February 7, 2010
Power up at Jiminy Peak
by Brion O'Connor/
The wind turbine is part of Jiminy Peak's efforts to be more environmentally friendly. (photo: Jiminy Peak)
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Let’s start with the obvious: the wind turbine. Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Mass., was the first New England ski resort to install a wind turbine to help offset energy costs. The resort is tucked away in the Berkshires, hard by the Empire State, in the northwest corner of the commonwealth, and the drive there even on the best of days is, shall we say, a bit on the bland side. The wind turbine, though, is anything but subtle.
Zephyr, the sleek white turbine that stands almost 400 feet tall (a 253-foot tower, with three 123-foot blades), dominates the western skyline from its perch beside the Outback trail, and when you spy those giant blades spinning over the treetops as you come around from the east, there’s something of an enormous amusement park ride quality to it. Zephyr also serves as a reminder of the resort’s admirable Forever Green initiative. Still, I see it as something more. It’s also a reflection of the resort itself, an attractive and exciting blend of man-made technology and natural elements that make for a wonderful recreation destination.
More than just a curiosity, Zephyr provides roughly a third of the resort’s energy, and that energy neatly generates a ton of fun for visiting families. In two choice words, the skiing at Jiminy is short and sweet (even if the trip from most major metropolitan areas is close to three hours). There’s an absolutely dizzying assortment of options at Jiminy Peak for skiers (especially beginners to intermediates) and non-skiers alike, with a decided emphasis on grins and giggles instead of thrills and chills. There are 45 trails (21 festooned with night lights!), spread across 1,150 feet of vertical and almost 200 acres. Add a true base village, complete with inn and restaurants, and Jiminy Peak no longer seems appropriate for the “small mountain” category, which is how the resort often is perceived. Now consider the outstanding lift capacity — one six-passenger high-speed summit lift (the Berkshire Express), two quad chairlifts, three triple chairlifts, and one double chairlift — and the area starts to sound like a major-league resort. Yet, despite its considerable infrastructure, Jiminy Peak strikes a remarkable balance between big-mountain attractions and small-area atmosphere. That’s a real testament to the resort, and the Jiminy Peak staff.
Mother Nature has jumped on the Jiminy bandwagon as well, with an annual snowfall of nearly 100 inches, which is supplemented by a first-rate and ever-evolving snowmaking and grooming system. The lift system spreads out the skiers nicely, and the trail network truly offers something for everyone, from three diverse terrain parks, dedicated bump runs, fast, wide cruisers and smooth, gentle beginner slopes. Après ski, Jiminy’s Village Center is an all-inclusive getaway, offering accommodations, a retail shop, a 6,500-square-foot children’s center, and a variety of dining establishments. Hot shots may get a little antsy with the liberal use of “non speed” zones, but parents will appreciate the added emphasis on safety, especially since almost all the trails eventually funnel into the main base area. That, of course, can be both good and bad. It’s almost impossible to get lost, but bringing everyone together can make for congestion worthy of Boston’s clogged main artery at rush hour. Still, good skiers and boarders have plenty of territory to rip it up.
But, families first. The resort has won several awards for its family-centric programs, and many are laudable. Others don’t pass the snicker test, like a four-hour lift ticket that saves the buyer, on average, just a few bucks over the eight-hour alternative (and, in truth, Jiminy offers so many online discounts that no one ought to be paying full freight anyway). Conversely, the ski school programs, including an authorized Burton Kids Learn to Ride Center, are absolutely first-rate, with low student/instructor ratios that virtually assure an enjoyable experience (and that, my friends, is true music to a parent’s ears). For Jiminy regulars, the eight-week weekend-only Mountain Adventure program, which focuses on winter safety as well as lessons, offers hard-to-find consistency over a two-month stretch.
Jiminy Peak’s slopeside village is easy on the eyes and, for the most part, smartly laid out, with a few notable exceptions. The rental center (Thatcher House) could be closer to the hill, leaving parents wishing they had an extra set of hands (or a ski cart) to get everything to JJ’s Lodge in a single trip. The same goes for the Burbank Children’s Center, although the Cub’s Den playroom is a safe and secure area that stays open to 6, allowing mom and dad to share a guilt-free après ski beverage. The main lodge, on the other hand, is roomier than most (although, like any resort, it can get crowded during peak days), and has plenty of storage cubicles. The food, particularly the fare at John Harvard’s Express, also is excellent, and reasonably priced (by resort standards).
On the hill, there’s plenty to choose from, with a veritable potpourri of terrific trails spilling across Jiminy Peak’s undulating flanks from the 2,390-foot summit (home of Hendricks Summit Lodge, a great hideout on windy days). When my girls were younger, we’d cruise long, gentle, manicured green trails like Left Bank and Outback. Those runs gave Maddi and Brynne a peek at what the future held, and the more proficient they got, the more we started exploring runs that spilled from the beginner areas, trails such as Grand Slam, West Way, Lower Exhibition, Riptide and Willie’s Gulch, and off the Widow White’s Quad to the east chair, Panorama, Out to Sea and Scooter. Last year, the resort took another step up and started dabbling in the high blues and smoother black diamonds, including Noreaster, North Glade, Wild Turkey, North Glade, Upper and Lower Whitetail, and even the double-diamond Jericho when it wasn’t bumped up. That progression is a trademark at Jiminy, and the girls’ current confidence level on the boards is, at least in my mind, a nice legacy.
Truth be told, there is very little “extreme” terrain at Jiminy. It’s as user-friendly as it is family-friendly. Again, that’s reassuring for some, disappointing for others. This year, the resort introduced two new novice runs. Deer Run is a brand new trail, rated green, and was carved between Upper Slingshot and Willie’s Gulch on the western side of the mountain. John Hancock, a favorite at Jiminy for natural snow conditions, has been reconfigured into a green run from top to bottom, and is now wider and more level. Snowmaking has been added to both trails, increasing coverage on the mountain from 93 to 96 percent. Lighting also was added to the John Hancock Trail, expanding the night trail count to 21.
Yes, thanks to night lighting (another huge benefit, compliments of the wind turbine), Jiminy Peak is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. I want to meet the person who claims he or she can’t get enough turns in a day here. My girls and I have tried, but we haven’t succeeded yet. Of course, we’ll keep trying.
