Jay Peak, Vermont


Please see the bottom of the post for a day-by-day itinerary.

Ah Winter! As crazy as it sounds, I love winter and all the activities that come with it. I've been fortunate enough to have been introduced to skiing at the age of 10 or 11 (I have my parents to thank for that). In my opinion, it's one of the most exciting winter sports! Just imagine, a crisp, sunny winter day, you are skillfully swishing down the mountain surrounded by views of the resort village down below or incredible forests to your sides covered in snow and all you hear is the noise of your skis. It's peaceful, it's exhilarating, it's fulfilling.

I have to admit, up until this trip I had never skied anywhere other than Ontario; and now I can definitely say I have just discovered what a true skiing experience is like. What's exciting is that there are so many places all over the world I have now added to my list; Whistler, Banff, Quebec, Colorado and much of Europe. The possibilities are endless.

Jay Peak, a skiing resort in Vermont, was an incredible trip. The first run of the trip was from the very top of the mountain. As I got out of the tram (by the way, I'm not afraid of heights, but the tram went so high, it was slightly unnerving) and was almost blown away (literally, the winds were insane at the very top), I began to feel my heart begin to pound. We began to follow a sign that said "the easiest way down"...ironically, that "easiest way" somehow took us to a black diamond with moguls. I was ready to change that sign to "fastest way to die". There I was, with my heart in my throat, sliding (not graciously) on rocks and ice (add strong winds and poor visibility), when someone from the lift actually yelled "stop scraping snow off the moguls" and while I restrained myself from screaming back some profanity and showing some inappropriate finger symbols, I decided to concentrate on my sliding down this nightmare and trying to get out alive. Anyway, I made it. However, it put a little fear in me for the rest of the trip, so I was extra cautious to go the opposite way of "the easiest way down" arrow and stick to the blues!

I loved that this resort (not that I have much to compare it to) had different types of runs and it was very easy to get from one side of the mountain to another, maximizing your chances of hitting many of the runs. Some runs were wide, some were narrow, some took you through the woods and some seemed like they were straight out of Narnia. The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely breathtaking and definitely worth braving the cold for a picture. New experiences for me were 1) to stay on a single run for 20-30 minutes as they are much longer than what I am used to, which is fantastic and 2) to ski on fresh snow without grooming, which takes slightly more skill in my opinion. I wish I could have taken more photos from the top, from the ski lifts and during the runs, but I wanted to keep my hand and not lose it to frostbite. The weather was on average -25 degrees Celsius, so having proper equipment and clothing was necessary for survival.









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Day 1 - Friday

  • The bus left at 11:00 pm on Thursday and was scheduled to arrive at 6:00 am Friday,  but due to an unfortunate accident on the highway on the way to the resort accompanied by a snow storm, it took much longer than we thought (but you have to expect it if you're taking the bus or driving). By the time we got settled into the rooms, we got to the ski hills around 2:30 pm. An hour and a half of skiing was definitely a good start for the first day!
  • Have dinner, relax and get some good night sleep before a full day of skiing.

Day 2 - Saturday

  • Have breakfast - we cooked breakfast at the cottage to get to the hills as fast as possible
Tip 1: Jay Peak recently opened a general store where you can get all the food supplies you need.
  • Skiing begins at 8:30 on weekends.
  • Have lunch
  • Get back out to the hills
  • After the skiing closes for the day, relax and go to dinner for some live music and great food
  • There was a mix and mingle organized by DC events that evening followed by a private party at the water-park!!!

Day 3 - Sunday

  • Morning skiing
  • Check out at 2:30 pm
  • Buses leave at 3:00 pm
As for food, there were many choices for dinner/lunch at the resort including restaurants, bars and cafeterias. Some of the ones we've been to that I would recommend were:
  • Tower Bar
  • The Foundry Pub and Grille
  • Howie's
  • You can see the other options here.
We went on this trip through DCEvents. They organize trips to Tremblant, Jay Peak, Smugglers' Notch, Killington and others and provide transportation and accommodations. Check it out!
Tip for Canadians: Sometimes these resorts accept the Canadian dollar at PAR at the hotel receptions. Any charges incurred (retail shops, restaurants etc.) can be put to the room.  You can pay Canadian Cash for the amount at the reception at checkout. Check with the organisers.