When I first came to Jay Peak in 1985 there was little or no sanctioned glade skiing on the mountain. On days after natural snowfalls, common at Jay Peak, I would notice the widest smiles were on the most snow-covered skiers. After observing this for a season it became apparent that many of Jay’s veteran skiers and riders were sneaking into the woods for a taste of the sous-bois, as our Quebec skiers call it. About the same time, in the mid-1980s, area operators were in the midst of litigation fear, which resulted in slopes becoming overly padded, groomed and manicured to such an extent that variety of experience and terrain was increasingly reduced. I felt it was time to legitimize the tree experience at Jay Peak.
In 1990, Jay Peak’s summer grooming crews took a couple of popular tree stashes and thinned them. The first season that these enhanced glades were open, they instantly became some of Jay Peak’s most popular terrain. When natural snow comes to Jay Peak—about 40 to 50 days a year—the glades are like magnets.
In year two, six more glades were created and that winter the sous-bois potential became evident. Word of mouth, some articles in ski publications and our advertising spread the news of the glade skiing.
Since the second year of glade skiing, more of the mountain terrain was transformed, bringing the number of glades to 18 on 150 acres of terrain. Some glades are steep, some moderate, some a mile long.
As popular as these glades have become, there is an additional segment of our market that seeks backcountry off-piste experience. In 1995, all terrain between our trails, whether gladed or more dense forest, was opened to all. The off-piste backcountry experience has added a special playground for those skiers and riders who seek the outer limit of excitement and the totally untracked adventure. Today, Jay Peak has 250 acres of trail skiing, 200 acres of glades and more than 800 acres of pure tree skiing on-property and adjacent to the mountain.
This encompassing adventure playground requires special ski patrol efforts as well as rules (see below). Fortunately, the majority of our 80 patrollers are glade skiers and love to spend time in the woods. Glades are always patrolled and swept, but the off-piste pure tree skiing is not. In the four years we have offered this, very few injuries have occurred.
As far as our guests are concerned, the response has been remarkable. On busy days our parking lots are full, but the trails aren’t because one in three Jay skiers are in the glades. Because so many skiers are in the trees, the intermediate and advanced trails are less crowded and less worn. At Jay Peak we’ve seen trail conditions hold up longer on heavy volume days because of the reduced trail density.
Gladed terrain has other advantages: It slows down more aggressive skiers who can’t bomb or race through glades because the radius from tree to tree is no more than eight feet. In addition, our injury level in the trees has been remarkably low because competent glade skiers are more interested in rhythm than speed. In general, it takes three to four times longer to ski a glade than a trail. Jay Peak’s mountain maintenance director, David Heath, who is head of grooming and an avid snowboarder, has been the ongoing creator of the Jay Peak glade system. His attention to detail, the environment and the rhythm of the sous-bois is the reason Jay Peak glades have the special reputation they do.
In looking at the 10-plus years since we developed these gladed terrain areas, the experience for Jay Peak has been nothing but positive. Our skiers and riders have a wide range of choices that gives them what they want: freedom and flight. It has also provided the ski area with customers who are extraordinarily loyal.
The best ambassadors and word of mouth for our sport are those with passion. Glade skiers and riders have that passion and the sous-bois fosters that spirit in them.
