Sugarbush or Jay?

[Steve@jpr]

Flashy advertising you say? Curious adjective.

At this point, I'd say Sugarbush. But I have not skied Jay this season. When I get a chance, I will look at their Trail Report and give an assessment.

SB has a lot open right now and it is skiing well. Castlerock is open as well. I would not advise a Jay trip unless their off-piste options are available. Their trails suck. And in all of their flashy advertising, they sidestep the key problem with Jay: its weather. Wind closes the place on many, many days. More than they say. Also that wind scours the trails (hence why the glades are good). So there is a lot of ice. So watch the weather--any forecast for wind should race a red flag.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Sugarbush..more terrain..an hour and a half closer..and more AZers to ski with..

 

[JD]

Sugarbush..more terrain..an hour and a half closer..and more AZers to ski with..

and powdercat skiing.....
I think a powdercat is similar to a thundercat, but I'm not sure....

 

[thetrailboss]

Flashy advertising you say? Curious adjective.

Got to admit Steve, and it is not meant as criticism but rather as a compliment, but I have never seen a resort have as much advertising as Jay. I have not seen anything of the the same quality or calibur either. I see ads in every publication, every website, and in many places. TV, radio, etc. Must be a huge budget.

My GF and I saw one ad...the one with the guy holding a deer head on his head while the other holds up a red shirt. We laughed our asses off. She worked at two very reputable VT advertising firms and she was very impressed. She was curious as to who you used and who came up with that great idea.

So if there is an award for best advertising campaigns, it goes to Jay. Makes sense considering Jay's distance from traditional Southern New England markets.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

and there's the Jay Peak ad with the trendy people and the Lear Jet..

 

[thetrailboss]

and there's the Jay Peak ad with the trendy people and the Lear Jet..

That was funny as well! Really edgy...and risky considering that it made the "Jay" brand seem to be going against the grain of the rest of the market.

Makes sense considering that they were aiming to get the younger market. The ones who will make that drive and the ones that Jay's terrain and woods would appeal to. The new core market. Jay is a trendy resort in that sense...hence the new website, etc.

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Given the forecast, I don't think you can go wrong at either place. If SB gets the projected foot plus through Friday, you can have your cake and eat it too - trails and glades.

 

[BigJay]

Too bad it's not dumping in Jay as hard as it is in Montreal right now... we're approaching 8-9in in the city... pretty crazy...

All things being said, there are chances of snow pilling up on time for the weekend in Jay... I agree it's a hard place to plan a weekend too... If i had big bucks to invest, i'd probably be safer to opt for SB...

But then again, check out the TR i posted 2 weeks ago... Lots of snow... We started riding the woods a while back... backcountry season is almost open... Snow is definately piling up... and with all the mix of rain / drizzle / snow we're getting, the base will be good for a while! All we need is a 10-12in of fluff and we'll be more then happy!

As for marketing Jay, i think it's a great campain! Love how Jay stands differently than most hypster resorts... I met with ORIGIN (the ones doing publicity for Canada) and they have a really great team! A strong company with a focus on passion rather then "selling"... Impressive!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Jay is near Montreal which is great..after skiing..drive into Montreal for a night on the town..then the next morning..ski again..