Where are you travelling from? The suggestions above are good but Newprt will be out of your way if you are driving up drom the south. Why not just stay at some Red Roof or whatever on the north end of Burlington, or maybe St. Albans, then drive the last hour to Jay in the morning.
Also tricky on the run question. Are you skiing with the beginner at all times? Stick to greens and blues.
Funnily enough, I will be be there this weekend. Look for the old fart in a bright red jacket, skiing with an older fart in a faded orange jacket.
Edit:
Here is an overview I typed up for friends going to Jay for the first time. You will have to read in between the lines and determine what is best for you and your beginner friend. Hopefully you will find something useful:
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Jay Peak can be a confusing place for the first time visitor. Take the JP snow report with a grain of salt (though this year it seems a lot more open and up-front).
Pro tip #1: be prepared for cold and wind. Tthe Flyer chairlift is not nicknamed The Freezer for nothing. Best lift for avoiding wind is the Jet triple.
#2: wax your boards and sharpen your edges. there are some nice runs that end with long flat runouts (eg. Ullr's Dream, JFK) and the Taxi trail from Stateside back to Tramside. No matter how much snow they claim to get, there will always be some hardpack somewhere.
# 3: pay attention to turn-offs or you could end up at a different base lodge than you intended to.
#4: It is worth taking a ride on the Tram if it is sunny and not too windy (and crowded). The short hike to the summit gives an amazing view. On a clear day you can see Montreal. The Vermonter is the best run off the Tram if you are into groomers. Valhalla is a good (steep) glade off Vermonter. Green Beret is really fun in good conditions.
#5: any un-named patch of trees between trails is worth checking out if it looks skiable.
SBR's best fast cruiser trail picks:
off the Tram: Vermonter to Montrealer/Northway then to Stateside lodge by any number of trails. Angel's Wiggle to Lower Milk Run is a fun way to the Stateside lodge off the Northway.
off the Flyer chair: Northway to Goat (can be icy where it goes under the chair but usually improves after that). If going back to Stateside, take the Goat all the way ("Full Goat" in our family jargon). If going back to Tramside, my faves are Goat/Green Mtn Boys/Racer or Goat/Lower River Kwai/Interstate
Ullr's Dream is a great easy run (with a steep pitch near the top) if freshly groomed and not crowded. It can be the "full-on super G" if conditions are right. Take Kokomo to avoid the final flat stretches of Ullr's.
JFK is one of my favourite runs of all time. I'd call it an easy black diamond. A little hard to find and often a good bet for powder on the right day. A nice combo is the first pitch of JFK then duck into Lower Everglade at the bottom of the pitch (before it turns left and takes you to Ullr's).
Lower Everglade is a great glade, mellow aspect, pretty open, good snow.
off the Bonaventure chair:
- good warm-up run is Northway. Great expert run: Can-Am.
- the 720 park on Lower Can-Am is the BIG park if you are so inclined (may be still under construction at the moment).
off the Jet chair:
- Jet, Haines & Derick Hot-Shot. If you ski the Derick, cut over to Haines & Lower Jet to avoid the LONG run-out of the Willard. Easy way down, take the Montrealer.
Good glades to start with: Lower Everglade (off JFK); Buckaroo Banzai (off the Goat), Bonaventure Glade, Show-Off Glade; Buck Woods; Expo Glade.
More challenging glades: Beaver Pond; North Glade (steep but open - often overlooked by glade keeners), Canyonland (long and gets tracked out fast), Timbuktu (don't go too far right or you will be walking back); Hell's Woods (short & steep); Andre's Paradise is probably the nicest glade at Jay IMHO.
Valhalla is really nice when conditions are right.
Runs best avoided unless conditions are primo (just my opinion): Upper Milk Run; Tuckerman's; Northwest Passage; Poma Line.
Most challenging runs on the trail map, IMHO:
River Quai (upper part), Staircase; Upper Everglade: Vertigo; UN & Power Line (both great bump runs but endless); Deliverence; Green Beret, Kitzbuehel ("the Kitz" and the Upper Quai are great runs, probably two of my favorites. Both are totally old-school serious black diamonds, never groomed and there is no snowmaking. plus the fall line is totally off kilter.)
Apres ski: Go through Montgomery and in one stop you can: visit Don at FirstTrax, have a beer and a really good burger at the Snowshoe (good food also at The Belfry and Bernie's), buy groceries/booze & Vermont cheese at Sylvester's Market (excellent deli counter as well). If you want to buy VT souveniers and groceries in the other direction, go the other way down 242 towards Jay village and check out Jay Country Store.
Have fun!
SPAM: And of course, you can always read my blog for entertaining stories about skiing at JPR.
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