Jay Peak Resort Sees Historic Booking Numbers for the Thanksgiving Holiday

November 16, 2011 (Jay, VT)- The 10-day forecast beginning November 16 is looking less than promising for ski resorts throughout New England. Various weather outlets are predicting nighttime low temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s, readings that are at the very edge of what resorts need to make quality snow. Jay Peak Resort in northern Vermont, however, is seeing record-breaking bookings for its lodging properties over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Our snowmaking team has some itchy trigger fingers,” said JJ Toland, Jay Peak’s Director of Communications. “We will be making snow over the next few days when the temps cooperate and hope to have a trail or two open by the Thanksgiving weekend. But we’re also busy getting summer ready for the wintertime.”

It’s this “summer” preparation that has caused Jay Peak to be nearly 90% booked for the Thanksgiving holiday. The resort recently announced that its new Pump House indoor waterpark, originally scheduled to open on December 12, will open November 25, the Friday after Turkey Day, for a special “Sneak Peak” weekend.

“Thanksgiving historically isn’t a big holiday for us,” Toland continued. “Even when the snow has come early, we’re right around the 35% mark (for lodging). Within hours of announcing the Pump House’s opening, we were at 87%.”

The limited opening (the park will close at 6:00pm on Sunday, November 27) will not just be for guests staying at the resort. Jay Peak will also be selling day passes to the 50,000-square foot facility. Those fifteen years and older can purchase a day pass for $35 while children between the ages of four and fourteen will be $25. Kids three and under are free.

Jay Peak has always been known for its skiing and riding. Tucked away in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the resort receives the most snow in eastern North America-close to 400 inches of fluff every winter. But as anyone who has visited New England in the winter knows, the weather can be unpredictable. Resort officials have been addressing that unpredictability over the last two years by building weather-proof amenities. The Tram Haus Lodge, complete with a spa and fitness facility opened in 2009 followed the next year by an NHL-sized skating arena and a new Nordic facility. The Pump House indoor waterpark is designed to be the ultimate insurance policy against less-than-friendly winter weather.

“Jay Peak has always been about the snow and being a resort run by skiers and riders, we’ve got a lot of people who are unhappy with the temps Mother Nature is sending our way right now,” said Toland. “But if we can’t work off our turkey hangover by skiing, we’ll do it by surfing.”

Aside from featuring a slide that drops riders into a 60-foot freefall before sending them into an upside loop at speeds of 45 miles per hour, the $27 million Pump House has the Double Barrel-a twin FlowRider that generates a standing wave large enough for guests to surf.

The Thanksgiving holiday hours of operation for Jay Peak’s Pump House indoor waterpark will be Friday, November 25th from 10am to 8pm; Saturday, November 26th from 10am to 10pm; and Sunday, November 27th from 10am to 6pm.

Visit jaypeakresort.com for the latest resort information.