Skiing Jay Peak
Saturday, January 17th, 2026
Runs: 21
Distance: 20.59 miles
Elevation: 20,558 feet
Max Speed: 35.2 mph
Avg. Speed: 13.7 mph
Moving Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes, 56 seconds
Total Time: 7 hours, 22 minutes, 15 seconds
Back to Jay Peak, this time with Sarah and her mom (and Emma and Patrol Sarah, legally speaking). I was emotionally prepared for LINES, and just hoped to get as many runs in as I could stomach. Thankfully, the skiing at Jay (and my goal of getting as many trails this season as humanly possible), put my brain in a good minset to suffer through crowds. I got to the mountain just after 7:30am with surprise princess parking, so I got to take my time getting booted up. Emma and Patrol Sarah were already doing their ski patrol duties, and Sarah and her mom were about an hour behind me. Just after 8:00am, I was fully suited up and ready to go!
SNOW REPORT
SATURDAY JANUARY 17 AT 7:01 AM
Cooperative Conditions
9/9 lifts will run this morning
Weekend lift operation hours:
Lower Mtn Lifts - 8a-4p
Upper Mtn Lifts - 8:30a-4p
Today's version of winter is far more cooperative than yesterday's. Temperatures are moderating and it's noticeably more pleasant than yesterday's combination of cold snow and colder wind. Winds have settled down, and we're not expecting any disruptions with lift operations this morning, which is always a nice way to start a holiday weekend.
We picked up a dusting to an inch of new snow in the past 24 hours, and snow showers are expected to keep chipping away at the total as the day goes on, nudging us past 266 inches on the season.
This past week has been a full sampler platter of conditions. Cold. Then pretty warm. Then very cold again. Each swing in temperature laid down another little layer of snow, and those layers quietly added up to another 1-2 feet over the course of the week. We're now on a fresh streak of seven-plus straight days with snow, which feels right.
Looking ahead, TK likes Sunday as well. Temps start around 15 degrees under mostly cloudy skies with a little more snow, maybe another inch or two. An arctic front slides in Sunday night into Monday, bringing colder air and another 2-4 inches Monday afternoon and evening. Beyond that, he's already eyeing 10-15 more inches by late next week, and this time it looks like it'll come in clean, without any weird stuff mixed in.
Runs 1-4
Run 1: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway
[0.70 mi; 1:56; 551 ft; 31.2 mph max; 21.8 mph avg]
Run 2: Metro Quad - Perry Merril Ave - Grammy Jay
[0.91 mi; 2:46; 564 ft; 31.0 mph max; 19.6 mph avg]
Run 3: Village Double - Chalet Meadows
[0.22 mi; 1:16; 118 ft; 18.0 mph max; 10.4 mph avg]
Run 4: Taxi Quad - Kangaroo Trail - Paradise Meadows
[0.52 mi; 1:47; 404 ft; 31.1 mph max; 17.6 mph avg]
I started my day with my usual routine - Taxi to Queen's Highway, see that the Tram line is too long for my liking (plus it apparently broke down during trail check and didn't open until near lunch time - SO GLAD I didn't wait!), and then take the Metro to the Grammy Jay. I took the Village Chair to Chalet Meadows, and at that point it was just about 8:30, so I took the Taxi to Kangaroo Trail all the way over towards the Jet. Lower mountain snow was good! Also, no lines so far (minus the first chair crowd at the Bonnie).
Runs 5-7
Run 5: Jet Triple - U.N.
[0.73 mi; 7:22; 1,240 ft; 23.1 mph max; 6.0 mph avg]
Run 6: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.68 mi; 2:20; 1,207 ft; 35.2 mph max; 17.6 mph avg]
Run 7: Jet Triple - The Jet - Stateside Glade - Sweetheart
[0.84 mi; 5:02; 1,260 ft; 23.2 mph max; 10.0 mph avg]
I watched the broken Tram dangling (securely on the cables, to be clear) at the point where it is furthest from the ground, naturally, as I rode the Jet up by myself. I decided it was time to be brave and knock off another trail from my map - U.N.! I was nervous only because I had hyped it up too much in my head - it was literally fine. The bumps were either styrofoam or soft, which made turning interesting. My only wish was that I did an easier bump run like Micky or Lower Milk first to warm my legs up - I did NOT ski my best, I can absolutely do a better job! I happily made my way down and got right back on the Jet - still riding solo!
Run #6 was down the Jet proper, which was in solid condition! I got some nice turns in - I feel like I'm really starting to get used to actually carving on steeper runs versus just skidding (naturally I was still skidding at the steepest part). I also got a PR on Strava, which is fun!
Run #7 was my last solo run du jour, and I took Jet to Stateside Glade, which was not as fun as last time I skied it. The snow was also syrofoamy and just not nearly as pleasant as last time. Regardless, I had a nice time, and popped onto Sweetheart to finish out the run. I saw Sarah and Mom at the front of the new line for the Jet, so I hopped in the singles line and met them up top!
Runs 8-12
Run 8: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.62 mi; 2:03; 1,148 ft; 33.3 mph max; 18.0 mph avg]
Run 9: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Taxi - Bonaventure Glades - Lower Milk Run
[1.36 mi; 8:18; 1,260 ft; 32.2 mph max; 9.9 mph avg]
Run 10: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Taxi - Queen's Highway - Grammy Jay
[1.74 mi; 7:11; 1,427 ft; 30.7 mph max; 14.5 mph avg]
Run 11: Village Double - Raccoon Run
[0.50 mi; 1:54; 364 ft; 33.6 mph max; 15.8 mph avg]
Run 12: Village Double - Queen's Highway
[0.47 mi; 2:09; 312 ft; 21.7 mph max; 13.1 mph avg]
I met Sarah and Mom up top and we got to work! They weren't sure what they wanted to start with, so I proposed hitting the Jet while it was still on its best behavior - and it was! The parking lot was about full at this point, and the line for the Jet Triple was LONG. There were also these younger folks in baggy pants throwing snowballs in the line, which was simply annoying. We hopped on as a trio and eventually made it back on. Run #9 was down the beautiful Montrealer to Taxi and then the Bonaventure Glades - which were better than Stateside, but not a dream. I did a decent job! I'm definnitely getting better at bumps and trees, which is nice for me! Also fun to feel myself getting better. We followed the runout of Lower Milk to the Bonnie, but then saw how insane that line was and conitnued to ski over back to the Jet.
We hopped in the singles line this time, which was definitely the move. We rendez-vous'd up top and did a nice long run from Montrealer all the way to Grammy Jay. At this point, Team Snowboard was on the mountain (they had to park FAR away on Tramside) - we all agreed to meet at the double (Grammy Jay was EXCELLENT, and I managed to PR!).
We saw the snowboarders right as we were getting off of the double, so we skied Raccoon Run to meet them. Somehow Sarah had never met Elizabeth or Snowboard Emma, which was conceptually crazy to me. Comically, Elizabeth noticed that I kept saying "we" while talking to her on the phone, but I was sitting alone on the chair, so she was very confused who "we" was. We all rode the double back up and followed Queen's Highway to the insanity that was the Tramside base.
Runs 13-16
Run 13: Green Mountain Flyer - Ullr's Dream - Beaver Pond Glade - Kokomo
[1.70 mi; 12:11; 1,683 feet; 27.8 mph max; 8.4 mph avg]
Run 14: Green Mountain Flyer - Ullr's Dream - Beaver Pond Glade - Kokomo
[1.77 mi; 10:28; 1,703 feet; 25.1 mph max; 10.1 mph avg]
Run 15: Green Mountain Flyer - Northway - Goat Run - Buckaroo Bonzai - Taxi - Queen's Highway - Grammy Jay
[1.80 mi; 9:07; 1,765 feet; 29.5 mph max; 11.9 mph avg]
Run 16: Village Double - Chalet Meadows
[0.21 mi; 1:14; 148 feet; 16.2 mph max; 10.0 mph avg]
We originally thought to get on the Metro before the Flyer, but both lines were insane, so we skied right over to the Flyer and hopped in the comically long singles line. That being said, the line flew and we were on the chair in less than 10 minutes - yay! Our next batch of runs weren't big in quanity, but HUGE in quality! Run #13 had us skiing down Ullr's Dream (Sarah and Snowboard Emma went down Poma Line, which was groomed, and they said it was unpleasant) to the Beaver Pond Glade - a new one for me. Beaver Pond and Andre's Paradise have both been scary in my brain, so I was nervous about getting in there, but thankfully I was with four skiers and snowboarders who were comfortable and better than me, so I felt good. It was the most challenging glade I had done so far, but still well within my skill set as long as I went slowly. Plus, the snow was a DREAM.
We took our sweet time getting down (Mom was my BIGGEST cheerleader), and eventually discovered the flat runout at the ski area boundary - thankfully it was hard to miss! The runout brought us to Kokomo, which was just a delight. Back at the Flyer, the single's line had doubled in size, but we committed. It took longer, but still faster than the normal line. Run #14 was the same as #13, but with a bit more confidence on my end. We also discovered a few "holes," which was exciting! I REALLY liked it in there. I wouldn't go in there alone yet (I feel fine going into Stateside or Bonnie at this point), but definitely want to go back!
Run #15 was back up the Flyer once more, down Northway to Goat (which was icy at the turn, but delightfully bumpy at the curve - Sarah went down Upper Upper Expo and regretted it) and then into Buckaroo Bonzai. I have a video of my butt sliding down Buckaroo Bonzai holding on ski in hand from last season, so this was my redemption run - and I succeeded! I didn't realize it conitnued down past Taxi, so I'll have to go back. We followed Taxi to the Shenanigans intersection and then Queen's Highway back down to the beloved Grammy Jay - a TREAT!
Runs 17-21
Run 17: Taxi Quad - Queen's Highway
[0.59 mi; 2:12; 545 feet; 25.9 mph max; 16.1 mph avg]
Run 18: Green Mountain Flyer - Alligator Alley - Goat Run - Green Mountain Boys - Racer - Bushwhacker - Ullr's Dream
[1.55 mi; 7:19; 1,722 feet; 31.9 mph max; 12.7 mph avg]
Run 19: Green Mountain Flyer - Northway - Taxi - Lower Milk Run - Paradise Meadows
[1.61 mi; 7:04: 1,427 feet; 28.5 mph max; 18.7 mph avg]
Run 20: Jet Triple - Montrealer - Catwalk - Northway - Taxi - Queen's Highway - Grammy Jay
[1.86 mi; 7:04; 1,427 feet; 28.5 mph max; 15.8 mph avg]
Run 21: Village Double - Chalet Meadows
[0.21 mi; 1:14; 148 feet; 16.2 mph max; 10.0 mph avg]
We planned to hop on the Bonnie for Run #17, but the line was still insane (around 2:00pm), so we got in line for the Taxi, which unfortunately was the longest line of the day (time-wise). At the top, Team Snowboard decided to go back to Tramside and Sarah/Mom decided to ski back to Stateside for a late lunch - I wanted to keep pushing until 4:00pm, so I followed Team Snowboard and got back to the Flyer, which basically required a hike up to the singles line!
Run #18 was to get some needed trails - specifically Alligator Alley and Racer. It was getting windy up top, which made the ride unpleasant, but it was nice to have some introverted time. Emma and Patrol Sarah saw me on Alligator Alley (unfortunately, I was NOT skiing well when they saw me!), and the trail was pretty icy. Goat was still fun and bumpy, and Green Mountain Boys was NOT. Racer was completely fine - a compromise. From there, I dipped into Bushwhacker, which was similarly scrapey, and ended with the Ullr's Dream run out.
Run #19 had a much shorter line (thankfully) and brought me all the way down Northway to Taxi. I was on the right-hand side of the trail to turn onto Lower Milk Run when I heard "F***" and a guy who was flying down the trail crashed into me. He double ejected, I lost one ski. He was visibly pissed, but after comparing notes with my patrollers, I was not at fault (even if I cut across Taxi I legally wouldn't be totally at fault, but I was already on the right side). I asked if he was okay and he rudely said yes (never asked if I was), we got our skis back on and went our seperate ways. Rude! He also apparently gashed my top sheet, which I didn't notice until I packed up for the day. Accidents happen, and I firmly believe it's important to be kind and civil about it. Whatever! Lower Milk was medium at best - I wanted to hit Micky since the snow is usually better, so I went back to the Jet.
Run #20 was down Montrealer, onto Catwalk to skip the icy headwall, but I managed to aggressively turn on a sheet of ice at the Wiggle fence and smashed my hip into the ice... ouch. At this point, I read the room and followed Taxi all the way to Queen's Highway and then down the Grammy Jay - which was a win I needed. I got on the double just before 4:00pm and skied down Chalet Meadows to finish out my day of 21 runs. Even with getting beat up, it was a great day!
Sarah, Mom, and I got changed and apres'd at Howie's, where it was MUCH quieter. Emma and Patrol Sarah joined us later on, Sarah and Mom left, and the three of us went to the bar for one more drink before heading home.
