Category: 2006-2007 Season

2006-2007 Season, December, Jay Peak

Too Many People, Too Little Snow at Jay

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Day number nine for the season and my first December ski day was rather depressing yet filled with optimism. For every negative aspect of the afternoon, I was able to come away with a juxtaposed positive. The same lift and same trail as the previous week was open today with slightly less coverage but better snow conditions and less quality deterioration. The previous week saw The Jet open edge to edge for the most part with moguls and natural features under the Jet Triple Chair featuring soft loose snow. However, today there was no snow under the lift forcing a higher volume of sliders onto a smaller patch of snow.

Despite marginal and variable conditions ranging from scraped to soft piles to soft bumps to good cruising packed powder, conditions deteriorated much slower than the previous week. The Jet Triple was ski on all morning which would suggest low crowds, but even with ski on lifts, with only trail to choose from, The Jet quickly was over run with too many skiers. I was not happy with the lack of elbow room. Many skiers and riders were borderline out of control and the occasional slider crossed well passed the control line. One humerus incident involved a snow blader that slid face first down two hundred feet of The Jet.

Seeing snow guns firing on Lower Haynes and the connector trails towards Tramside was a welcome sight. Additionally, Jay Peak was caked with two inches of white stuff from the snow Saturday night. With cold air finally taking hold in New England and snow in the forecast, things are finally looking up in New England. After one of the worst early seasons in modern New England ski history, it is safe to say that the season has finally begun in earnest.

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2006-2007 Season, Jay Peak, November

Opening Weekend of the Season at Jay Peak

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Jay Peak opened for the season on Friday November 24th turning The Jet Triple Chair with The Jet as the only open trail. Due to family functions related to Thanksgiving, I could not make Jay’s opening day but was sure to get in on the action Saturday afternoon. After sleeping in and whacking off around the house in the morning, I got a late start and caught my first lift of the season around 10:30a. By then the top of The Jet had been scrapped down to a sheet of frozen snow that only the racers could cut an edge through. Lower Jet was in the sun light and offered decent fast carved turns. But the real action was under the lift on The Jet where I found loose snow, moguls, thin cover, and frozen balls and boulders of snow making sludge. An interesting mix to say the least. I took this option on all of my eight runs much to the dismay of my back and legs. First moguls of the year are always a bitter sweet experience. Even after seven days of earning turns, the first day working a mogul field uses completely different muscles and the earlier turn earning was no assistance in developing those muscle groups. Conditions under the lift were quickly deterorating after noon as most skiers of a proficient level realized that was were the nice soft snow was. By run number eight, the conditions had gone from suck to blow and my body was too sore for further punishment, so I called it a day. Day number eight marks the worst snow conditions I have skied to date this season and hopefully the worst snow conditions for the entire season, with any luck. The last four days have progressively gotten worse and it is no surprised that my first day of lift serviced skiing sucked so bad given the limited terrain and marginal snow making temperatures resulting in low quality faux sneaux. Despite having a pass to Jay Peak and living only one hour away from the mountain, I opted to take a hike in the White Mountains on Sunday. My first day of lift serviced skiing was just that bad.

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2006-2007 Season, Earned Turns, Jay Peak, November

Earned Turns at Jay Peak Under the Guns

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With Jay Peak planning to open for the Season this coming Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, I planned a double purpose trip to Jay Peak. Instead of fighting the crowds on Saturday morning to get my Season Pass picture taken, I opted to visit the office this morning and take care of business before the rush. The other purpose was of course to make some turns and claim my seventh day of the season. While Jay Peak’s Faux Sneaux left much to be desired, claiming day seven before Thanksgiving is not too shabby, especially considering the first major New England ski areas just opened yesterday.

Arriving at The Jet triple and clicking into my skis, I happened upon a pot of gold. White Gold that is. With snow guns firing and a bright sun blazing across a deep blue sky, a rainbow had formed at the nozzle of every single snow gun. The end of the rainbow led to a bountiful pot of white gold. I have never chased the end of a rainbow before; but now that I have, I know that the story is true.

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2006-2007 Season, Earned Turns, November, Stowe

Early October Earned Turns on Mount Mansfield

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“Damn, I wish it was still October.” Not often are these words spoken in New England by skiers. But based on short and long term forecasts, there is a distinct possibility that October will have been a better month to ski New England than November. Which is not to say that the skiing on Mount Mansfield on November fifth was not more than satisfactory and excellent for November. But it sure was no October 2006.

Austin, Marc, and I all arrived at the Gondola lot early Sunday morning for some skiing on Mount Mansfield. Snow Guns were firing hard on Upper Nose Dive and on the other side of the mountain. We opted to ascend via Nose Dive and make plans for the descent once we were higher up. A short hike up Nose Dive was required before we could put skins to the snow and beginning skinning. Snow coverage was still substantial and wall to wall after a short hundred vertical feet of dry land. It is still hard to believe how much snow has stuck around for so long considering the date!

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2006-2007 Season, Earned Turns, Jay Peak, November

Early November Tree Skiing Madness!!

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On Friday November 3rd, Jay Peak fired up the snow guns on The Jet and Haynes as unseasonably low temperatures continued throughout New England. Jay Peak plans on bumping up their opening to the weekend before the Thanksgiving Holiday and will have plenty of snow to do so, even with the pending warm up next week. All the major players let loose their guns this week to capitalize on a rare shot at prolonged early November snow making. The masses also descended on Jay Peak to capitalize on a chance to ski and ride early season man made snow before the lifts start moving. Where were all these people the past two weeks when Jay had epic late October snow? I have no idea.

While I had prepared myself for Jay to have substantially less snow and worse conditions than my first four days in October, I had not prepared myself for the massive disappearance of snow. Approaching the mountain, Can Am and Power Line (which were both socked with snow last week) bore huge brown spots and disastrously thin cover. The lower slopes at Stateside were no longer skiable nor skinable, so I carried my skis on my pack and began hoofing up Derick Hot Shot.

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