Jay Peak, VT, Report: Pushing Myself Over the Edge on the Face Chute

Report from Sunday, February 25th, 2024

Out of all of the East Coast resorts, Jay Peak is the one where I end up most. It’s diverse and challenging terrain, from steep groomers off the Jet Triple to tight glades like Timbuktu and Beaver Pond to its extreme Face Chutes directly under the tram; whenever I show up to Jay, I know that it is going to be a challenging day. Today was no exception to this, but with an additional infrequent factor for the resort that receives the most snow on the East Coast – ice.

Quick Facts & History

• Date Opened: 1957
• Multi-Destination Pass: Indy Pass
• Number of Trails: 81
• Skiable Acres: 385
• Vertical Drop: 2153′
• Base Elevation: 1815′
• Summit Elevation: 3968′
• Average Annual Snowfall: 359″ (most on the East Coast)
• Terrain Breakdown:
  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 40%
• Number of Lifts: 9
• Night Skiing: no
• Other Activities:
  • one of the largest indoor water parks in North America
  • cross-country skiing & snowshoeing
  • ski biking
  • rock climbing gym
  • hockey rink
  • spa
  • movie theatre

Although Jay Peak has already received 242″ of snowfall this season (with more on the way this evening), warmer temperatures in the days leading up to my day at Jay Peak allowed for the snow to soften up, followed by a sudden drop in temperatures that turned everything into ice. While I have to admit that the grooming team at Jay did a shockingly impressive job mitigating those conditions on the groomed trails, there was not too much they could do regarding their gladed and ungroomed terrain. But I was at Jay, and I don’t go there to ski groomers all day, so I didn’t let this weather stop me from exploring the entire mountain.

After dabbling with a few different types of gladed runs and finding that they were manageable if taken slow and steady, I set my eyes on the Face Chutes over the top of the tram. There was no harm in at least looking up there, right? I felt that added pressure of doing this because I was skiing with a friend who had never been to Jay when the tram was opened and had continuously hyped up how insane the runs off the top were, so up the tram we went.

Before today, I had only skied the face chutes a couple of times, and it was only on one day back in 2018 when Jay Peak had the best and earliest opening on record. They had so much snow during Thanksgiving that they opened the entire mountain, top to bottom, at once. Powder was plenty, and there was no better time to ski the Face Chutes than my first run of the season. I am unsure if I had the adrenaline rushing through my body and didn’t care, or I did not remember correctly, but this time, when I approached the Face Chutes, I was completely caught off guard. I approached the edge of the drop-in and could not even see where it went. It was that steep. I inched as close to the edge as I was comfortable on ice and still could not see where the trail went. It was the first time I had ever said no to an open run on the East Coast in recent memory. Even though it was open, it simply did not seem doable.

Instead of completely backing off, I went down the ridge line between the marked Face Chutes line and Green Beret further down the mountain. After making my way a fair amount down the ridge, I settled on a line that seemed doable and still had solid coverage. I was in for the most challenging and thrilling run I have ever skied on the East Coast. The stakes were high as icy conditions allowed no room for error. Speed was easy to gain and difficult to stop, so I took each turn down the narrow, merely 6′ wide chute, one at a time. Slowly, I made my way down, and I was feeling great.

At the bottom of the chute, where the trail had a run out to the rest of the mountain, I saw a fun-looking mid-sized jump that went over and between two small pine trees. Feeling like I had already conquered the most challenging part of the mountain, I thought I should go for it, but upon landing, the icy conditions made my skis cross, and I took a tumble that knocked the wind out of me for a second. The worst part is that I didn’t even turn my GoPro on to get a video!

Conditions

Weather Outlook

Currently, the entire Northeast is battling high temperatures and rain. Thankfully, this will quickly change into snow and low temperatures, hopefully combating the damage that warmer temperatures throughout last week have done to most ski resort bases. After that, temperatures will again rise most days above freezing, but fingers crossed that March turns things around.

Additional Photos

After such an intense run and a tumble that left my shoulder a little sore three days later, that was enough for me that day. While my day at Jay consisted of rather usual circumstances for the place, I still, as I always do, found new ways to push myself and challenge my skiing, something that many ski resorts fail to do. I will be back, Jay, and I will get you next time.

For more information, check out Jay Peak’s website.