Great Skiing Day and Night - but expensive and a bit stuffy
Written: Dec 19 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 40 enjoyable trails, plenty of high-speed and occupancy lifts, good snowmaking
Cons: Expensive (over $50 for a weekend ticket), can feel snotty and snoby
The Bottom Line: Between the pricey lift tickets, accommodations and services, Jiminy Peak caters to a more upper-scale clientele than neighboring areas
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| jps246's Full Review: Jiminy Peak |
More polished and cultured (and stuffy) than nearby Catamount, Jiminy Peak is one of a series of ski areas that are located throughout the Berkshire Mountains along the border of New York and Massachusetts.
The Dirt
Jiminy Peak is about 3 hours from New York and Boston and about an hour from Albany and Springfield. Access is fairly easy, as Jiminy is located near the Mass Pike extension and the Taconic State Parkway.
Topping out at 2,380 feet and offering 1,140 feet of vertical descent for riders, Jiminy Peak offers slightly more vertical descent than other mountains in the immediate vicinity. However, when the difference is only 100 or 200 vertical feet, I’m not sure I could even notice that difference.
The 40 trails and 156 acres of skiable terrain on the mountain are geared more towards intermediate skiers. However, there is a significant amount of beginning trails and there are only a few double diamond trails on the mountain. The double diamonds, while steep, pale in comparison to double diamonds elsewhere. Night skiing is provided on 18 trails that are well lit.
8 lifts serve the trails and include a 6-person chair, 2 quad chairs, three triple chairs and 1 double chair lift and one tow lift. Only two lifts go from the base area to the summit of Jiminy, otherwise the lifts serve various sections of the mountains.
Snowmaking covers 93% of Jiminy Peak and provides for quality snow throughout the winter season, even when Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. Grooming and maintenance are excellent at Jiminy and trails are often groomed throughout the day. Should you get there as the place opens, expect to ski down slopes of immaculately groomed snow.
Jiminy also offers a halfpipe and alpine park area for snowboarders looking for more than just the slopes.
Ticket prices are quite high (you have got to pay for all those improvements) and an adult 8-hour weekend ticket will cost you $52, while a weekday ticket for an adult will cost you $39. 4-hour tickets are not half price, a weekend ticket will set you back $48 and a weekday half-ticket will cost you $35. Night tickets on the weekend are $33 and $29 during the week. With these high costs, Jiminy is definitely not the most cost effective skiing mountain in the Berkshires. A trip for a family of four would cost almost $200 for just the lift tickets.
For $10 you can purchase a “value card” that provides discounts throughout the year on lift ticket purchases. You can use the card once per day and it will save you $7 on the cost of a lift ticket.
Coupons and special savings deals are also available on Jiminy’s website at www.jiminypeak.com. I also believe that the local Entertainment Book generally has buy one-get one free tickets for Jiminy Peak – I know when I used to ski here often, that’s how we did it – we’d go and collect all the Entertainment Coupons from the non-skiers and use them up.
Jiminy offers lessons for both beginners and more advanced skiers in group and private settings, along with Skiwee programs and multi-week programs. There are various packages that include lift tickets, rentals and lessons and can be anywhere from $30 to over $200.
The base lodge area includes all the amenities you would expect at a mountain lodge including rental shops, ticket sales, a ski shop, restaurant, cafeteria, seating areas, lockers, and restrooms. Lodging on slope is provided in the base area in either rental condominium units or in the Country Inn, which offers various types of rooms and suites. Lodging and dining is also available off-slope in town. Reservations for the on-slope accommodations can be made through Jiminy’s website.
Is it worth it?
Jiminy Peak is the ying to Catamount’s yang and is worlds apart from the other smaller ski areas scattered throughout the Berkshires. This is a place to be seen and to take part in the “ski scene.” Between the pricey lift tickets, accommodations and services, Jiminy Peak caters to a more upper-scale clientele than neighboring areas. If you can put up with the somewhat stuffy atmosphere and don’t mind shelling out over $50 bucks for a weekend ticket, you’ll find that the skiing at Jiminy is top notch. In addition, there are enough coupons and offers out there to make Jiminy affordable to the masses for a trip or two throughout the winter months. It’s just as well, half of the people there are probably in the lodge drinking expensive coffees while you’re out on the slopes enjoying the great skiing that Jiminy Peak has to offer.
It does get crowded, but with the multitude of high-speed and high-occupancy lifts, skiers are constantly moving up and down the mountain and it is unlikely that you would have to wait that long to get back up to the top. The trail system is also expansive enough that few trails get overly crowded and make the skiing experience unenjoyable.
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Outdoor/Hiking/Camping Reviews
Magazines and Books
Backpacker Magazine / Outside Magazine / National Geographic Adventure / Hiker's Guide to the Mountains of Vermont / Hiking Guide to Mount Washington and Presidential Range / GPS Made Easy / AMC White Mountain Guide
Destinations
White Mountain National Forest (NH) / Catskill Mountains (NY) / Acadia National Park (ME) / Bellayre Mountain (NY) / Hunter Mountain (NY) / Ski Windham (NY) / Burke Mountain (VT) / Catamount (MA)
Retailers and Products
REI.com - Outdoor Gear / Dermatone Lip Pomade / Carmex Lip Balm / Kestrel 100 Wind Meter / Magellan GPS 315 / MSR WhisperLite Backpacking Stove / CamelBak StoAway Hydration Bladder
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: All
Best Time to Visit: February
Best Suited For: Families
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