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March 21, 2024April 24, 20242023-2024 Season, Earned Turns, Jay Peak, March, Powder Day

Jay: No Lifts, No Problem

I knew the wind would impact lift operations. So, I brought my touring gear and I fully expected to use it. Upon arrival, the wind was howling and it was bitterly cold. The lifts would never run.

Today was a rare resort touring day when I took the full measure of risks and consequences before I started skiing. Moving was required to keep the cold at bay. An injury would likely result in frostbite.

Due to the wind, conditions were variable from hard pack groomers to thigh deep bottomless untracked. It was challenging to figure out where to go, given so much of the mountain was bare ground and thin coverage before the storm. I started up Northway and decided to start with Can Am skier’s right.

Jackpot! Boot to knee deep untracked, and a bit of shelter from the wind. Very nice. I skinned back up via to Northway and headed to the top of the Jet. I opted to ski the Jet where I found thigh deep drifts in between groomed hard pack. It was worth dealing with the intermittent groom as the dense powder was insane when I hit a drift.

It was so nice, I decided to head back up and ski Haynes. It was very similar with a bit less drifting but more consistent powder and fewer groomer breaks. My legs were getting tired and I knew that I only had one more run left. I headed back up Northway to the top of the Bonnie and dropped into Deliverance.

As usual, the trees are the best on wind blown powder days. I rarely ski Deliverance as its narrow upper sections get skied off really quickly most days. But today, I had it all to myself and it was sensational. The last three months have been brutal, no doubt. But knee deep days don’t happen every season. This surely makes up for things, at least a little bit.

March 16, 2024April 24, 20242023-2024 Season, Jay Peak, March

Jay

Not much to say about today. The unseasonably warm and wet weather significantly impacted Jay’s snowpack. A few gullies had exposed water gushing down the hill and a few lower mountain waterbars were nearly completely bare. It was a disappointing sight to see.

I tried to ski a few glades that I normally avoid and find interesting lines on the periphery. I probably spent more time in the Canyonland today than I have in all of my over 100 days of skiing Jay combined.

March 12, 2024April 24, 20242023-2024 Season, Earned Turns, March, Tenney Mountain

Tenney: New Boot Shakedown

After over a dozen years of suffering from sixth toe pain in my Garmont Radiums, I decided it was time to pull the trigger on a new pair of touring boots. At 60% off list price, the previous season closeout was too good of a deal to pass up. No amount of adjustments could relieve my fit issues in the Garmonts.

I bought the Radiums when there were only two “tech-touring-beef-boot” manufacturers. My feet did not fit either Scarpa or Garmont, but the Garmont was less painful. Such was life before tech touring boots took over the industry in recent years.

I took my new K2 Dispatch Pro boots to the local bump for a shakedown. Uphill and downhill comfort was much improved, ski control was significantly better, and I was not crying in pain after a single run.

I skinned up for a second run as the sun was starting to set, which given the unseasonably warm temperatures, meant that the snow was about to become lunar. In some places, it already was.

The boots still need some fine-tuning but I am satisfied with the upgrade at a value price. Tenney was a snozefest like always.

March 10, 2024March 11, 20242023-2024 Season, Mad River Glen, March, Powder Day

MRG: Worth the Wait

Daylight Saving Time powder days provide a special kind of joy. The early riser always gets the untracked. But doubly so when most skiers do not adjust their waking time to accommodate not only snowy roads, but also the time change.

So, it was much to my chagrin that the power was out in the Mad River Valley. Having nothing else to do (and not having my uphill gear), I settled in for the long wait. Many other skiers would not be patient. One by one, they took off their boots, packed their bags, and left.

Half of the crowd left and then, sure enough, the power kicked on at noon. I will gladly wait four hours for lifts to open late if it means half as many skiers are in line.

Given the Double had no one waiting and would be the faster chair to open, I lined up for third chair. The snow was dense and a foot deep, but it fell on top of somewhat bare ground. Steeper would better, but I was mindful of unseen obstacles under the surface.

I started with a cautious opener down Panther and gained more confidence merging into Gazelle. Riders on the chairs above cheered the first tracks of the day. Waterfall skied as good as I have ever skied it. After skiing untracked top to bottom, I hopped on the Single for a longer and steeper run.

I overheard a patroller mention that Paradise was good. That raised my confidence a bit too much. The undulations were significant and so were the hidden obstacles. Halfway down Paradise, I took a trip over the handlebars, and tehn finished the run with Upper and Lower Glade.

I went back up the Single and found some of my favorite in-bound off-map rabbit holes where I scored mostly first and second tracks on my third, fourth, and fifth runs. The super heavy and dense snow was best where it was untracked. Multiple ski cuts really chunked up the snow.

I could not return the next day for the expected foot of blower. But I can rest easy knowing that the late season is saved and I still have more opportunities to use my two remaining Mad Cards. A week ago, I had feared an early end to the season might be imminent.

February 24, 2024March 6, 20242023-2024 Season, Earned Turns, February, Jay Peak

Jay: When Skinning is Better Than Skiing

The forecast suggested that Jay would get a foot of snow throughout a forty-eight hour period. However, Jay reported only a dusting by Friday morning. And the report for Saturday showed not even a dusting overnight. On the drive up, I knew things were not well when I did not see any new snow in the Notch nor Sheffield Heights.

Worse yet, the snow pack was moisture laden frozen hard pack. Word on the lifts was that the groomers had a difficult night and did their best with a challenging snow pack. It was the worst snow of the year, many better white ribbons of death have skied better.

My original plan was to ski the lifts a bit and then enjoy the natural over on Gilpin. So, I had my touring rig with me. I decided it would be more fun to skin than to ski, and I was right. I always enjoy a good hike on a pleasant sunny day (if a bit cold, but skinning keeps you warm).

The only concern was lower level holiday skiers losing control and hitting me. Conditions were slick and fully engaging an edge was challenging. Thankfully, the skin route is mellow enough that no one lost control. The ski down was abysmal, as conditions were rapidly deteriorating due to skier traffic.