Skiing Jay Peak
Sunday. May 11th, 2025
Runs: 6
Distance: 4.21 miles
Elevation: 7,546 feet
Max Speed: 16.0 mph
Avg. Speed: 4.9 mph
Moving Time: 48 minutes, 26 seconds
Total Time: 4 hours, 17 minutes, 4 seconds
It's finally time for closing day :-(. I drove up the day before after hiking Gunstock Mountain and we had a slow start to our morning. Emma and Patrol Sarah were procrastinating heading to the mountain, but I wanted to get there to fully enjoy the day. The weather was high 40s-50s and not a cloud in the sky, so a little chilly, but beautiful! I was definitely up in my feelings for this day. One because it was my last day of the season (Jay was the last mountain open in New England/the Northeast), but also becuase my main goal for this ski season was to be able to ski closing day without getting hurt, and maybe even with some confidence. The Snow Report set the tone for the day, I parked in the 242 lot, and then it was time for the fun to begin!
Snow Report
Saturday May 10 at 6:29 PM
The Final Day
Tomorrow is a go. Sunday, May 11th will be our final day of list-served operations for the 2024-25 season. We'll be spinning the Jet Triple from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, providing acess to the Jet trail one last time.
Expect late-season variable conditions with expert terrain only. There will be a little walking required up top, so come prepared with good vibes and realistic expectations.
Lift tickets are $49 for all ages.
The Stateside Baselodge will be open, but all food and beverage outlets, the Gear Shop, and the Rental Shop are closed. Guests can grab food and drink at The Foundry, Provisions, or the Waterpark outlets on Tramside. Full hours can be found at jaypeakresort.com/hours.
This winter brought us nearly 500 inches of snow, giving us the longest season in New England and more powder days than we could count. From whiteouts to warmups, glades to groomers, and everything in between, it's been one for the books.
Thanks for riding along with us.
And, just because the lifts stop doesn't mean we're done. Solstice Sessions are coming back June 21st. Yes, snow. Yes, summer.
See you on the hill for one more lap.
Runs 1-3
Run 1: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.61 mi; 7:25; 1,207 ft; 13.5 mph max; 5.0 mph avg]
Run 2: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.57 mi; 5:41; 1,175 ft; 14.0 mph max; 5.7 mph avg]
Run 3: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.58 mi; 4:55; 1,270 ft; 12.8 mph max; 6.6 mph avg]
I met Emma and Patrol Sarah in the Patrol room, and we walked over to the Jet. The loading area was wild - almost like frozen mud? We popped on our skis and waddled over like we were wearing flippers (I felt like the flipper boys in Mamma Mia) and got on the lift! From up top, the run out was in ROUGH shape, but the middle 2/3s looked great! They didn't want to ski much, but I was really eager to get some runs in. I initially said five runs was my goal, but after seeing it, I lowered it to just two.
The unload was... rough. We made it, though, and popped off our skis right away and Emma started grilling up hot dogs at the patrol shack. It was such a beautiful, bluebird day. There was a cold wind, but the warm sun made up for it. I cracked open a canned vodka mule, and we just enjoyed each other's company, the rotting deck, and the view to Mt. Mansfield. After a while, Emma's dad made it to the mountain, so it was finally time for our first run of the day!
I was admittedly nervous, but excited to see how this would go. We had a steep walk down the initial headwall, carefully got our skis on, and off we went! Sarah immediately boosted my ego when she shouted "LOOK AT YOU SKIING BUMPS!!" Once the grade eased, the slow signs began, and the conditions became interesting. We skied down the slush a bit longer, but decided to pop off our skis and walk at a comically fast-flowing water bar. Some folks were fully sending it all the way down, and I have huge respect for them!
Emma and Patrol Sarah were done after this lap, but I got two more laps with Emma's dad. He and I have been at Jay numerous times this season, but had never skied together before (he also joked that we hadn't hiked together before, either). He is a GOOD skier. He is a FAST skier. Thankfully, he needed (or pretended to need) breaks, so I was able to catch up! It was fun to get some more runs in, but now the issue was I had three runs under my belt, my original goal was five, and I knew I'd be getting at least one more...
Runs 4-5
Run 4: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.81 mi; 12:34; 1,161 ft; 14.8 mph max; 2.2 mph avg]
Run 5: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.81 mi; 9:38; 1,257 ft; 12.6 mph max; 4.9 mph avg]
Afterwards, I walked with Emma's dad to the parking lot, as he was calling it a season after those runs. I went to my car to grab another drink, and then continued up back to the top shack. On the ride, my favorite lifty who wears a cowprint Skida hat said hi to me while she was downloading, so I was on cloud 9! Emma and Patrol Sarah had been shoveling snow onto the offload ramp, which was MUCH appreciated (although some folks on various Facebook groups had other sentiments... mostly involving how bad it was up there, which is dumb). I sunbathed for a bit more up top until Emma and Patrol Sarah wanted to head down for a bit to use the bathroom. They downloaded on the Jet, though, so I raced them down (and won, even with walking). This would get me to my five runs, so a win-win!
We chilled in the patrol room for a little bit before heading back up yet again. Once back up, Emma realized we had more hot dogs, so she got back to her post on the grill! I was feeling good physically and in the terms of "have had two drinks outside in the sun" - so I got another fully solo lap in with a pit-stop at the car to grab my final drink. I caught myself starting to get a little emotional as you could feel the energy on the mountain and how the season was officially ending, but we made a rule "no feelings until I-93," so I pulled it together. I was just really grateful and proud of myself for being able to ski on this day, which was my goal all season.
Run 6
Run 6: Jet Triple - The Jet
[0.83 mi; 9:46; 1,257 ft; 16.0 mph max; 5.0 mph avg]
I was back at the top around 3:30pm, and last chair was at 4:00pm. We chatted a bunch, enjoyed the afternoon and the sun, and cheered on the last chair as it made it's way up. The resort photographer got a group photo of the stragglers, and then everyone got ready for the final run of the season! It was a really fun, fulfilling way to wrap things up. I let the general population go first, as most of them were absolute maniacs, and then I was one of the last civillians to head down before patrol did their final sweep. I paused halfway down just to take in the view for a last time and definitely got a little emotional. Reflecting on the season, my growth, and just enjoying it all on this beautiful day felt really good. I skied down a little further through the mud this run, becuase why not, and then made my way down to the car to meet the patrollers in the patrol room.
OOF. I'm emotional again writing this! I'm just really proud of my season and grateful Emma dragged me into this silly world. Also sad because now it's over until November. Silly! I beat Emma and Patrol Sarah by 15ish minutes, so I helped Patrol Jess do some admin work (she mentioned that Emma and I are basically married and a perk of being a patroller is getting a free spouse pass so I gotta earn my way!). We shared a final beer, chatting with whoever was left, and then the three of us went for "The Last Supper" at the Jay Village Inn. Dinner was lovely, and I got REALLY emotional in the parking lot where we did a classic "well... I guess... bye?" Not to be a broken record, but I was just really grateful for my season, and also for my new friends, like Patrol Sarah! They headed home and I went across the street to the Jay Country Store to say hi to Oreo the cat before my LONG drive home. I made it back around 11:30pm, and I did not regret it at all. It was such a perfect way to end a great season filled with growth, friends, and fun.
Quick post-script: I washed the mud off my boots, poles, and skis the next afternoon and noticed the laminate on my skis is starting to come off! I could repair it with epoxy, pay someone, or cut it off - I went with option #3. I plan to demo some skis next season and maybe get a new pair now that I know how to use them, and then these can become my rock skis.
Appendix: My instagram post...
“so I’ll ski and party until I can’t ski and party no more,” a retrospective in 20 photos (because that’s all I’m allowed)
annual post about actively mourning ski szn. I’ve only had a few, but this one was by far my favorite.
grateful for friends who help me grow in this silly activity. grateful for jay peak and my indy pass. grateful for silly moments. (grateful for my 2013 crv for keeping Gen and I safe when we flew off a highway, too)
also separate space for my obligatory shoutout to Emma for teaching me to ski (and arguably more importantly teaching me how to use my ski poles as a tripod) this winter brought me to 19 different mountains, hills, and ski areas, skiing over 420 miles and descending 433k feet. my goal was to improve enough to be able to ski safely and confidently on jay’s closing day - and we did it! it’s been really fun, challenging, and overall, pretty sweet.
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