Cross blocking skills were not optional in the trees at Jay this weekend. All of Jay’s Stateside glades are open excepting Deliverance and Canyonland. But I was more excited about having so much off map tree skiing available. Cautious exuberance, with poles held high, yielded an exceptional amount of tree skiing. There is no doubt about it: stick season is officially open at Jay.
More than half of Jay Peak’s guests last week were from Quebec. Whereas this weekend, more than half of Jay Peak’s guests were Killington Refuges. While not crowded, an empty chair was hard to find despite the Jet Triple running nearly ski on all day. For the second time this season, I saw a family without valid passes trying to sneak onto the lift only to be caught by RFID. And I thought it would have been the college kids getting called out.
Based on what I observed, it seems likely that Jay was operating profitably this weekend. But that is a somewhat dubious argument against Killington. As more ski areas close, it makes it easier for the limited few to make a profit due to attrition from other areas. As opposed to more competition for fewer guests spread around to more areas. But Killington could just as easily have been taking Jay’s customers rather than vice versa. Superstar is a superior late season trail and I would have been at Killington instead of Jay had the so called “Beast” ran their lifts. All that said, I was glad to be skiing lift serviced in May and glad to be doing it at Jay Peak.
I love it!
I love it!
I love it!
I love it!
I love it!
I love it!
I love it!
In the past week, I have surpassed my 2009-2010 total days at Jay Peak. Three out of four days this past week were Powder Days. I know the answer already but I can’t help but ask myself “what was I thinking last year?”
Jay racked up an impressive two day total of 42″. And that is not a typo, those numbers are in the correct order. Today certainly didn’t ski like a “day after the wind hold powder day”. Winds laid down an extremely compacted wind buff. The powder was soft and surfy; decidedly not blower nor deep. Though softer shots on certain limited aspects allowed for some boot deep silky turns.
Beginning our last run back to Stateside Lodge, I saw the same scene repeating itself as we started down the flat top section of Montrealer: groups of skiers and riders posing for a picture with Jay Peak in the background. It’s something I have done myself in the same location from both sides of the camera. Groups can be expected to be doing this any time during a clear day. I skied past one group. And then another group. And another after that.
And then it hit me. Again. It needs to keep hitting me until it sinks into my thick skull that is so bent on personal experience. What we do as individuals matters less than what we do together with others. I’ve had epic days this season. Deeper powder days. But no days before nor days to come are a match for the past three days. There was something special happening.