Category: 2015-2016 Season

2015-2016 Season, February, Jay Peak

Jay: Fully Open

The Orchard

Jay just became the first major resort in the northeastern United States to be fully open this season. During the last week of February. With a rain event incoming later this week, this could very well be the high water mark for the region this season.

Conditions were packed powder with stunningly good (for Jay) groomed surfaces. I bypassed the woods on my first run from the Bonnie to rip Northway with near edge to edge perfect carves, a rare treat for any Jay Peak skier. But the reason I drove to Jay was to ski the trees, terrain that few other areas have available (particularly the off map variety).

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2015-2016 Season, February, Mad River Glen

Mad River Glen: Where Is Everyone?

Fall Line

Mad River Glen received two inches of dense snow overnight. But who’s counting? Any new snow is good this year. And two inches was good enough to open almost all of the Glen’s on piste terrain excepting Upper Paradise, Cat Bowl, Panther, Slalom Hill, and Partridge. I was amazed at how much terrain was open and how good it was skiing.

I began the day with two tentative laps down groomed terrain before venturing into the natural snow on Lower Glade. The rehabilitation of Lower Glade has substantially improved this once dreadful trail. I was amazed at how good the conditions were. Just two inches had saved the day. Conditions were thin, ice and rocks needed to be avoided. But the bumps were soft and engaging, the turns were wonderful. It may have felt like mid-spring rather than mid-February, but it was still quality skiing.

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2015-2016 Season, January, Jay Peak

Jay: Better Than It Had Right To Be

Despite receiving more snow than other northeast ski areas, Jay had no right to be skiing well during MLK Weekend. I kept my expectations low and was genuinely impressed with what I found on and off piste. Low expectations might be the single most important aspect of my season this year. At this rate, I might even remember 2015-2016 fondly despite likely having one of my lowest ski day totals in a dozen years. That said, I would dearly like to have my first powder day of the season sooner rather than later.

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2015-2016 Season, January, Jay Peak

Jay: This Will Begin to Make Things Right

Northwest Passage

The first seven words spoken in The Force Awakens are equally fitting for this weekend. After suffering through three horrific months, the season has been redeemed. This weekend may not have included the perfect dump that we all want. But it was far better than we could have hoped for and it was awesome when evaluated on its own merits. It was not perfect but still just what we needed: it got us excited and happy to be skiing again. The metaphor is strong with this report.

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