Conditions Report
Jay Peak conditions report from Sunday, December 21, 2025
By now, we all know the storyline that has dominated the early-season ski news: the East Coast is having an early-season for the history books, while the West Coast ironically is off to one of the worst starts in the past three decades. This storyline is no better exemplified than by Jay Peak, which, not only averages to be the snowiest ski resort on the East Coast, but, removed from all of this context, is having a blockbuster year on its own.
While Jay Peak averages 359″ of snowfall, the resort has already received a mind-boggling 200″ of snowfall this season. And we haven’t even hit January. With this historic achievement, I had to get on the ground and ski this resort that was dominating the headlines.
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:
- indoor water park (one of the largest in North America at the time of construction)
- cross-country skiing
- snowshoeing
- ski biking
- rock climbing gym
- hockey rink
- spa
- movie theatre
- mini golf
- arcade
- golf course
While the snowfall sounds like it is from a ski resort out West, Mother Nature has recently brought weather more akin to back East. While recent snowfall has offered incredible powder skiing in recent weeks, the glory of the season has been mellowed out a little by a freeze-thaw rain cycle that has compressed the snowpack into much more typical early-season conditions (which, at Jay Peak, is still fantastic).
With warmer periods to be expected early-season, the lingering and more noticeable part of the recent storm was the hurricane-force winds that came with it. Trees and branches lay scattered across every single trail, demonstrating the true strength and freak nature of the most recent weather event. I’d never seen a ski patrol head up a chair with a chainsaw until today, but there was plenty of cleanup to be done across the resort.
The light, dry powder from previous weeks was gone, and we have been left with a solid base layer to continue to build the rest of the ski season upon.
The good part about this was that without the wind holds experienced when I visited, virtually all of Jay’s trails are open with little to no bare spots.
The bad news is that while we wait on additional snow (which, with the nature of this season, is continuously in the forecast), we are left with a crusty, icy base, dusted with an inch or two of fresh natural snow.
But if we take a step back and ground ourselves in the reality of East Coast skiing, this is what we are used to. So I didn’t let that ice or lack of deep powder stop me from skiing bumps, trees, and groomers, all while having a great time.
The wind was no joke. The day began by just spinning the Jet Triple and Bonaventure Quad on the upper mountain, and quickly got reduced to just the Bonaventure Quad (with its good protection from western winds). While I wished I could have ventured out to ski Stateside and off the tram, the limited radius around Bonaventure still has plenty of good options for all types of terrain, entertaining me for the entire day without having to lap any run more than twice.
While I was wishing for powder during my visit to Jay, I unfortunately was the odd one out this season at the resort, and did not get blessed with any of the over 16 feet of snow they have received this season. But no worries—this is how the early season goes, and I plan to be back in February to enjoy what is seemingly a season for the record books, coming off another incredible season last year.
Ski Stats
Conditions
Weather
Photos
For more information, visit Jay Peak’s website here.
