Category: January

2024-2025 Season, January, Jay Peak, Powder Day

Chaotic Rebound

If weather was sentient, it would always manifest its malevolence during the Christmas holiday week. New England could not escape the holiday week without rain. It is simply not permitted.

Jay Peak rebounded nicely with a well-forecasted, multi-day weather event. By the day after New Year’s, Jay was engulfed in a full-on-blizzard. Vehicles that couldn’t make it up the access road clogged 242. And all for not, as the upper mountain lifts never spun.

By Friday morning, more than two feet of snow had fallen, and the snow and wind continued. Fortunately, the Jet and Bonnie were spinning. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to know that JPR was the place to be.

Between vacationers and powder hounds, the lots quickly filled to capacity and the resort started turning would-be-guests away. Given two major lifts were on wind hold, the resulting liftline situation was dreadful.

Many holiday skiers seemed to be taking their first turns of the season. Or perhaps, the first turns of their lives. All lifts experienced incessant slow-downs and stoppages due to loading and unloading issues.

This made two-lift-laps for Tramside runs unbearable, despite exquisite knee deep untracked in the woods. Despite the exquisite snow, I could only stomach the Bonnie/Taxi cycle twice.

The boot to knee deep untracked was exceptional. But caution was warranted. The recent meltdown eliminated much of the base, so hidden snowsnakes and rocks were both a factor. By the end of this storm cycle, and with more skier traffic, the snowpack will almost reset to pre-holiday depths.

2023-2024 Season, January, Ragged Mountain

Ragged: Not A Powder Day

Today was my first time skiing Ragged since my first visit over twenty years ago. Back then, Ragged had just installed the first Six Pack in New Hampshire. Since then, they have added another high speed lift up Speare Mountain, and a few more glades.

However, I would not be skiing those glades today. The new snow would normally constitute a “power day” tag. However, most of the new snow was groomed, or fell on bare ground. No “reservations” today, the new snow was not enough to entice even me.

Four generally unique routes were available from the summit, with a bit of natural (thanks to an earlier groom) on some of the trails. Unfortunately, all of the open trails got a groom at some point during the evening. So, no trails offered more than a few token inches. Still, it was nice to feel natural snow again, even if only a few inches of a chop.

2021-2022 Season, January, Pats Peak

Pat’s Peak

With two Indy Pass tickets to burn and a storm heading south, I thought a trip to Pat’s Peak might be interesting. My last visit to Pat’s was over a dozen years ago when I participated in evening beer league racing. I only skied Pat’s at night, so I never got a complete feel for the mountain. And, I wanted to check out their new Cascade Basin trail pod.

The storm was a morning and afternoon affair. With almost no new snow in the morning at any mountain, I thought an afternoon start with an evening skiing option would be ideal. The storm would intensify and the turns would get later in the day and into the evening.

Pat’s totally busted on the storm with almost no new snow, strong winds, and cold temperatures. Snow conditions were decidedly firm and hard pack. I found Cascade Basin to be an ideal beginner area. Its blue square and a black diamond trails are rated relative to other trails within Cascade Basin, not relative to other trails at Pat’s. The entire complex is decidedly green circle pitched, regardless of ratings on the map.

I was dreadfully bored, underwhelmed, and disappointed with the surface conditions. I left after less than two hours of uninspired exploration. I cannot imagine returning again, even on an Indy Pass. A fine place for a beginner or for beer league racing, but not much else.

2020-2021 Season, Cannon Mountain, January

CANNON-19

My third day of the season happened during the third month of the season. Some years, I have skied three days before November. Most years, I have skied three days before December. Almost all years, I have skied three days before the new year. The 2001-2002 season was the last time that I skied my third day after the new year. Spoiler alert, that same trend and that same reference season repeats itself for my fourth ski day during February.

This was my first time riding the lifts with COVID-19 mitigation measures in effect. Cannon handled the situation admirably. Most guests conducted themselves in an appropriate manor. Just a few skiers had their masks down while in line. Lift corals were well positioned with reasonably good spacing. Indoor seating areas were spread out; but I would have preferred that no mask lowering be allowed indoors, even for eating (eat outside or in your car). I kept outside except for restroom breaks.

While in the queues, some skiers tested my patience. I knew full well that solo riding impacts lines due to the current restrictions. But the signs said to only ride chairs with people who arrived in the same vehicle. Yet, many singles requested to join me. I wish folks would just follow the rules and lay off the requests to pair up.

The biggest issue was that the conditions did not merit the lines. Cannon had powder day lines for groomed hard pack conditions. My own own patronage was just as much to blame as the other skiers and riders. But understanding that concept did not compensate for the ratio of turn quality to line wait. The experience was quite uncomfortable for mediocre skiing.

I will return to Cannon later in the season when all options are on the table and conditions improve. Until then, I will earn turns and ride my indoor bike trainer.