What a pleasant surprise it was turning a corner at the Snowbound Expo and seeing the HEAD/Tyrolia booth brimming with interested patrons. I ski on HEAD Supershape i.Rallys. They rock like Foo Fighters. Better still was finding out that the bubbly, effervescent, and knowledgeable person chatting me up about the latest updates to their KORE ski collection was Julia...
[Editor’s Note: This is the second of three installments on Jay Peak. Part One, a thumbnail sketch is here. Part Three, the people that you meet, is here. Part Four, a brief summary of recent history and a look at the future will drop soon.] MOUNTAIN GAZETTEER Jay Peak has two main areas – Tramside and Stateside, each with their own base lodge and...
[Editor’s Note: Hooray for winter! Everywhere of note is making snow, and to celebrate the start of the season, our Border War Series is back. One man goes to 20+ places in New Hampshire and 20+ in Vermont and tells you once and for all who wins. This week we’ll be posting stories about Jay Peak! So let’s get right to it. It”s shred-tastic!]...
NORTH CONWAY, N.H. – Cranmore Mountain Resort’s plans for a sparkling new combination base lodge and condominiums proceed apace. The new Fairbanks Lodge – slated to open next fall – features over 30,000 feet of lodge and gathering space in addition to 15 two-story lofted residences on its upper levels. Daily services will also include season...
BOSTON, MA – Now this is how to start winter: a bombogenesis outside and the largest east coast ski and snowboard expo inside. Thank you, Old Man Winter. Thank you, Snowbound Expo. It’s the third week of November, and winter seems to be arriving in a timely fashion. Buffalo, New York was so paralyzed by 80 inches of snow, the NFL took the precaution of...
That roar you hear isn’t thunder; it’s the ovation from skiers and boarders across the country, but especially in the northeast celebrating Pacific Group Resorts’ winning bid to operate Vermont’s Jay Peak, jewel of the Northeast Kingdom and a bucket list destination for any serious skier or boarder who truly wants to test his or her mettle...
Take a deep breath before the next plunge. Ski season is coming faster than you can thank me for the reminder. Now is the time to get the gear ready! Now is the time to shop for anything you;re lacking. Now is the time to line it all up to be ready at the drop of a hat. Insert voice of Jay’s friends: “Jay it’s not even September 1st…”...
Super Eight and Counting – Maine’s Sunday River is an American Classic —by Jay Flemma special to JF.com and NASJA— NEWRY, ME – “ You can’t help but love plucky, authentic Sunday River, the winter resort that just keeps getting bigger and better with every passing decade. A little bit rustic, a little bit opulent, Maine’s...
We’ll have a long article on how fantastic JF.com’s weekend at Sunday River was this winter coming imminently. (And yes, we’ll be covering all the LIV developments in golf as well, just as soon as we get the lowdown on Tiger Woods’s confab with the rest of the PGA Tour players.) But for right now, let’s have a little fun with Eddy the...
PORTLAND, OR – Doug Fish isn’t just beaming this time, he’s dancing. Not only as his brain child, the Indy Pass, legged past the 100 resort mark, Fish has added his own home mountain – from boyhood to middle age! – Mt. Hood Meadows. Here’s the downright ebullient (and rightfully so) press release blared joyously: “The Crown...
Bad news out of New Hampshire. “There’s war in them thar hills” as they said back in the old wild west days. Gunstock Mountain, a staple of the New Hampshire repertoire may transfer from public to private hands, and locals, employees, and officials are not happy with the proposal. First, crediting the Laconia Daily Sun for the scoop, the team over...
Is Indy Pass the best deal for dedicated powder hounds with wanderlust? Perhaps even by an order of magnitude? It’s hard to argue with their wild success in just three years of existence. With a whopping 92 resorts and counting on their international roster, skiers anywhere are bound to find several superb options in America, while it seems the sky’s the...
We here at JF.com are thrilled to bring you the magnificent photo essays of Andrew DiGiovanni, a US ex-pat now living in Vienna and teaching school there. Proving you should meet as many people on a ski lift as you can, Andrew and I bonded the first time I ever skied my beloved Magic Mountain in Vermont. We lost touch after I published my Magic article in 2019, but a...
“Finally!” “Thank God!” “About time!” “What took so long?” and “I’ll believe it when I see it…” Those are actual reactions from Eastern skiers when they heard the blessed news: Vail has filed a proposal to replace that infernal, wonky, and roundly despised Attitash Summit Triple chairlift...
Once a gold standard example of a destination that got both skiing and golf absolutely right, New Hampshire’s fabled, palatial, and refined Balsams Resort is primed for a comeback. Dormant for ten years in bankruptcy, skiing financier and developer Les Otten has announced his intention to reopen the ski area next season (2022-23). A new hotel is anticipated...