Best of the East 2009: Jay Peak, Vermont

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Best of The East
1. JAY PEAK, VERMONT (above)
Four of us rested our fried thighs in the bed of a Ford F-250 running on veggie oil—a sight not uncommon to Jay Peak’s access road. We were hitching back to the resort from the Dip, 1,500 vertical feet of evenly spaced trees right outside Jay’s boundary, accessible from the Jet triple chair. Before that we were knee-deep in fluff on the Ridgeline’s fall-line steeps right under the tram. And before that it was the Everglades, a narrow, wooded shot loaded with fairy dust from northerly squalls. The truck pulls to a halt at the lodge, and we’re off to Bernie’s Café in nearby Montgomery for a pint of Long Trail Ale and a Vermont-raised burger.

Three Things You Need to Know:

The Flyer chair is known as the Freezer for a reason. Access nearly all of Jay’s 385 skiable acres from the tram or the Bonaventure Quad.

Beat the crowds on a powder day by lapping the Ridgeline a couple times before making your way over to Stateside.

Grab a room at the North Troy Inn and you’ll be just 15 minutes from first tracks [$38; northtroyinn.com].

Best of the Rest
2. Mad River Glen, Vermont
3. Stowe, Vermont
4. Sugarbush, Vermont
5. Sugarloaf, Maine
6. Sunday River, Maine
7. Gore Mountain, New York
8. Killington, Vermont
9. Okemo, Vermont
10. Stratton, Vermont

Comments (31) Write a comment

Submitted by Anonymous on September 26, 2008 - 4:13pm.

Was Whiteface omitted because there is no slope side accommodations? It seems to be. Whiteface is better than at least half of your list, and with Look-out Mt. opening this Dec. it will be the best in the north east!! Skiing is what counts, not slope side accommodations. Wilmington & Lake Placid have great accomodations available

Submitted by Anonymous on October 2, 2008 - 4:30pm.

No Whiteface is a freaking joke! You guys do realize Whiteface has roughly twice the vert as Stratton. Oh, and Lake Placid along with Stowe are the only great ski towns of the East.

Submitted by Anonymous on October 15, 2008 - 8:38am.

Jay Peak is literally the best thing ever to happen to me.

Submitted by Anonymous on October 16, 2008 - 2:02am.

Mad River Glen is so much better than Jay! Signed Greedy Jay Skier

Submitted by Anonymous on October 16, 2008 - 6:26pm.

Jay peak da mountain to ski at

Submitted by Anonymous on October 17, 2008 - 5:56am.

Jay Peak FTW

Submitted by Anonymous on October 17, 2008 - 9:06am.

Good writeup. Jay's got it all; accessible BC, wide variety of groomers, excellent glades, plentiful amounts of 'unmarked' territory to explore, and a terrain park. The park might not be THE best, but you don't go to jay to ride park all day.

Submitted by Anonymous on October 20, 2008 - 4:30pm.

Jay Peak has the best powder evah!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on October 20, 2008 - 6:52pm.

I agree with your list but Stratton should come out and Whiteface and Cannon should be in.

The top 6 you nailed, and I think, in the exact correct order !

Submitted by Anonymous on October 21, 2008 - 2:20pm.

Which place on the east coast has the best apres scene?

Submitted by Anonymous on October 22, 2008 - 11:58am.

Sunday River is the best!

Submitted by Anonymous on October 22, 2008 - 3:44pm.

killington, vt

Submitted by Anonymous on October 22, 2008 - 6:45pm.

killington has the best apres by far, but jay is the best for the serious skier.

Submitted by Anonymous on October 22, 2008 - 10:38pm.

stowe is by far the best mt experience in the east!

Submitted by Anonymous on October 23, 2008 - 10:55am.

Flatton and Slokemo out, Cannon and Whiteface in

Submitted by Anonymous on October 23, 2008 - 1:24pm.

Jay is pretty played out. Four years ago, maybe. Now, the whole 'most snow in the east, epic powder day' thing loses its charm when every asshole from Montreal and Boston has the place tracked out by 8:30 on the weekends. Note to skiers and riders: You're not obligated to hit Jay's woods if you have no business being in there.

Submitted by Anonymous on October 23, 2008 - 5:25pm.

jay.... best snow ever

Submitted by Anonymous on October 24, 2008 - 8:03pm.

i went to jay for the first time about 5 years ago and have been back twice a year since. best hill in the east.

Submitted by Anonymous on October 24, 2008 - 8:56pm.

Jay is the best, and no one around can hold a candle to the terrian or the snow. Thank God, or whoever for the Jay Cloud!

Submitted by Anonymous on October 27, 2008 - 10:08pm.

agree w/ jay & mad river...sick...sick place...one of the days i hit was on an epic day...the 'bush by far above stowe....over-rated...the 'loaf solid but terrible top to bottom lifts if you want to do any serious vertical...the 'river too much left to right rather than north to south...kilington is good for what it is...not a mountain for a crowd but rather just you & and buddy to ski liftline up & down in the spring w/ the soft bumps

Submitted by Anonymous on October 28, 2008 - 2:35pm.

Gore Mountain is great. Best kept secret in the East. This year, adding another high speed quad on Burnt Ridge mountain. Can't wait!!

Submitted by Anonymous on October 28, 2008 - 2:44pm.

Gore Mountain is the best kept secret in the East. Adding a new high speed quad on Burnt Ridge Mountain. Can't wait!!

Submitted by Anonymous on October 28, 2008 - 2:46pm.

Submitted by Anonymous on October 28, 2008 - 3:50pm.

Jay sucks, don't come up. Stay on the groomers at Okemo

Submitted by Anonymous on October 28, 2008 - 5:01pm.

I used to kill it in all of Jay's Glades when they weren't glades. Those were the good old days. A little more tracked out than it used to be b/c of all the exposure, but still plenty freshies to be had if you know where to look. Shake it uuuuuup!!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on October 29, 2008 - 10:19am.

When the weather is right, Sugarloaf by far is the best. I like a ski trail that takes longer than 5 minutes to get down. Sunday River is the worst. Can't imagine anyone wanting to ski in NY. Grew up & learned to ski in So. Vt., now living in ME.
Skied all of these mts. many times since early 60's. Sugarbush (north) my 2nd fav.

Submitted by Anonymous on November 18, 2008 - 3:09pm.

Not a single NH mountain, but Gore and its crappy upstate NY snow makes the list? Please. Most of the rest is good.

Submitted by Anonymous on November 19, 2008 - 4:22pm.

Stowe over Jay? Sellout.

Submitted by Anonymous on November 24, 2008 - 6:28pm.

sugarloaf deserves to be better that sunday river, by far. I'm supprised it's not higher up on the list...

Submitted by Anonymous on November 24, 2008 - 9:08pm.

Jay and Sugarloaf... can't beat them in the East

Submitted by Anonymous on November 25, 2008 - 12:28am.

i totally agree w/ jay and mrg stowe and sugarbush being 1,2,3,4... sugarloaf is good, too, but if this is for SKIING, you have to add saddleback to that list. same snow as the loaf, but no crowds and some GREAT tree skiing.

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