! ! !

 

[koreshot]

I have more of visitor's point of view. I have skied Jay about 15 days on 6 or 7 different occasions and skied Stowe 10 days on 3 occasions. Obviously, I don't have the indepth knowledge of the BC or even the inbounds terrain than some of the other people on this forum do. But given that many people that ski these resorts fall into my category, I would have to say that Stowe is the better hill and has the better terrain.

I have skied all the standard, well known, but not overused runs in Jay Peak like the face chutes, pump house and saddle a number of times. I think the natural runs are better in Jay than they are in Stowe. But it seemed to get skied out faster in Jay that it did in Stowe. Furthermore, if the snow is not there, Stowe seemed the better of the two in preserving snow conditions on and off the trails with (what seemed to me) better exposure to winds and better snowmaking. I did one hike to the chin with Tin Woodsman and was plesantly surprised at how easily accessible the slack country was.

So from a visitor's point of view, Stowe offers great terrain with more reliable snow conditions and Jay is best for the days after the storm in the woods.

 

[Jay's Dip Powcher]

I personally like them both. Glade skiing at Jay is awesome but to mix it up and to have great east coast conditions Stowe is nice as well and would keep any wife happy with there non skiing crap. Stowe also has an extensive back crountry glade system that is not well known...sorry if I let the cat out of the bag on that one.

 

[Brettski]

It's all good...it's like saying do you like Susie or Sally better

 

[from_the_NEK]

Sally is smokin hot She got some amazing peaks
I really need to get out and ski

 

[JD]

Stowe woods is overrated. Jay Rulz. Def. go to Jay after the big dumps...they have all the good glades.

 

[56fish]

not that I'm selfish...

Please go to Stowe, I hang at Jay...:wink: