State To Restrict Skier Access to Big Jay.

[ptex1.1]

Sad news. There will be a public meeting up at Jay Peak this Saturday to discuss the closure. heres the press release. Here is the TGR X-Post on the topic.



State of Vermont
Office of the Secretary Agency of Natural Resources
103 South Main Street, Center Building
Waterbury, VT 05671-0301

(phone) 802-241-3600
(fax) 802-244-1102

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 11, 2007

Contact: Mike Fraysier, State Lands Director
Phone: 802-241-3682
E-mail: mike.fraysier@state.vt.us

State To Restrict Skier Access to Big Jay
Action comes in response to illegal trail cut; public meeting planned for Saturday

WATERBURY, Vt. – The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, in cooperation with The Green Mountain Club, Jay Peak Ski Resort, and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will be restricting winter access to Big Jay from the Jay Peak Ski Area for the 2007-2008 ski season. This action comes in response to an illegal ski trail that was cut on Big Jay this summer.

Officials will be holding a public meeting at Jay Peak Resort on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 4:30 p.m., to explain this action and to answer questions from the public. The meeting will be held in the “Stateside Base Lodge” building at Jay Peak Resort.

Big Jay is the highest peak in the Green Mountains without a maintained trail system. This property was acquired in 1993 by the State with the assistance of The Green Mountain Club and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to protect the Long Trail and important natural habitat. Big Jay is part of Jay State Forest and is a popular location for backcountry skiing. Though adjacent to the Jay Peak Ski Area, Big Jay is not within and is not serviced by the ski area.

In July of this year, the Green Mountain Club received a call from a tram operator at Jay Peak Ski Area, who reported that a large swath of trees had apparently been cut at Big Jay.

In following up on this report, it was determined the illegal ski trail was more than 2,000 feet long and up to 60 feet wide and that nearly 1,000 trees had been cut. The alleged perpetrators have subsequently been arrested for the trail-cutting and are currently awaiting trial.

“While we have been concerned about some light cutting in the past by backcountry skiers and riders at Big Jay, this new cut goes way beyond that and poses significant environmental and safety concerns,” says Jonathan Wood, Commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. “We feel it is necessary to keep people off the illegally cut trail, for their own safety as well as to allow for restoration to occur.”

While skiers and riders will not be permitted on the illegal trail and will not be allowed to access Big Jay directly from Jay Peak Resort, backcountry enthusiasts can still skin in or snowshoe up into Big Jay from Route 242 and ski or ride down. However, the cutting of any vegetation in this area whatsoever will not be permitted and will be strictly enforced.

Saturday’s meeting at Jay Peak Resort will provide an opportunity for the public to hear more about this issue. Questions or comments can be directed to State Lands Director Mike Fraysier, VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, 103 South Main St., Waterbury, VT 05671; phone: (802) 241-3682, email: mike.fraysier@state.vt.us.

-end-

Department of Fish & Wildlife . Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation . Department of Environmental Conservation

[elwood]

Anyone want vigilante justice on the cutters?

[2plankerider]

ooooooh those doods are gonna pay now.....disgruntled Big Jay enthusiasts....
gotta earn the turns now.

[footlong]

This has some potential bad juju for all of us, at least those of us in VT...let's all keep abreast ( I love that I could use that word...) of this.

Is anybody able to go to this meeting? If so, PLEASE post a report here on what was said.

[RR]

I wonder if the Winter Wildlands Alliance has an East Coast Chapter?

[mattlucas]

That's some greedy cutting right there. A thousand trees?!?!?!?!? I hope he was a skier / luthier because otherwise that's pretty shameful. Must have been a snowboarder....

jk them's jokes.

Maybe some BC guys can go to the meeting to cast the community overall in a more positive light. We're probably some of the most environmentally sound guys around, we just like to ski as well.

[M@]

Gotta do some research and find out when that trial for those doods is.

Make'm pay.

M@

[RR]

Originally Posted by RR

I wonder if the Winter Wildlands Alliance has an East Coast Chapter?

No...but have a look anyway:
http://www.winterwildlands.org/about/mission.php

[lacman]

Originally Posted by elwood

Anyone want vigilante justice on the cutters?

Originally Posted by M@

Gotta do some research and find out when that trial for those doods is.

Make'm pay.

Seriously?!? You guys need to relax a bit. Sure, the guys did a stupid thing. I think they probably know that by now as they're facing jail time and hefty fines for getting (very) carried away with their "project." We all do stupid things, sometimes we get so blinded by our excitement that we neglect to step back and use good judgment. These guys, I hope, thought they were doing something good for the ski community. Many people do very stupid, selfish things that have no intended benefit for anyone, save for themselves. (e.g. --please don't tell me you did it for my benefit ). It's these people who deserve our collective scorn. As for the cutters, let the state pursue it's legal actions. I'm sure they'll get a fitting punishment. If anyone's upset about being unable to access Big Jay from the lift, remember, the ban is only for one season. It'll take more than that for 1000 new trees to take the place of those that were cut.

In no way am I defending what these guys did. I also don't think the state's response is the best one. It's a reactionary move intended to send a message to others who may be cutting elsewhere. I don't agree with what was done on either side. I also don't agree with comments like what's quoted above. We can, and should, do better than this. Mattlucas has the right idea...work to make a bad situation a little less bitter for all of us.

-lacman

[RR]

Originally Posted by lacman

...Sure, the guys did a stupid thing. ..

Some of us very familiar with the concept have an opinion that "stupid" is but one way to refer to it. However, it is adequet for the purpose of official discussions so that is the standard phraseology. Call it a tap-dance if you like...all around the bush.

The situation has complicating factors that are not being discussed; the worms in that can are as those from the sands of Dune! Time may see truth out...or at least enough of it to shock a few more folks.

In the meantime, discussing how we might advocate for backcountry sliding would be the best approach.

[Rider.Steve]

Once upon a time there was no Tram and Big Jay was earned like any other peak.

I'm kinda looking forward to getting turns in the remaining chutes the old-fashioned way (assuming the cut did not ruin those). From what I've read, that's still a legal and viable option. More freshness to be had for this slog.

But RR is right that a back-country skiing advocacy group is needed to protect the interests of this community. Seems like NEMBA has set a good example.

Steve

[surf88]

Originally Posted by elwood

Anyone want vigilante justice on the cutters?

LOL P8's do you got an "Angry Mob Smilies" in your Smilie Quiver?

Contact: Mike Fraysier, State Lands Director
Phone: 802-241-3682
E-mail: mike.fraysier@state.vt.us

Even if you cant make the meeting I'd bet a large quanity of well written e mails would help the guy from the state realize that there is a community of responsible BC enthsiasts out there that are concerned about what happened, as well as any future restrictions.

[Luddite]

I agree with RR on the NEMBA model advocacy approach. I don't ski Jay, but if I take a step back my luddite nature views this in a different perspective. By restricting access via the ski area are they really restricting 'backcountry' skiing? I guess it boils down to whether one considers lift serviced OOB to be backcountry. I honestly don't know where I fall in on that, I spent my college years at MRG and certainly relish the memories there, but I don't reflect back on that as backcountry skiing at all. Of course that was so long ago the term probably didn't exist....
I do think there may be positives to be gleaned off this. Cutting off the ski area will probably mean that the people who make the effort to get up there will have done enough preparation and planning to know what they are doing and know how to get out again without requiring an SAR team. It will probably become more of a 'locals' thing and I mean the term more in surf parlance than where you live. Aside from the cut itself skiing isn't being restricted at all. It's just not going to be a 'quick hit' when the trails get skied off anymore. Is that really such a terrible thing?

[RR]

Originally Posted by Luddite

.. Aside from the cut itself skiing isn't being restricted at all. It's just not going to be a 'quick hit' when the trails get skied off anymore. Is that really such a terrible thing?

Well said. On that last bit I offer this word of warning. I'm not trying to be funny, but this is a very slippery slope. Let's not go the way of the frogs who won't jump out of water as it is slowly brought to a boil.

[PWDR8S]

Originally Posted by surf88

LOL P8's do you got an "Angry Mob Smilies" in your Smilie Quiver?


Even if you cant make the meeting I'd bet a large quanity of well written e mails would help the guy from the state realize that there is a community of responsible BC enthsiasts out there that are concerned about what happened, as well as any future restrictions.

Not a bad idea... also I think it's time we organise like RR suggested. Events like this demands that we unite to secure a future for us BC adventurers in the nor'east. Otherwise our freedom to slide BC will melt like the sad remains of snow in the springtime leaving only memories.