Articles, NE Ski Blogger Summit

Raising Jay or Razing Jay?

Or… The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same.

Tram Haus Lodge

For those keeping score at home, here is a list of the recent developments at Jay Peak:

  • 18 Hole Championship Golf Course
  • Tram Haus Lodge
  • Clubhouse/Nordic Center
  • Ice Haus & Parking Garage
  • RFID
  • New Hotel Jay
  • Waterpark

And that is just getting things started. Within my lifetime (maybe), plans include a new Stateside Lodge, additional Stateside base development, Stateside lift upgrades, and the West Bowl expansion. Jay seems to be reigning in exact plans and time lines until the current dust settles. Regardless, a complete reconstruction of the Tramside base area is just the beginning of changes at Jay Peak.

Old Jay, New Jay

Od Jay and New Jay

At the new Tram Haus Lodge, an original Jay tram car sits in front of the Taiga Fitness & Spa Center. It is a bizarre juxtaposition that epitomizes change at Jay. Within the Tram Haus Lodge, fancy signs and railings incorporate haul rope from the original tram cable. The new Tower Bar’s center piece is a lift tower and sheave setup from the defunct Green Mountain double chair. The Customer Service desk and ticket windows have replaced the pizzeria but you can still grab a slice in the International Room. You don’t have to go downstairs to use the bathroom in the Tram Haus cafeteria but old schoolers still tempt fate. It’s all the same. It’s all different.

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2010-2011 Season, Bromley, March

Bromley: The Corn Mountain

Blue Ribbon Quad

Sledhauler on Havoc

En route to Bromley, I experienced disconcerting feelings driving past Magic Mountain. The feelings were irrelevant since Magic wouldn’t have the sunny exposure needed for great corn snow and was closed regardless. But it still felt odd to drive past southern Vermont’s finest to frolic instead at the Sun Mountain. Bromley was the safe bet on guaranteed perfect corn conditions and it delivered with aplomb… and I have no disconcerting feelings about that.

I had not skied Bromley in more than eleven years. Perspective is an interesting thing. Back then I considered Bromley’s Blue Ribbon Quad area as “full of tough diamond runs” that are “nothing to laugh about”. The trails that schooled me then seem mellow now. I have had such an amazing journey in less than a dozen years. And to think that journey is only getting started…

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2010-2011 Season, Burke, March

Burke

Springing forward always sucks. I was kidding myself last night when I set a predawn alarm. Not just because of the lost hour but also for thinking that first chair was a worth while pursuit. The radar was buzzing with snow in Northern Vermont. And I figured maybe it would amount to something worth the extra effort.

While the new snowfall did not amount to much and warmer temperatures made said snowfall a moot point, the skiing today was surprisingly decent. The snow was granular and grabby but not frozen nor hard pack. Despite recent rains, the snow pack was stable and deep showing no signs of loss. This is as good as can be hoped for following a rain event.

Due to the grabby nature of the snow, I stayed out of the woods. Bumps on Doug’s Drop suggested that despite natural trails being skiable, the groomers might be better. So I did some laps on Big Dipper, Bear Den, and Willoughby before calling it a day just as the Ride & Ski NEK Style crowd showed up. Truly admirable that Burke provides a cheap halfday ticket for the locals.

Country Store Series, NE Ski Blogger Summit

Country Store Series: Troy General Store

Troy General Store

The Troy General Store is easily one of my favorite post skiing stops. Sporting a map of Jay Peak on the front of the building, the store unabashedly looks for a connection with the mountain and its associated patrons. It is extremely convenient whether you need something to bring with you to Jay or for the drive home.

Unlike most of my other drive home haunts, the Troy General Store is rather close to the mountain. A stop here does not break up driving monotony. But it does provide a great recharge before the drive home and has everything I could possibly want.

The pizza is excellent and amongst the best of the country stores I have visited. Pizza is almost always available and usually in a variety of toppings. If pizza is not your thing, chicken wings and tenders are also available in addition to a deli for subs and sandwiches. The bakery section is well stocked and the chip selection is impressive. Most importantly, the store spots canned soda and a great craft beer selection. You really can’t beat the variety.

Troy General Store excels in accessibility with side of the road parking at the intersection of Routes 100 and 101. While cars can barely pull off Route 242 for overpriced gas at the tourist trap Jay Country Store, you can always pull up and pull out at Troy General Store without putting the car in reverse. You have to stop for the stop signs, any ways. It only makes sense to come to a complete stop for a bite to eat before the long drive home.

Articles, NE Ski Blogger Summit

Social Media, Blogging, & Skiing

Social media allows for communication between persons, groups, and organizations. These communications are generally either peer to peer or business to consumer (and consumer to business). Facebook has been (willfully and profitably) co-opted for commercial purposes and is a hybrid of these two frameworks: peer to peer communication combined with opt in advertising which is also shared with friends whether they opted in or not. From a marketing perspective, it is the best dodge of the CAN-SPAM Act available. Facebook has become the ultimate buzz generator for business to consumer communications.

Ten years ago, a company or organization was not legit without a web page. Now you are not legit without a Facebook Fan Page. Ski Areas on the cutting edge are blogging and tweeting. Lift status updates, snow conditions, and accumulations are reported real time in text, photos, and video.

Before these impressive communication developments, skiers had to read newspaper updates, call snow phones, or watch Weather Channel Ski Reports (none of which were in depth nor could be trusted). Now skiers and riders read forums, blogs, or social network feeds to see accurate conditions in real time. Ware the resort that fluffs a report which is contradicted by multiple live reports from skiers and riders on the mountain. Total buzz kill.

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