Jay Summit VT – March 3-4, 2011 : New versus Old – Part 2

Patrick

Active member
Links and more pictures inside this post that be found onSki Mad World.

On the summit’s previous day, skiers from different backgrounds were able to have a great day at Jay together. Either by dropping in on classic trails like Green Beret or skiing the woods. Great conditions and smiles all around. Old and new got along great. The question on today’s post is, how is the New Jay and Old Jay going to get along. Is there anything that is going to be lost with these changes?

DAY 3

The NSBS group split in two this morning. Some went back to basic which is back in vogue and skinned up outside of Jay Peak Resort while James and myself went hit the trails. Today was also the morning in which we had to get our gear out and checkout from our comfortable ski-in/ski-out condos. Once the car was loaded we headed to Stateside.

The Jet from the Stateside parking lot.

Started our day going up the Bonnie. I brought James on the classic groomers/trail when Jay Peak only had trails winding down the mountain. Top-to-bottom Goat, an old classic that is a bit lost in today’s Jay Peak. If you don’t know what Jay was like the first few times I skied here, take a trip back and look here.

These old trails don’t necessarily have the same feel to them now that skier can come out or drop in the woods for anywhere. Skiers crossing trails from the woods skiing or the numerous new trails and intersections. Hard to ski the line that was envisioned originally.

Next we went down another classic Northway and Angle’s Wiggle. I was on my own for the third run. The first in the Eighties type steep wide trails, the Can-Am Supertrail as it was know then, opened things up and creating a large white scar down the mountain. Did it fit in with the rest of Jay Peak? I remember loving that trail and hitting a GS course at warp speed … getting a concussion on the compression at the bottom, maybe, I don’t remember. Even if there was a sign warning about the icy conditions on this day, I was still surprised once I dropped in on the wall. I had to dig my edges hard to avoid sideslipping then I hit some windblown patches of powder and followed them the way to the bottom of the face. Great muscle burning turns. I guess my run looked good, as I saw a couple attempting the experience. Prior to my run, I saw no one on it. Not sure if the skiers that followed enjoyed it due the ice at the top and if you didn’t find the sweet spot, well….:roll: The bottom is now a snowpark and huge jumps. Thanks to these jumps, we can ski to the bottom in May with some limited damage to the skis.

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The Can-Am scar. Picture taken while waiting for the group.

Met back up with James and we waited to tag up with the rest of the group. Once together, James skied off to his interview with Steve from Jay Peak. We were going to catch up to them later.

Around the same years of the Can-Am Supertrail, glades started making it on the trail map. After 2 1/2 days, Harv and Matt had a good tour of Jay, however they hadn’t been in Everglades, one of the first real glades at Jay. The trail isn’t as hidden as in was in pre-Freezer quad days, but it’s still probably the one of the longest official glades in Northern Vermont. We found some great snow even if it was two days after the storm. Not deep, but not packed powder either.

Time for one more before lunch, skied the groomed Goat-Green Mountain Boys classic combo. Arcing turns on packed powder and heading toward the new base to have lunch with Steve Wright. A long lunch that would include a discussion and a tour of some of the new facilities in construction like the future waterpark and Hotel 2. Impressive. You can even see a blimp on the datalog when we climb to the top. Hard to miss this New Jay.

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James and Harv: Did someone call us geeks?

A construction site in ski boots is a first for me. After our hardhat tour of the facilities, we did one ride up a very windy Flyers. After that run, the Flyers (aka Freezer) and Tram were down. We took the Metro to ski toward Stateside only to see that Bonnie had suffered the same faith. For the people still skiing, everything was happening at the Jet Triple. The lineup wasn’t as bad as last May 1st, but it was the longest waits we’ve had during this Summit. We tried Kitzwood near to my old time fav Kitzbuehel then headed to Jay’s original bump run, U.N. That was a mistake, at least for my part. Bumps were hard and not really pack powder. A short time afterward, the day was already over. To our dismay, the cafeteria was shutdown in the Stateside lodge, so no food, snack or drink. Thanks to Matt with bringing some refreshments in paper cuts from his car. Cheers guys, it was great. See you next year!!!


****

In these two days, I saw two different Jay Peak. I skied remanent of the old twisting trails from my youth versus trails and glades, a crossover from generations of changeover. A marriage that isn’t always perfect. The same can be said with the old laid back Jay Peak versus the brand new luxurious hotel with waterpark, golf course and ice arena. How far can you go without affecting your brand? The excellent pieces Raise Jay or… Raized Jay? and Change as well as also got a similar impression of the changes from a regular and a newbie. While presenting the new features of the New Jay Peak Resort, they also share their views about them. Are you going to turnoff our core values in what would seem to be a Disneyfication of the Tram base? I know some people don’t like it, some do. I don’t mind Waterparks and Ice arena, but the question I wonder is if they belong here?

I understand Jay’s desire to attract people year-around, that is the challenge in all major ski areas, including places like Mad River Glen. The fact that the cash comes in the Winter months and Winter are getting shorter. People are also more distracted by other activities like Disney World at Spring Break. There are definitely going after that market aggressively. That waterpark is going to be sick and hockey tournaments and camps are a big thing in our parts. The question is, how is that going to affect the atmosphere of the place? Is it going in fit in or is it going to clash? Clash like trail skiers behind cut off from people goes coming out of the woods or simply coming out from behind tree. It’s great to have both, but it can lead to collisions that can hurt.

List of the other pieces from the NBSB summit that reflect this last day:


The Snowway:
Raising Jay or Razing Jay?
Country Store Series: Troy General Store
Social Media, Blogging, & Skiing
NSBS Behind the Scenes
More from the NSBS at Jay Peak
Jay Peak: NSBS Day 3

Ski = MC Squared:
Northeast Ski Blogger Summit: Change

The Real Jay Peak Report:
Seeing Jay Peak through new eyes
NSBS backstory: A Blind Date at Jay Peak
NSBS Day 3: Nothing like a little hike to start your day!

Harvey Road:
Northeast Ski Blogger Summit 2011

Links and story behind the first two days of the NSBS can be found in Ski Mad World’s Jay Summit VT – March 3-4, 2011 : Old meets New – Part 1

Other relevant posts on the New Jay versus Old Jay theme

The Real Jay Peak Report:

Jay Peak: a marketing guy’s dream, or nightmare?
The Hotel Jay is gone
The lost runs of Jay Peak

Ski Mad World:
Monday Mad Addict’s Attic : Jay Peak 1
Monday Mad Addict’s Attic : Jay Peak 2
Monday Mad Addict’s Attic : Jay Peak 3

Originally posted on Ski Mad World.
 
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