There's something to be said for heading off on a ski trip by screaming up VT 22A through the Champlain Valley with the top down in the waning afternoon sun and the Ramones and Pixies blasting on the car stereo: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3817.jpg" ALT="Driving"> <BR> <BR>This set the tone for the whole weekend. <BR> <BR>Saturday was spent at Jay Peak with friends Mike and Rich. Although four lifts were running, the only one that mattered was the Jet Triple, for the others were the Queen's Highway T-bar, the Village Double and the new Metro Quad. The latter three were nothing more than transportation lifts, connecting one base area to the other and to the village residences. Anything skiable from any of these lifts was fair game. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3818.jpg" ALT="View from the Jet Triple"> <BR> <BR>And there was a fair amount of snow left, too, even in the woods. I was sporting brand new skis all day and never once had a thought to return to the car to retrieve the rock skis. We hit everything from Timbuktu to Angel's Wiggle, and everything in between. The base remained sufficiently firm, topped by an inch or so of corn (where others had skied) or cream cheese (on untracked lines facing the sun). Kitzbuehel was in better shape than I've often seen it in mid-winter: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3819.jpg" ALT="Mike on Kitzbuehel"> <BR> <BR>Highlights of the day included stumbling upon a new-to-me stash on the hill, and wall-to-wall cover in Kitz Woods: <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/3820.jpg" ALT="Rich in Kitz Woods"> <BR> <BR>Skiing the Vermont woods in mid-April? That's gravy, folks. <BR> <BR>After starting off the day in bright sunshine, the clouds began to steadily thicken by late morning. The Jet was running on low speed, apparently in a bid to conserve energy and thereby save a chunk on the electric bill, but it was probably a good thing, for we had more than enough skiing under our belt by the time the clouds opened up and rain began to fall around 2:15. <BR> <BR>Jay is closed during the week this week, but is contemplating reopening for next weekend, weather permitting.