Well by yours, we mean ours I guess.  Talking about Stateside.  For the unwashed, we’re referring to the Stateside of our area—the local’s squat that has, for most of measured time, stayed unremarkably beautiful despite it’s obvious misgivings; the true warts-and-all character of Jay Peak most often aligned with things like drafty windows and lovingly, if lead painted, canary yellow picnic tables.  Full of equal parts soul and squatters, Stateside will shortly be undergoing a redevelopment that we are asking all those, so inclined, to be a part of.

True to form, we are inviting a select few to be part of the learning experience.  As we did prior to building Tram Haus, we are convening a small forum on January 9th to discuss all things Stateside.  Our own Walter Elander will moderate, some of management will listen, and you get to talk.

And by you, we mean you-those who demonstrate the desire to inform your future.  Our future.

Tell us, by posting here on the Blog, why you should be involved.  Why you love Stateside.  What needs to change.  What should remain, if at all possible, untouched.  We will pick 12 folks who will receive nothing more than the ability to crow about helping to redevelop the unredevelopable.  We think there’s plenty to enjoy in that particular sense of crowing.

Winners need to be able to spend an entire day, here , on Monday January 9th.  By all day we mean, roughly, 10-3.  And by January 9th, we mean January 9th.  We will listen.  We will ask questions and it’s altogether likely we will feed you.  If you need more than that for this time well spent, this may not be your cup.  For those thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of it, thrill us with your thoughts on why you should be.  A part of it that is.

While we will surely not be able to integrate everything you suggest and, in some cases, may ignore you altogether, some of it will definitely stick and that’s what makes all of this, everything about the experience here, great.

Post your thoughts here and we’ll let winners know immediately.

And Happy New Year.

Steve

I was raised Jay. My great-grandparents and grandparents farmed and logged in Jay. I used to ride the Jay mail route and milk route with my grandfather. It was where we picnicked and took Sunday drives. I caught my first fish in Jay Branch. Prior to the opening of the Jay Peak Ski Resort my family and I climbed the mountain three or four times a summer.  We’d park at the end of the road (by Dave Kennett’s place) walk to the base on a logging road and then hike our way to the top. I lived in North Troy but my roots were in Jay.   

I remember when the development of Jay Peak was the talk of the town. The North Troy Kiwanis Club helped promote the idea. They had local promoters speak and eventually an Austrian fellow sketched his dream for the mountain.  The seed was planted and began to grow.  Back then we had to drive to Stowe or Lyndonville to ski. Having a ski area in our backyard would be a dream come true.

The day Jay Peak “opened” I was there along with my extended Starr family. To mark the occasion my Aunt Ila knit all the first cousins ski sweaters which last I knew are still being handed down. Family members took turns trucking us to mountain. Most of us lived on the West Road between Troy and North Troy so there was constant banter about how many car loads of skiers we saw on any given day. 

When Walter Foeger hired on as general manager, I was one of two girls asked to join the first Jay Peak Ski Team.  My cousin Urban Starr Jr. was the youngest member.  Walter was a demanding coach.  We were 10 local kids who endured bitter cold, knee deep snow and 60 mph winds dressed in clothes ill equipped to shield us from the elements.  We were oblivious.  We loved to ski.

Walter taught skiing with the determination of an Olympic coach. We couldn’t be late for lessons and you couldn’t take a pit stop. We hopped and side-stepped our way up and down the mountain. You’d find us packing trails on the day of our races. The race awards were designed by Walter.  I still have a few dated 1959 and 1958.  They are signed by Win LeRoy, Walter Foeger and P. James Moore.  I also won the bronze, silver and gold medals in the Sunday ski races.  They are my among my prized possessions to this day.

When Jay Peak opened my parents built a 3 bedroom addition to their house and opened the Highland Guest House. We opened for ski season every winter and housed skiers from all over the country and Canada. Several of our guests became my parent’s life long friends.

Our family now has the fourth generation of downhill skiers.  I am proud to say I was “Raised Jay”.

Here a few days after Hurricane Irene came, went and left south and central Vermont turned upside-down, lots of people are wondering how and where they can help.  After the mainstream media lost access to additional major metro sound bites, the deserved attention has turned to what happened, and what’s happening, across 60% of the state of Vermont.  We suspect keeping the state top of mind will help with respect to support, donations and relief and that will certainly help in the short term.  There’s no shortage of channels to go through if you’d like to help.  The American Red Cross is in urgent need of blood, The Vermont Foodbank is turning cash into groceries for affected Vermont families and other outfits are a mouse click or a Facebook search away.

What’s equally important, at least in our eyes, is the medium and long term support needed by the travel and tourism sectors and the supporting businesses across the important foliage and winter seasons.  While we weren’t as impacted as southern and central Vermont here at Jay Peak, we are definitely part of a bigger picture as it relates to travel and tourism in the State of Vermont.  We urge folks to continue to travel to our State.  At some level, we don’t much care if it’s to Jay Peak or not; just keep visiting.

While Killington has received some Resort damage and travel into the area will be temporarily impacted, it has massive resources and smart people to put against this problem and will continue to offer an unbelievably good experience this winter.  We aren’t speaking for the resort at an operation’s level so get in touch with them for additional details; just offering that they have the means to come out of this, quickly, and offer an even better experience.  Same goes for the communities of Wilmington, Ludlow, and Manchester and the resorts they support. 

Part of what people have come to love about our state continues to be unchanged; the micro communities, the connectedness of neighbors and the genuine respect for the surrounding environment.  These are the very things that will, in turn, help stitch us back together. 

We urge you to support Vermont in any way you can short term and that, longer term, you continue to keep visiting and keeping your expectations high; for genuine experiences and the small piece of something that this State provides that is as critical as it is impossible to describe.  Please visit vermontvacation.com to learn more.

My husband and kids dropped me off at work yesterday morning and as we’re pulling into the resort, passing the Jay Peak sign with the mountain looming in the background I said “Here’s mommy’s work”.  They’re 2 and don’t really understand what I’m talking about but it occured to me, as it often does, how lucky I am to work where I like to play.  Except on days like today (or winter’s equivalent - a powder day) when being stuck inside is kinda hellish for everyone but more so when the view out your window is green mountains and sunny, clear blue skies (I know, your heart bleeds for me).  Fortunately, we’re mostly encouraged to get out there and enjoy (especially on powder days) so it’s not so bad. Do you think anyone’d notice if I disappeared a little early today (yes, for the umpteenth time, we do work in the summer too). 

What’s your work day like? Go on, try to make me jealous.  Teachers who are off for the summer need not respond – I live with one of your kind and rest assured I *am* jealous.

Anyone who has spent a few years on this planet knows that practice does not make perfect. It makes permanent. Disciplined repetition of something, whether it’s a behavior or athletic movement, will ingrain in the body certain rules for accomplishing different tasks. Take, for example, my golf swing.

After two weeks of going to the driving range unaccompanied by anyone with an ounce of talent or expertise, I was able to drive the little white ball 300 yards. Was it the “perfect” drive? Absolutely, so long as the “perfect” drive was defined by an L-shaped flight pattern that wreaked terror on adjacent fairways.

Summer has come to Jay Peak and with it a host of programs run by experts in their respective pursuits. Two-time Vermont PGA Player of the Year and Jay Peak pro Bryan Smith is offering his expertise to anyone who wants to become a better golfer. The foodies at Green Mountain Farm-to-School are gearing up for another Food Adventure Camp happening here from August 1-5. And over at the Ice Haus? Well….talk about expertise.

In case you missed the news, the North American Hockey Academy moved from Stowe up to Jay Peak four weeks ago. A few dozen of the best female hockey players on the continent will begin arriving at NAHA in a month or so to begin the school year, and to demonstrate that perfect practice makes pros. But the folks at NAHA are loath to let ice idle. They’ve lined up a host of camps open to those who think they might be ready to try to join the ranks of the elite. Just this past week, former Boston Bruins’ goalie and NAHA staffer Vincent Riendeau spent five days drilling and showing athletes that if you practice, and practice correctly, you might just wind –up at the top of your profession.

As for my golf game, well, I’ve been assured there is hope for my drive. I’ve even been invited to participate in one of Bryan Smith’s Friday afternoon clinics. I’ll be the one they’re pointing to during the session, “What Not to Do to Become a Good Golfer.”

Enjoy the day,
JJ

We’ve recently entered into an agreement with NAHA (The North American Hockey Association) Winter Hawks-a group of frighteningly good female hockey players between the ages of 15-18, to be the home ice for their camps, tournaments and season-long schedule.  They’ve spent the previous dozen years or so down the road a bit in Stowe, Vermont.  To be clear, these ladies are the best of the best.  If you’re a female hockey player and you want to play at the next and higher levels, all roads lead through their front doors.

As a result of our new rink and a willingness to work together to promote their program, the Driscoll’s (Bill and Jesse) and the rest of the NAHA team will be moving in to their new home –the site of the former Inglenook Lodge-sometime around the middle of June.  While this is provides them with a nice backdrop for their business (a shiny new rink, affordable new rooms for their camps and tournaments, a bunch of activities, restaurants and off mtn options all within walking distance) and provides us with some shoulder season stimulus, what we’re most excited about is that they’re very much in alignment with the things we value and the future we all want to build.   In short, The Driscoll’s and the NAHA Team are our kind of people and those are the types of people we want to business with.  Our kind.  Whatever that means. 

Anyway, more to come on this front but we wanted to let you know how happy we are to have them up here, on our team and pointed in the same direction we are.  Make sure you stop by the rink this fall and catch a few of the games.

Hope summer is spring is strumming along nicely for you.

According to some, Valentine’s Day is a big deal.  While we can neither confirm nor deny, far be it for us to pass up an opportunity to get people skiing and riding.  Plus, this is Bill Stenger’s big idea and we have a pretty good idea who butters our proverbial bread.

Anyway, here it is.  Show up and ski or ride with us on Valentine’s Day and you’ll receive an entry form to fill out and bring to our Welcome Party at 4pm.  We’ll pick one lucky winner to stay, that night, high atop in our Elevation 4000 Condominium complete with dinner that night and lift tickets the next day.  You’ll be whisked to the Peak inside one of our groomers and spend the night inside the consummate room-with-a-view.

As they say, you can’t win if you don’t enter.  In this case, you need to show up.  We’ll have a great lodging deal (just $149 for the night in a condo and that includes 2 tickets for the next day) for those that don’t win (it’s Valentine’s Day and prefer this to losers), and suspect you’ll have fun at the welcome party anyway.

Want more info?  Email Steve directly at swright@jaypeakresort.com

Good luck.

…so when they are recognized, we can’t help but point it out.

Hats off to DEW Construction! They were recently  awarded an Associated General Contractors of Vermont Best Builder’s Award for their work as a member of the planning team and then Construction Manager of Tram Haus Lodge. Jerry Davis, Willis Whitaker, Scott Carter, Dave Lothian, Chris Bertrand, Andrew Rouille, Karl Bahrenburg, and Sonya Samalis, as well as countless others worked extremely hard and creatively to fulfill our visions and dreams. (And not to forget,  great work on Tram Haus Lodge by Gardner-Kilcoyne Architects and interiors by Truex-Cullins and Black River Design.) Other fun projects have followed and more are underway - well done.

Second kudos go to our friend and Mardi Gras Chef Mark Uddo. Mark was recently chosen as a “Top 25 Chefs and Food Service Professionals of New Orleans” by the American Culinary Federation. In a city loaded with culinary talent, we are proud to see you listed with names like Prudomme, Spicer, Besh, Brennan (plural) and Folse, as well as many unsungs.

We look forward to your arrival for Mardi Gras Week in March (7th-13th). Anyone have any favorite flavors you would like Mark to bring with him? Who Dat!

Roller Coaster Ride in Temperature Change Gradually Settles to Colder Weather

Over the past couple of weeks we have seen a very progressive weather pattern of fairly large scale troughs and ridges moving through our region. Each passing system having warm air and above freezing conditions well above the summits of the northern Green Mountains on the front and end, and colder mostly sub-freezing air on the back end. This Oscillation pattern looks to continue into the first week of December. 

High latitude blocking over Greenland will force jet stream energy further south out of Canada while colder air settles southward. However, it was too early to make any predictions on any major snowfalls at Jay, but snow making conditions will get better over certain periods and localized lake effect snows will begin to get in the picture with a west to northwesterly flow to predominate Friday and this weekend, and again especially from December 1st on.

Natural snows of about 1 to 3 inches at the summit was expected especially after Thanksgiving and into the day on Saturday. 

The next period where snow should accrue on Jay Peak will be along about Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. In-between a minor warm up once again.

Everyone has a favorite day. For some, it’s an anniversary; others it’s a birthday. For lovers of the mountains, it may be the day the lifts begin to spin. Regardless of the occasion, though, we all have a date we mark on our mental calendars that we know will bring us a bit more joy; one that will make us smile just a few more times.

For me though, that exact day is unknowable because it’s not set. Yes, I do look forward to the first game of the Colorado Buffalos football season. And if my wife’s within earshot, I will swear our anniversary is the day I truly live for. But if pressed…if the truth is demanded, my day doesn’t arrive until November.

It typically comes in the last two weeks of the month and is announced in the platinum of the predawn by mild profanity and the growling of a diesel engine. It’s an inauspicious occasion by most favorite-day standards, but cherished nonetheless. For me, it is Snow Stake day and it arrived on Monday.

At 7:13 that morning the town’s old Ford rolled to a stop at the top of my road. Three men wearing orange safety vests and camouflaged ball caps poured from the truck, shuffled to the back of the pickup, and each hoisted out a bundle of wooden stakes. They then walked the length of the street, hammering the stakes into the frosted earth at varying intervals. In the coming days and weeks, the stakes will act as guides for the plow trucks that work to keep the road from being buried by the abundant snowfall.

This is the ninth snow stake day I have celebrated since moving to Vermont and I relish the occasion every year because of what it means: that winter, and all of its fun, is just around the corner. But Monday’s was different. As I drove down my road, I noticed the tops of the stakes were painted fluorescent green. For better viewing at night maybe, I thought. And something else was off. When I got out of my car to take a closer look at one of the rough-hewn pickets, I noticed it came up to the level of my chest; in previous years, the posts only reached my waist.

When I came to the end of the street, the crew was just finishing their task. I rolled down my window and one of the guys turned to face me.
 
“Taller stakes this year, huh. You guys expecting a big winter?” I joked.

He looked at me matter-of-factly and just said, “You haven’t heard? Biggest winter ever.”

The season starts this Friday, Jay Peakers. Get ready.

JJ