​For Teachers » ​Travel Insights » ​A Closer Look at a School Ski Trip to Jay Peak

​A Closer Look at a School Ski Trip to Jay Peak

As you head up through the rural surroundings of northern Vermont, in the far distance across the forested landscape, you can see the outline of a snow covered Jay Peak mountain resort.  As you approach the signs for Jay Peak Resort you can start to appreciate the magnitude of the mountain looming over as you pass by to arrive at your hotel.  Jay Peak is made up of two mountains, Stateside and Tramside, offering classic New England trail skiing from top to bottom.

• Jay Peak certainly gets a lot of snow, a northernmost location only 7 miles from the Canadian border which means that it receives upwards of 350 inches in a good snow season which runs from November to May. It’s often snowing at Jay as the Peak is in the clouds – they call it the Jay cloud effect. If you enjoy tree-skiing, Jay has some of the best in New England. Jay has an international feel – the European tram, the alpine style Tram Haus lodge, trails like Kitzbühel, UN and Jet, and a contingent of Canadian skiers and Asians of late. There are 385 acres of skiable train plus over 100 acres of glades, 9 Lifts, 78 Trails, 80% snowmaking with a summit elevation of 3,968 feet. Jay has magic carpets for beginners at both Tramside and Stateside with 20% Beginner, 40% Intermediate, 40% Advanced skiing making for good progression.

We stayed in Hotel Jay which is the biggest and most plush with floor to ceiling slope view windows and your lift ticket is your room key. It is conveniently situated at the base of the Metro Quad, Flyer Express Quad and Areal Tram, which takes you right to the highest point which is well worth a visit not least for the breathtaking views over the Canadian border. You can access the peak on foot or skis straight off the top back down to the base. The wonderful thing about Hotel Jay is the direct access to the Pump House Waterpark. Pupils will love this awesome 60,000-sq-ft aqua park of pools, slides, a surf rider, a lazy river, and bucket gushers. You can also partake in surfing, La Chute – the crazy loop de loop slide, all overseen by their resident lifeguards.

Evening activities are all within walking distance from the hotels or a short complimentary shuttle ride. The Ice Haus is next door to Hotel Jay and has a full ice arena for skating and hockey matches. We were lucky enough to be entertained one evening by a local league match which did not disappoint. The players loved the support and atmosphere created by the pupils. Next to Stateside Hotel is the Clips and Reels recreational centre, comprising of a 142 seat movie theatre, arcade machines and 13 auto-belayed climbing stations, as well as three traditional climbing walls and a horizontal ropes course.

• Stateside Hotel is conveniently situated at the base of the Jet Triple and Bonaventure quad chairs. Both hotels are ‘ski in ski out’ with storage and ski fit at the base along with ski shops for such items as replacement gloves, Jay Peak branded merchandise and that all important last minute fridge magnet to purchase for Mum!

  Lunches are served at the base of the mountain in either the Stateside or Tramside cafeterias. The provisions store is the perfect place to stock up on snacks for the mountain or after skiing but if you want a bigger treat Mountain Dick’s Pizza offers sandwiches, snacks and of course pizza’s all to take away.

Jay Peak really is the resort that has it all in one place, making it a reassuringly secure location for any party leaders to take pupils of any age.