Jay Peak Week 5

Today was sadley, our last day working at Jay. I started out in the Nordic center shadowing Tiffany, the manager, of what her job is. She gives out lessons, snowshoe rentals, cross country rentals, and guided snowshoe tours in the moonlight. The Nordic center may not be a big profit maker to the resort, but it is just another service offered at the mountain. Big events such as high school races happen on the course. Some people enjoy that activety and it is very popular in Canadian resorts. Tiffany must be patient and friendly to every guest that comes in because most of them never have been there before. She gave clear directions on where to hike on the map. The snow has been lacking, but in the woods the trails are really nice. Tiffany and other employees must groom the trails. The groomer cat is similar to the big ones on the hill, but it is much narrower so it can travel through all areas of the nordic trails. If their is thin cover the cat cannot get the job done, it can chew up the ground which is the golf course in the summer. If that is the case, the old pull groomer must get the job done. I cross country skied a few of the trails picking up any branches or trash in the trail. It was a peaceful morning. Once I came back, Tiffany showed future nordic expansion and also told me general resort expansion. New trails were just added this season to the nordic center and they plan to extend those trails out when the west bowl expansion is done. Also building more condos where you can ski and showshoe to your condo. Ski/ride all day, splash in the evening, showshoe/cross country ski in the monnlight to your condo...that sounds like a fun day to me. Tiffany also told me that the stateside lodge will be taken down and a new lodge, ski school, rental shop, and recreation facility with indoor trampolines will be put there. The Bonnie quad will be taken out and put where the Jet triple is and the Jet will be on another part of the mountain mainly servicing terrian parks. A six pack bubble detach will be put where the slow Bonnie is currently spinning. Jay Peak is well on their way to being a colossal, national destination.
In the afternoon I worked in the Ice Haus. There was not much going on today, but the weekend had a tournament and raffle prizes. I picked up some trash and got a tour of all the locker rooms and maintenance rooms. I found out that the ice haus heats the waterpark...thats interesting. A good way to be sustainable instead of installing a whole heating unit for the park. The ice haus also had a shop where you could buy sticks, hockey gear, Jay Peak clothing, stickers, and other small goods to attract customers. Another roomer I heard is that another ice haus will be put over on west bowl side. I am very interested into seeing what happens at Jay within the next decade. Looking forward to be working at Stowe for the next rotation.