This ski season has been quite a bummer for mountains in the west, with many states and ski resorts far below their snowfall and snowpack averages. Much of the east has seen a bit of a different story, though, with some areas receiving huge snowstorms all winter long. Vermont’s Jay Peak, for example, has reached above their 10-year average and has now seen over 400 inches of snowfall this season, an impressive feat for any ski resort nationwide.
Jay Peak’s 10-year snowfall average isn’t that far from 400 inches, sitting at 372″ per year. Jay started the season off strong, with a snowy November and opening their lifts early with a soft opening on November 22nd and 23rd. By November 18th, the Vermont resort had already seen a remarkable 92 inches of snow, all before they even opened.
By the end of November, Jay Peak had already seen 119 inches of snow, and the weather didn’t back down come December. By December 9th, Jay Peak reached a season snow total of 148 inches, then 177 inches by December 12th. By December 23rd, Jay Peak had reached over 200 inches and had 100% of the mountain open.
That still wasn’t the end of it. By January 13th, Jay Peak stretched the snowfall total to 257 inches, and by February 23rd the totals reached 348″. Up until mid-March, Jay Peak was leading the United States in season snowfall total, reaching 353 inches by March 3rd. The Vermont resort was eventually overtaken by Mt. Baker in Washington, a ski resort known for it’s enormous annual snowfall totals, but Jay still sits among the top 5 in the country.
As of Tuesday, April 7th, Jay Peak has reached the 400 inch mark thanks to an overnight storm that brought 2 more inches of snow. All 9 lifts are currently spinning, with around 48 of 83 trails open. The mountain’s base depth currently sits at 16-40 inches. With all that snow, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jay stay open into May. Last year the resort was able to stay open until May 11th. This year the resort plans to keep things going as long as possible, we’ll just have to wait and see how long that winds up being.
