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9. Jay Peak Resort, Vermont

9. Jay Peak Resort, Vermont

Jay Peak
(Photo: Courtesy of Jay Peak)

There are still plenty of bark-eating powderhounds who adore Jay Peak. It’s just harder to see them now. For one, they’re in the trees every run—off-piste glades and deep snowpack are still Jay specialties. But today the resort attracts a new crowd, drawn by new, fraud-free owners, family-oriented amenities, including three big hotels, a hockey rink, and a massive waterpark. Today’s visitor is as likely to be in town for a hockey tournament, or just to play in the pool, as to hit the slopes.

Jay deserves to have a cult following just for the poutine at the Tram Haus bar alone. But in fact, Vermont’s northernmost resort earned its hardcore following long before its controversial EB-5 Foreign Investor Act–fueled explosion of slopeside luxury and diversions, which has utterly transformed the place over the past decade.

Long before the high-end hotels and stupendously huge slopeside water park, there was a mountain, a tram, an above-average snowpack, and an unusual policy: If you could see it, you could ski it. That is, the trees weren’t off-limits, as at most resorts back then; if you wanted to ski them—safely and sensibly, of course—no one was going to pull your pass. Real skiers loved it, driving there in droves (and a long drive it remains today) to tear up the glades from Timbuktu to Beyond Beaver Pond and battle the summit headwall. Somehow that vibe endures, despite the masses drawn by Jay’s new amenities.

Bottom line: It’s the trees and great snow that keeps them coming back.

Top 20 East

No. 9 in the East: Jay Peak, Vt.

Jay Peak Mountain Stats

Average Snowfall Acres Lifts Trails
349″ 385 9 78

Jay Peak Pass Info

Jay Peak is on the Indy Pass.

Trip Planning

From lodging and dining to off-slope activities and local tips, here are the SKI editors’ picks for what to do in Jay Peak, Vt.

On-Hill Eats

This close to Canada, The Foundry (in the Hotel Jay) knows it needs to get poutine right. It does, and hey, you were out in the cold all day.

Local Tip

It’s 20 minutes to the border, and Quebec’s Eastern Townships are a great place to go if you’re hungry. Their cheeses stand alone, and you can’t get them in the States.

Après Spot

Of all the upgrades, the Tram Bar is still the best: craft brews, killer poutine, and a real Jay sense of place.

Off-the-Map Trail

Green Beret, skier’s left off Vermonter, might be Jay’s best glade. When the tram’s closed, use Bonaventure and hit Vertigo.

Lodging

The oldest of the new hotels, the Tram Haus Lodge, has charisma that appeals to fans of boutique inns.

Family Activity

Jay’s massive Pump House Water Park. Yes, it’s a sign of the apocalypse, but it’s an incredibly fun one.

Jay Peak’s Website

Jay Peak
(Photo: Courtesy of Jay Peak)

There are still plenty of bark-eating powderhounds who adore Jay Peak. It’s just harder to see them now. For one, they’re in the trees every run—off-piste glades and deep snowpack are still Jay specialties. But today the resort attracts a new crowd, drawn by new, fraud-free owners, family-oriented amenities, including three big hotels, a hockey rink, and a massive waterpark. Today’s visitor is as likely to be in town for a hockey tournament, or just to play in the pool, as to hit the slopes.

Jay deserves to have a cult following just for the poutine at the Tram Haus bar alone. But in fact, Vermont’s northernmost resort earned its hardcore following long before its controversial EB-5 Foreign Investor Act–fueled explosion of slopeside luxury and diversions, which has utterly transformed the place over the past decade.

Long before the high-end hotels and stupendously huge slopeside water park, there was a mountain, a tram, an above-average snowpack, and an unusual policy: If you could see it, you could ski it. That is, the trees weren’t off-limits, as at most resorts back then; if you wanted to ski them—safely and sensibly, of course—no one was going to pull your pass. Real skiers loved it, driving there in droves (and a long drive it remains today) to tear up the glades from Timbuktu to Beyond Beaver Pond and battle the summit headwall. Somehow that vibe endures, despite the masses drawn by Jay’s new amenities.

Bottom line: It’s the trees and great snow that keeps them coming back.

Top 20 East

No. 9 in the East: Jay Peak, Vt.

Jay Peak Mountain Stats

Average Snowfall Acres Lifts Trails
349″ 385 9 78

Jay Peak Pass Info

Jay Peak is on the Indy Pass.

Trip Planning

From lodging and dining to off-slope activities and local tips, here are the SKI editors’ picks for what to do in Jay Peak, Vt.

On-Hill Eats

This close to Canada, The Foundry (in the Hotel Jay) knows it needs to get poutine right. It does, and hey, you were out in the cold all day.

Local Tip

It’s 20 minutes to the border, and Quebec’s Eastern Townships are a great place to go if you’re hungry. Their cheeses stand alone, and you can’t get them in the States.

Après Spot

Of all the upgrades, the Tram Bar is still the best: craft brews, killer poutine, and a real Jay sense of place.

Off-the-Map Trail

Green Beret, skier’s left off Vermonter, might be Jay’s best glade. When the tram’s closed, use Bonaventure and hit Vertigo.

Lodging

The oldest of the new hotels, the Tram Haus Lodge, has charisma that appeals to fans of boutique inns.

Family Activity

Jay’s massive Pump House Water Park. Yes, it’s a sign of the apocalypse, but it’s an incredibly fun one.

Jay Peak’s Website

Resort Skiing

Mountains of Money

Jay Peak has long been loved for its above-average snowfall. Now a blizzard of foreign capital has transformed it into a four-season wonderland. And the bottom line? Jobs where they’re needed most.

Adventure

19 New Inches at Jay Peak, Vermont

Thanks to a storm that dropped almost two feet of new snow, Jay Peak, Vermont, reopens today through Sunday. Lift tickets are discounted—and they're throwing in a free lunch. Here are photos of the new snow.

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