Category: November

2013-2014 Season, Dawn Patrol, Earned Turns, Jay Peak, November, Powder Day

Just Another Day at the Office: Jay Peak

Upper Milk Untracked

While it wasn’t a true dawn patrol by definition, it was one in spirit. I set an alarm for 4:45 A.M. and didn’t arrive at Jay until 7:15 A.M. due to road conditions and local school traffic. It was well past dawn by the time my skins hit the snow but I was still on a time limit. I needed to be at work for a 2:00-10:00 P.M. shift. It was painful not being able to take a vacation day but not as painful as sitting the storm out.

The drive up 242 was mesmerizing. Early season dumps at Jay usually don’t deposit much snow below the base area. But the snow banks were considerable as I ascended the access road. It was full on winter and puking snow when I arrived at the Jet lot. Earlier that morning, I considered stopping at Cannon which looked to have received about half a foot. I had definitely chosen wisely!

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2013-2014 Season, November, Sunday River

Back at It: Sunday River

Locke Mountain Triple

Is it ski season already? The last four months have been a passionless slog through the fog. I missed October powder turns but it was for a good cause. We went back to Bermuda and I got my head straight (again). And as soon as I got back from sea level, I wasted no time heading for the top of a mountain, a place where I need to find myself more often. I have some big plans for this season, so let’s get it started.

Sunday River retained solid coverage despite a warm up and rain. The River uploaded guests to two trails: T2 and Upper Punch. A small park was setup at the top of T2 causing significant traffic issues due to parker goers yo-yo’ing. Word on the hill was that the skiing on Saturday was spring like. An overnight freeze fixed that but mountain ops had the guns cranking on all open trails and well beyond. The new man made mostly covered up the frozen hard pack.

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2012-2013 Season, November, Sunday River

Sunday River: Right Stuff, Wrong Conditions

Right Stuff Was Aptly Named Today

After loosing the first to open battle to Killington, Sunday River responded by offering significantly better terrain at a cheaper price for the Veteran’s Day weekend. While Killington offers two trails off North Ridge with hiking to download and a top to bottom route that “may require walking”, Sunday River has three and a half unique top to bottom runs in addition to a connector trail. Unfortunately for Sunday River, the snow condition quality did not match the route count quantity.

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2012-2013 Season, Earned Turns, Jay Peak, November, Powder Day

A Jay Day: Good, Better, Best

Derick Hot Shot

What is a Jay Day? It is one of those days when everything goes right. When you change your plans after assessing the situation and score some great turns. It doesn’t have to be the deepest day. It doesn’t have to be a foot of blower. It is one of those days at Jay that you don’t easily forget.

I left home this morning looking for more than a ski day. I was looking for perspective and I wasn’t expecting to find it. Halfway through a stay-cation intended to refresh and rejuvenate, I was feeling deep ennui. Something wasn’t right, my mind was out of sorts. Given that the previous two ski days didn’t help, I assumed this trip to Jay was just going through the motions. What else would I do all day?

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2012-2013 Season, Killington, November

Opening Day at Killington

Snowmaking on Rime

Killington opened for the season today, and this time everyone was invited. This was my first early season experience since the installation of the Peak Walkway which is a game changer for Killington. With Killington’s renewed sense of identity, it will be difficult for any other mountain in the northeast to open sooner.

I took advantage of a 2 for 1 offer, taking a half dozen runs for nineteen fiddy. Uploading was provided by the K1 which unceremoniously dumped me out on the Great Northern gauntlet. Snow guns were everywhere creating an impenetrable cloud of near blindness.

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