Twinplanx
Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2021
So, I finally got out on the snow this weekend after not skiing at all last season. An old friend who has relocated down south put together a little boy's weekend in the Poconos. We locked down a few 2 Day Epic Passes on Thanksgiving before the price went up. So, we were committed to a Fail Resort from the get-go. Being a buget minded beginner, he wasn't keen on driving further to a bigger mountain further north from Long Island, so we choose Jack Frost Big Boulder. The two separate mountains really seemed to appeal to him, and I've never been, so I figured what the hell.
We arrived late Thursday night and skied Friday and Saturday. Glad we got at least one mid-weekday in, cause man what a difference a day makes! Yeah, it was cold and firm, but that's all part of the game. We didn't get to JF till after 9AM but still scored second row parking. Speaking of parking I will always be skeptical of any ski area with parking on TOP of the lifts lol But JF has some decent albeit short ski run on the East Side. There is a shorter beginner area on the westside that we could thankfully avoid as my friend was capable of skiing anything that was available at JFBB this weekend. We encountered a lift line at the A Lift I believe and decided to lap the East Side. They were taking advantage of the cold temps for some needed snow making so some of the real "expert" stuff was unavailable. We alternated between the two eastern lifts till around 2PM and we could mostly ski right onto the lifts. We located our Vax Cards and took a break in the lodge/bar then decided to head to Big Boulder for an evening session.
I'm not familiar with JFBB, but I've never been to a ski area that didn't open till 3PM I'm not sure if this is an Epic thing or they have always operated this way, but it seems odd to me. We were again able to score Rockstar Parking, as we arrived just in time for opening. We booted up and proceeded to what I assumed was the lift only lift running right by the Lodge. We were both a little disappointed with the short runs and lack of challenge, so we were glad to find the Big Boulder Double spinning on the eastside of the hill. This one took us a little higher up, but around 500 Vertical Feet this was no "mountain". Again, it was the eastside that was more challenging, so we mostly stuck there until we quit sometime after 5PM as fatigue began to creep in along with some crowds. I guess they spin lifts till around 9PM and it seems like more people can get a few runs in after work or arriving for the weekend.
We got a late start on Saturday after getting breakfast at the local truck stop IHOP(weird). Around 11:30 we got to the parking lot at JF, and it was an absolute zoo! So, we decided to bail and head to BB for their Noon opening, which I find even stranger than a weekday 3PM opening. But it seems to work for them, and we were again somehow able to score Rockstar Parking. The parking lot was beginning to fill up, but it was as if our spot from the previous day had been reserved. This time we went directly to the Big Boulder Lift and skied there most of the afternoon/evening. There were significantly more crowds, and we might have spent more time waiting in lifelines and on slow lifts than actually skiing. But it was skiing none the less. A little of the snowmaking was blowing into some sections of ttorails providing for a soft turn here and there. The wider trails had a more consistent groomed surface where I could get into a little rhythm and work on improving my form while skiing at a decent clip, not super-fast, but fun.
In short it was a good weekend to get the ol'ski legs going again. Probably not enough challenge for most of the members here. But everybody has got to start somewhere. I'm sorry if this reads more like a trip-report. Mods fell free to move it if you want. I just wanted to share my experience while it was fresh in mind. And maybe I should change the title to the specific areas I skied but I don't see any other Pocono Reports here.
We arrived late Thursday night and skied Friday and Saturday. Glad we got at least one mid-weekday in, cause man what a difference a day makes! Yeah, it was cold and firm, but that's all part of the game. We didn't get to JF till after 9AM but still scored second row parking. Speaking of parking I will always be skeptical of any ski area with parking on TOP of the lifts lol But JF has some decent albeit short ski run on the East Side. There is a shorter beginner area on the westside that we could thankfully avoid as my friend was capable of skiing anything that was available at JFBB this weekend. We encountered a lift line at the A Lift I believe and decided to lap the East Side. They were taking advantage of the cold temps for some needed snow making so some of the real "expert" stuff was unavailable. We alternated between the two eastern lifts till around 2PM and we could mostly ski right onto the lifts. We located our Vax Cards and took a break in the lodge/bar then decided to head to Big Boulder for an evening session.
I'm not familiar with JFBB, but I've never been to a ski area that didn't open till 3PM I'm not sure if this is an Epic thing or they have always operated this way, but it seems odd to me. We were again able to score Rockstar Parking, as we arrived just in time for opening. We booted up and proceeded to what I assumed was the lift only lift running right by the Lodge. We were both a little disappointed with the short runs and lack of challenge, so we were glad to find the Big Boulder Double spinning on the eastside of the hill. This one took us a little higher up, but around 500 Vertical Feet this was no "mountain". Again, it was the eastside that was more challenging, so we mostly stuck there until we quit sometime after 5PM as fatigue began to creep in along with some crowds. I guess they spin lifts till around 9PM and it seems like more people can get a few runs in after work or arriving for the weekend.
We got a late start on Saturday after getting breakfast at the local truck stop IHOP(weird). Around 11:30 we got to the parking lot at JF, and it was an absolute zoo! So, we decided to bail and head to BB for their Noon opening, which I find even stranger than a weekday 3PM opening. But it seems to work for them, and we were again somehow able to score Rockstar Parking. The parking lot was beginning to fill up, but it was as if our spot from the previous day had been reserved. This time we went directly to the Big Boulder Lift and skied there most of the afternoon/evening. There were significantly more crowds, and we might have spent more time waiting in lifelines and on slow lifts than actually skiing. But it was skiing none the less. A little of the snowmaking was blowing into some sections of ttorails providing for a soft turn here and there. The wider trails had a more consistent groomed surface where I could get into a little rhythm and work on improving my form while skiing at a decent clip, not super-fast, but fun.
In short it was a good weekend to get the ol'ski legs going again. Probably not enough challenge for most of the members here. But everybody has got to start somewhere. I'm sorry if this reads more like a trip-report. Mods fell free to move it if you want. I just wanted to share my experience while it was fresh in mind. And maybe I should change the title to the specific areas I skied but I don't see any other Pocono Reports here.
