Jay Peak Resort
Overview
Jay Peak occupies the far northern edge of Vermont’s ski map, close enough to Quebec that the resort’s nearest sizable cities are Canadian rather than American. The mountain sits about 4 miles south of the border, and that geography does more than shape the drive up: Jay Peak trades heavily on being the snowiest resort in the eastern United States, with an average of roughly 359 inches a year and a record-setting 491 inches during the 2016-17 season. Weather systems moving off Lake Champlain and down from Canada tend to dump snow here that misses resorts farther south, and Jay has leaned into that reputation as its defining pitch to skiers willing to make the longer drive.
The resort traces back to 1955, incorporated with skiing operations opening in January 1957. Austrian instructor Walter Foeger, the resort’s first general manager, cut many of the original trails and helped set the mountain’s early character. That character still shows in the terrain today: 79 runs adding up to roughly 41 kilometers of trail, including around two dozen gladed areas and steep lines like the Face Chutes, where the pitch runs well over 50 percent grade. It’s the kind of terrain that draws skiers looking for something rougher than a groomed cruiser, even though the mountain also carries a healthy stretch of intermediate and easy trail for less aggressive days.
One thing that sets Jay apart mechanically from most of its regional peers is the aerial tram, built in 1966 and one of only two operating on the East Coast, the other being Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire. The 60-person cable car underwent a safety retrofit in 2017 and gives Jay a lift experience unlike most of its neighbors, less about speed than about carrying a full car of skiers to the summit in one ride rather than several chairs.
Jay Peak went through a well-documented EB-5 investor fraud scandal that came to light in 2016, and the resort changed hands in 2022 when Pacific Group Resorts purchased it for $76 million. Today it operates as part of the Indy Pass network, giving pass holders two-ticket access here alongside the resort’s own day-ticket and season-pass options, and its proximity to the border means travelers connecting through Montreal are almost as likely to arrive from the north as from Burlington to the south. By category, the 40.7 kilometers of marked trail split into 20.55 km intermediate, 11.12 km easy, 8.87 km advanced, and 0.16 km novice, a mix that puts more mileage into groomed intermediate cruising than the glade-and-chute reputation alone would suggest.
Key stats
Official website — Last checked 2026-09-13
Lifts by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| cable car | 1 |
| chair lift | 6 |
| magic carpet | 2 |
Runs by difficulty
| Difficulty | Distance |
|---|---|
| easy | 11.12 km |
| novice | 0.16 km |
| advanced | 8.87 km |
| intermediate | 20.55 km |
Maps
View official Jay Peak Resort trail map (PDF) →
Run & lift overview
Jay Peak Resort: 99 runs, 9 lifts. Generated from community-mapped OpenStreetMap data, not Jay Peak Resort's official map artwork. © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenSkiMap (ODbL).
Typical conditions by month
Monthly conditions data for Jay Peak Resort is not yet available.
Lift tickets & passes
- Indy Base Pass — 2 All-Day or All-Night tickets per resort; blackout dates apply (exact 26/27 holiday blackout dates not yet finalized as of verified_date)
- Indy+ Pass — 2 All-Day or All-Night tickets per resort, no blackout dates
Getting there
Nearest airports
- Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) — 71.5 km straight-line
- Plattsburgh International Airport (PBG) — 81.2 km straight-line
- Montréal / Saint-Hubert Metropolitan Airport (YHU) — 96.3 km straight-line
Nearest cities
- Sherbrooke, Quebec — 71.3 km straight-line
- Longueuil, Quebec — 99.1 km straight-line
- Le Vieux-Longueuil, Quebec — 103.1 km straight-line
Also covered by
Where to stay
A dedicated lodging guide for Jay Peak Resort is not yet available.
Nearby resorts
- Mont Sutton — 20 km straight-line, 454.3 m vertical
- Owl's Head — 24 km straight-line, 474.8 m vertical
- Bromont Montagne d'Expérience — 42 km straight-line, 364.3 m vertical
- Smugglers' Notch Resort — 44 km straight-line, 771.7 m vertical
- Mont Orford — 48 km straight-line, 521.4 m vertical
FAQ
- How big is Jay Peak?
- Nine lifts, including the aerial tram, serve Jay Peak's 79 runs. Total trail mileage comes to roughly 40.7 kilometers, more than any other resort covered here, over a vertical descent of about 605 meters.
- Does Jay Peak get a lot of snow?
- Jay Peak has a reputation as the snowiest ski area in the eastern United States, reporting an average of around 359 inches a year, with its record 2016-17 season bringing in 491 inches. The location, close to the Quebec border and directly in the path of upslope snow off Lake Champlain and Canadian systems, is the reason cited for the totals.
- How close is Jay Peak to Canada?
- Very close. The resort sits about 4 miles south of the Quebec border, making it the northernmost major ski area in New England, and several Quebec cities including Sherbrooke and Montreal show up among the resort's nearer population centers.
- Does Jay Peak have a tram?
- Yes. Jay Peak operates an aerial tramway, built in 1966 and one of only two on the East Coast (the other is at Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire). It carries up to 60 people to the summit and underwent a safety retrofit in 2017.
- Which pass covers Jay Peak?
- Jay Peak is on the Indy network, with both the Indy Base and Indy+ passes each unlocking two visits here. The Indy+ tier skips blackout dates entirely, whereas Indy Base holders should check holiday-period restrictions before planning a trip.
- What's the nearest airport to Jay Peak?
- The nearest airport is Burlington International (BTV), about 72 km south; Plattsburgh International sits at a similar 81 km, and several Montreal-area airports fall within roughly 100 km given the resort's position near the border.
- Is Jay Peak good for advanced skiers?
- Jay Peak has a strong reputation among stronger skiers thanks to roughly two dozen gladed zones and steep terrain like the Face Chutes, where slopes average over 50 percent grade. Its 79 runs also include a substantial intermediate and easy trail base for less aggressive skiers.
- What's the exact terrain breakdown at Jay Peak?
- Of the 40.7 km total, 20.55 km is intermediate, 11.12 km easy, 8.87 km advanced, and a small 0.16 km novice, so the mountain carries more marked intermediate mileage than its glade-heavy reputation might suggest on its own.
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-15
Base facts from OpenSkiMap (ODbL), OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata (CC0), OurAirports (public domain) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). See /data-sources/.