Jay Dec 12 (Telefestival! Crusty Snow! Crappy Pictures!)
There are many things that can constitute a great ski day. Powder is a given. Weather can help. Strong legs might get you there. But sometimes you can lack all three and still come out smiling. Sometimes it's as simple as the company you keep.
Mit, C. and I headed out for the second day of the tele-fest at Jay and, though we still held lingering hopes for powder, we pretty much knew it wasn't going to happen. This was confirmed on our first run through the glades: anything untouched was death-crust. To be sure, Jay had received snow: unfortunately the temps didn't stay low enough so they also received rain. Result was some heavy snow under a breakable crust topped by a couple inches that was still slowly falling. The world was thrown upside down as the best turns were to be found were people had passed before.
A little video was taken and a few stills were extracted. Quality sucks but, well, whatever.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall.../Chairlift.jpg
Just another day on the Flyer
Undeterred we forged on with demo skis and gung-ho attitudes that belied our shaking legs. A free clinic to brush up on forgotten technique and we were good to go. (note: teleing slow is hard. Much easier to crank up the speed and rely on reaction rather than technique...).
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...erpics/Lia.jpg
L. relies on her Instinx to lay out a turn
Anyhow, met up with a Scottish transplant living in New York who may wander over here at some point (if he survived the drive home Sunday night). Was good to discuss Scottish skiing with someone who grew up doing it. Also hooked up with Marc Guido, creator and editor of First Tracks Online and the man who first pointed us towards the potential of the Jay Peak Ridge. Plenty of east coast information on his site for those interested.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...erpics/Tim.jpg
Mit moves too fast to make for quality still grabs, but here he is blasting through the debris on Beaver Pond
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall.../TimHelmet.jpg
And here he is putting his new helmet to use
Groups morphing in and out of each other and random baselodge bumping into the basom-less basom crew had Sunday feeling like a homecoming. And that in itself makes for a pretty good day.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...rpics/Lia2.jpg
L. looking peaceful in Beaver Pond Glade
Sick and ashamed and happy (and sorry I didn't quite catch Mit's wicked spread eagle),
d.
