On the first Monday of summer vacation, my seven-year-old son, Luke, and I leave home in Marion, MA, to head for the mountains—and no, we’re not heading for Busch Beer—we’re off to the Northeast Kingdom, to Jay Peak country. Luke completed first grade on Friday, and we’re wasting no time leaving sea level behind.

“What does Jay Peak look like without snow, anyway?” he asks as we ride the commuter rail into Boston’s South Station.

I tell him it’s green. But of different shades. “The trails are really light green, because there aren’t any trees.”

“Oh,” he says with that cloudy ambivilence that he gets sometimes, when it’s not clear if he’s totally disinterested or completely absorbed. “It’s going to be weird to see it without snow.”

I explain that he’s already seen the mountain in the summer. In fact, we have photos from three years ago of him frollicking about in the tall grass near the Metro Quad, and he saw it from my parents’ condo in Newport in 2007, when we stayed for a week. But it has been awhile. His associations all have to do with the whiteness of winter.

My mother gathers us from the bus station in White River just before one o’clock on a rainy, ugly afternoon that belongs more in April than June, and we continue north to the condo, where we see the mountain clearly, rising on the far shore of the lake, like the north country’s version of Mt. Ranier, not green as promised, but gray, like charcoal in the pewter sky. Luke casts me a glance and switches on Disney. It’s raining.

We’re here, in Jay Peak country, for the first week of his summer vacation for two reasons: 1) my wife, Yupin, is going to school full-time and needs the family car and 2) I want to keep Jay at the forefront of Luke’s mind, to reinforce his love for the mountain and for skiing—to keep it green, as they say. The seven months between his last ski week, back in March, and opening day 2009 are long, about one-tenth of his entire life. In today’s fast-forward society, that’s plenty of time to forget.

It was March break, 2008, when I first brought Luke and Yupin skiing at Jay. For the better part of the past fifteen years, I had been odysseying about: Peace Corps and teaching in Thailand, grad schooling in Arizona, getting married, becoming a dad, and finally, moving back to New England. Yupin, a Thai citizen, and Luke, born in Phuket, had never seen snow. To ride the tram, to climb, in winter, up the stairs to the summit, was as otherworldly and wonderous to them as SCUBA diving the Similan Islands had been for me. They had to have more.

Since then, we’ve made the voyage north on weekends and vacations, and I’ve watched my wife transform from a wobbly-legged fawn to a confident intermediate skier who can’t get enough of Vermonter and Ullr’s Dream. While Luke’s jump from the magic carpet to the glades of Moonwalk Woods was predictable, none of us could have anticipated that skiing would become Yupin’s favorite activity in so short a time. She’s from the tropics, afterall, but here she is, facing north, skiing Jay Peak in temperatures hovering right around zero degrees.

On this first summer trip, Luke and I never actually make it up to the mountain. “It’s boring if we can’t ski,” he says, a line I could not have better scripted for him. When the sun comes out, we bike along Memphremagog to spot painted turtles, beavers, and a mother snapping turtle laying her eggs. Later, we hike Mt. Wheeler, which Luke cannot believe is roughly a thousand feet lower in elevation than Jay—to him it’s more like K2. We soak up the Northeast Kindom, driving along the shores of Lake Willoughby, cutting through Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Hor. Throughout our adventures, though, Jay Peak looms on the horizon or veiled by the branches of a willow, as familiar and reassuring as the North Star.

When we return to the sea in Marion, Yupin asks Luke if he had fun.

“No,” he says dramatically, his eyes wide and sad. “Because we couldn’t go skiing. I miss skiing, Mommy.”

It’s one of those moments when I, as a writer and dad, have to wonder—does he know that I’m taking notes? All I know is that my plan seems to be working. And we’re going up again, in July, this time for a tram ride and a wander about the mountaintop, where I can only hope he’ll complain about the lack of snow.

Chris and his son, Luke.

Chris White, owning a NEK pedigree yet displaced to the big smoke of Boston, will be penning a blog about raising a skiing family, why he insists on doing it at Jay Peak and why, when it comes to picking the right resort to raise skiers, you might not get a second chance to make a first impression.

Check out his first blog post tomorrow, then expect future posts, with some degree of abandon, throughout the summer.  You can also follow Chris on Twitter at @cwhitesnow:

Though a flatlander by birth, I grew up in the Northeast Kingdom from age four, sledding in the back yard, or at Killer Hill when the boys and I felt especially rugged. Craftsbury Nordic Ski center was practically my backyard. But it wasn’t until I graduated to alpine skiing that I discovered the true joys of snow.

By tenth grade (and boarding school in Massachusetts), I was skiing mostly at Jay Peak, but sampled the kindness in Burke, Stowe, and other local areas before lifting off to Colorado for university and the slopes of Vail, A-Basin, and Aspen. But it wasn’t until 1997 that I took my one year as a ski bum, back home at Jay after Peace Corps, Thailand.

Then came the long drought. Ten years in Arizona, Thailand again, and North Carolina. When I finally moved back to New England, to teach at a boarding school on Buzzards Bay, I couldn’t wait for winter and skiing. And this time, I wasn’t alone. I was dying to turn my wife, Yupin, a Thai citizen who had never before seen snow, and our son Luke onto the sport.

For the past two winters, we’ve been learning together—for them it’s a question of how to ski, for me it’s how to help them catch up. Though our family may be somewhat unique, it’s not uncommon for an inexperienced spouse to marry into skiing, and it’s a universal pleasure to watch loved ones of any age learn the mountain arts. Raising a family at Jay gives skiing a whole new dimension, and it’s as if I’m starting anew—and all of our tracks are fresh.

Steven discovered a few patches of lingering snow last weekend on Exhibition.

Following the annual Homeowner meetings we asked Steven Collins, owner of a South Village townhouse for 5 years, to share a bit about his experience - how he ended up here, why he’s still here, and what he loves about Jay:

My wife and I closed on our unit in 2005, after renting a unit in 2004 on Raccoon Run with our friends (who are now Jay homeowners as well). At the time, our children were 10, 8 and 4. Our friends had three children of similar age. The convenience of being able to walk out the door and on to the slopes was awesome. The thrill the younger children experienced being able to ski actual glades like Moon Walk Woods and Bushwacker was worth the entire trip. The Mountain had made us believers!

During the building of our unit Andy Stenger handled the day to day project management duties. Andy was always available and courteous when we called to discuss details either with regards to the development or our unit. His kind and good natured Northeast Kingdom personality showed through. I would be remiss if I did not mention Jaime, Jason, Emilie, Joanie, Steve, Dennis, Moose, and the list can just go on and on. These people and many others are what compliment the mountain’s charm. And of course, there is Bill Stenger with his endless energy and enthusiasm, which will turn Jay Peak into a four season resort!

With our new unit also came many new friendships, including some of the locals who worked on our unit, as well as neighbors and other unit owners. During our five years of home ownership, we formed friendships which will stand the test of time. There is nothing like being out for first tracks with your family and meeting other like-minded people wanting to quench their thirst for POW (if there ever could be such a thing?). Or coming up in the summer to enjoy some golfing, biking and the local swimming holes. Or in the fall for some hiking or the fall foliage. Or in the spring to fly fish or just explore the Northeast Kingdom!

Bill’s vision and perseverance has finally taken traction and is evolving from a concept to reality. We are now vested stakeholders in Bill’s vision of Jay Peak’s transformation into a four season resort. These days, there are tough times upon us all, but we have put our faith and trust both in Bill and the Mountain and that together we will be guided in the right direction. Only time will tell, but if the next five years are similar to the last five years, then we are in for a heck of a ride!

It is, “all about the mountain”, because that is where the journey begins!

Steven M. Collins

Big day today. Especially if you’re into interior designs, interior designing and the mind-achingly specific world of floor, tile and granite samples. Seriously though, we’re taking this stuff seriously. Which sorts of woods work with specific sorts of metals? Does rubberized flooring say Jay Peak? Do we really have 407 miles of old Tram Cable to use as accent points across the entire building? These questions and more will be answered, after long hours of furrowed brows, wringing hands, and deep thoughts.

One of the biggest problems people have with putting is their alignment. The next time you are out on the putting green working your stroke have someone get behind you and check your alignment. Chances are you are set up to the right of the hole. To check correctly set up to the ball and when you are ready to stroke the putt have your partner come in and hold your putter still as you back away. Get six feet behind the putter and see where your putter is pointing. You’ll be amazed. It’s a process to correct this. You have to retrain your eyes. Be patient and keep making the adjustments. Once you overcome your alignment issues you are on your way to becoming a great putter.

It looks like this weather pattern is going to move out this weekend…finally. The good news is the greens are starting to close-up and putts are rolling fast and true. What a difference a year makes. Greens are beginning to hold and you can’t find a bad lie in the fairways.

Ladies clinics are starting up this coming Wednesday at 3 PM. Shoot me an email, sholland@jaypeakresort.com, for any questions or if you plan to attend. You can also check out my site at SteveHollandgolf.com.

A tip for hitting in wet conditions: Keep the chin up high in the backswing. I see so many take a backswing and they actually dip towards the ball in their take-away. If it’s muddy, chances are you are going to hit the ball fat. Not a good time to be wearing any white clothes.

Hope to see you on the golf course.

Construction at Hotel 1 is cruising along.  We will have an update on what’s happening this week in Construction and Development soon, but wanted to share with you a bit of what Hotel 1 will include.

The first floor, seen in this photo, will house Hotel 1 retail and services including a restaurant and bar with nearly floor to ceiling windows, a coffee shop, a bakery, and a fitness spa area.  There will be a dramatic view from all areas of Hotel 1, whether you are on the front side (seen here) that looks up at the mountain or the back side, which overlooks the golf course and the valley below.  The ground floor is dedicated to a parking garage and a skier/rider services center that will feature a brand new rental, repair and demo area as well as a new Ski School area, which will be located where the Pizzeria was.   The 3 floors above will feature 57 studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom suites, as well as one 3-bedroom suite on the top floor.

We’ll begin taking reservations in a few weeks for President’s Week 2010 so please stay tuned.

We are starting a junior program here at Jay Peak this year. We are at ground zero and look to grow throughout the years. The schedule has been set and you can visit my website at SteveHollandgolf.com to see the dates and details. I’m new at these websites and stuff so please be patient. The site will continue to be updated with clinic infos and tips of the day. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Forecast for this coming thursday is 83 degrees and partly cloudy. The driving range should be packed!! Hope to see you there.

Hello Everyone!  This is Steve Holland, Jay Peak PGA Professional, and I am back for the summer.  I just played the course and it is in phenominal shape!  I heard the rumors of the course conditions throughout the state and we are blessed that the winter damage didn’t hit us.  Howie and his crew are in control and course conditions will be one of the best in the state.

I start teaching tomorrow and will be available Tuesday through Sunday on the lesson tee. We will have a junior program, ladies clinics, beginner/introductory clinics for the ‘new’ golfer and ‘open’ clinics this summer.

I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

See you on the tee!

The Jay Peak Championship Golf Course will be opening tomorrow for the 2009 season. With great spring weather and a somewhat mild winter the course is in the best shape we have ever seen for opening day. All 18 holes will be ready for play and unlike several other courses in the area there will be no temporary greens. We have dropped our rates back to 2007 levels, which start at $42 including cart. We are also offering a killer stay and play package: $99 gets you a night in the Hotel Jay, breakfast and unlimited golf. This rate is per-person and based on double occupancy.

We look forward to seeing you on the links this summer. Check jaypeakresort.com for information, updates, specials and more. Also find us on Facebook and Twitter (@jaypeakgolf for everything golf, @jaypeakdeals for all of our promotions or for everything Jay Peak, @jaypeakresort) for updates, news and exclusive deals.