Berkshires in 2017-18 - Jiminy Peak and Berkshire East

[marzNC]

Starting this thread for 2017-18 in case there are shy Divas who ski in the Berkshires. I've been enjoying the Wyndham resort at Jiminy Peak in the last couple years when driving to/from Boston. Hoping to use that as a base to check out the skiing at Jiminy and Berkshire East at some point. I've hiked Jiminy and ridden the quad during the fall season. Seems like a well run ski resort.

 

[Dtrick924]

Berkshire East is a really fun, old fashioned mountain. No high speed quads but the summit lift has a magic carpet so that lift is pretty fast. I've only skied there during the week, where you pretty much have the mountain to yourself, unless there's a high school race. Lots of narrow trails that snake through the woods and a good mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain.

 

[marzNC]

@Dtrick924 : does BEast usually open by early Dec or it's usually closer to Christmas before the lifts get going?

 

[Dtrick924]

Usually closer to Christmas. Sometimes they be open on the weekends if there is decent snow mid-December.

 

[newboots]

I love Berkshire East. I've mostly skied it on weekends, and while the lodge is crowded with race families (and everyone stores their stuff in the lodge, piling it everywhere), there is virtually never a lift line. They have two lifts to the summit, and if a line develops on one, they open the second one. I love winding trails through the woods, and they have several that are easy enough for beginners. If you prefer wide, "tilted football fields," they have those in green, blue, and black.

Even when the lodge is crammed with ski gear, it's a comfy-feeling place. Old-fashioned, local, the kind of place where you run into friends from your town or make friends by virtue of where you stuffed your bag.

 

[Dtrick924]

The lodge is beautiful, full of varnished wooden tables and benches, and big windows that look out onto the competition hill. It's super cozy on a sunny day with the sun streaming in.

 

[newboots]

The lodge is beautiful, full of varnished wooden tables and benches, and big windows that look out onto the competition hill. It's super cozy on a sunny day with the sun streaming in.

Yes! They have these fabulous old-time wooden chairs with an evergreen tree carved into the backrest. It is SO non-glitz, friendly, and fun.

 

[marzNC]

Berkshire East opened last weekend. Closed this week then open again next weekend.

Jiminy Peak is opening Fri-Sun until Dec. 14. After that will be open daily. I've enjoyed staying at the timeshare resort that is slope side at Jiminy during the fall. Might check it out on my next trip.

 

[nopoleskier]

A bunch of us from my home Mt usually make a trip to Jiminy each winter. they do offer "tickets by the hour" and they have lots of online specials and used to give half off w/a reciprocal deal they have w/several Mts.

 

[marzNC]

I hiked up to the snowmaking pond at Jiminy last October with a local. Had also ridden the main quad as a scenic ride in Sept with my non-skiing husband. So have some sense of the terrain. Seems well laid out.

The hike was an optional activity of the Bentley Brook resort. She turned out to be a member of one of the founding members of the Thunderbolt Ski Club. Since no one else showed up, we had a grand time that afternoon hiking and chatting about skiing. I'd never heard of Mt. Greylock and the CCC Thunderbolt Ski Race before. Drove to the top of Mt. Greylock and the Thunderbolt Museum the next day. Great fun!

 

[newboots]

Greylock has some wonderful ski history!

 

[marzNC]

A bunch of us from my home Mt usually make a trip to Jiminy each winter. they do offer "tickets by the hour" and they have lots of online specials and used to give half off w/a reciprocal deal they have w/several Mts.

Online price for the weekday I'm likely to ski at Jiminy is only $40. That's less than Berkshire East with no driving since I managed to get a unit at the Wyndham timeshare for one night. Have an empty bedroom. If anyone is interested, send me a PM.

 

[marzNC]

Very nice day at Jiminy Peak today. All the local seniors were out this morning. Made friends with a group of women and skied with them until they left at noon.

Temps in the low 30s with sun. So should be even better in the afternoon on some runs after the groomed surface softens a bit.

 

[marzNC]

Well, Snowstorm Riley has dumped 12 inches at Jiminy Peak overnight and Berkshire East posted on their website about "heavy, wet snow" and high winds. But both are closed for today, 3/2, because of power outages. Jiminy was open until mid-afternoon. The winds are fierce.

Jiminy Peak Snow Report

 

[Tvan]

We have lost power several times today. Be safe out there!

 

[marzNC]

Jiminy Peak will be open all day and into the night for the usual 10pm closing time. Storm dropped 10-18 inches. Winds have dropped under 20mph.

Just an hour to the east, Berkshire East only got a few inches and it was heavy and wet. Primary conditions are groomed and secondary says "Wet Snow." Their snow report comment was "This is the conditions report for Saturday, March 3rd. We are open! We received a few inches of snow in the base area and over 6 inches at the summit. Grooming crew was out last night to insure some great skiing and riding. Tubing park will also be open.

 

[marzNC]

Berkshires about to get dumped on starting Wed afternoon. That reddish purple means 14 inches in about 24 hours! Good for the Catskills and southern VT, southern NH too. Even Wachusett is in the deep area.

 

[marzNC]

Another view of the snow totals predicted for 3/7. Jiminy is just northwest of Pittsfield, MA.

By 8pm the blizzard seemed to be over. We'll see how much more comes down overnight.

 

[marzNC]

The official snow depth was 18-22 inches at Jiminy Peak! The double blacks were not groomed. Nor-easter is a blue off Widow White's, the quad that runs to the very top until 1pm midweek, Ace of Spades is a wide black that has lights. The Hot Wheels Glade is a blue glade with widely spaced big trees that have obviously been thinned and a very mellow pitch. Was quite skiable yesterday even in the morning before the heavy snow started.

 

[marzNC]

The Berkshires are about to get more snow from the next nor'easter. Prediction for Jiminy Peak is 11 inches about a day before the snow starts. Temperatures are staying well below freezing, so all the snow from last week is hanging around as a solid base.