Busted cutting trails in VT

**woodsskier** · 08-14-2007, 10:48 PM

Fucking tards......sorry for everyone @ Jay for this....there are so many great lines on Big Jay, still, there are many great lines left out there, if you ski that scar, you're as smart as the tards who cut it! I fear for those who that cut will attract out there!

**skiingsamurai** · 08-15-2007, 06:23 AM

i just showed a non mag friend who skis big Jay all the time. He claims that this will make it easier to get to the better lines. He was complaining about getting stuck in tree wells up to his neck just getting out there.

While I agree that sometimes getting to an OB line can be tough and frustrating, but thats part of the game. It also makes it more rewarding

**SheSkisTrees** · 08-15-2007, 06:52 AM

We got into a situation where we had no choice but to remove our skis to get through some super-tight evergreens on the bushwhack out there, but that's part of the adventure. Once we got through that section, we had deep untracked the rest of the way down...

Everyone else skiing out there had taken more obvious routes that took them nowhere near where we were.

It was no fun to realize there was no way through without removing skis, especially since we knew at best case scenario we'd be sinking up to our waists and it was going to be a real bitch to get our skis back on, but ya do what ya gotta do!

**Core Shot** · 08-17-2007, 04:44 AM

Cross-post of current pic from ttips

these guys were 46 years old? What dumbasses!

**freezorburn** · 08-17-2007, 07:54 AM

Wow, What fucktards. A simple cut 10 feet wide by that long would have gone un-noticed and been epic!

I'm all about cutting but those guys went out of hand!

**buckethead** · 08-17-2007, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by woodsskier

if you ski that scar, you're as smart as the tards who cut it! I fear for those who that cut will attract out there!

i can see it now:
'I SKIED THE SCAR AT BIG JAY' tee shirts
sort of like the
'I SKIED OUTER LIMITS' shirts bought by folks who struggled down the groomed middle of the trail

**telepow** · 08-17-2007, 08:48 AM

I hate those type of shirts

**Right Coaster** · 09-12-2007, 07:35 AM

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a...709120311/1009

Pair pleads not guilty to tree cutting near Jay Peak

By Carla Occaso
Correspondent

September 12, 2007
NEWPORT -- Two Northeast Kingdom men pleaded not guilty Tuesday to cutting a huge swath of trees on state-owned mountain terrain near Jay Peak despite confessing in writing this summer, according to court documents.

The illegal cutting, estimated to be about 3,000 feet long and up to 65 feet wide, was apparently done to clear a backcountry ski trail along the eastern slope of Big Jay Mountain.

Paul Poulin, 47, of Newport and Alan Ritter, 46, of Jay waived the right to a lawyer in favor of representing themselves -- against the urging of Judge Robert Bent -- at their arraignment in Vermont District Court. The pair faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.

Poulin and Ritter pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of unlawful mischief for allegedly causing more than $1,000 worth of damage on state-owned land on Big Jay. The mountain, a popular destination for off-piste skiing, is a 3,786-foot peak southwest of Jay Peak in Jay State Forest.

The illegal cut is accessible by a connecting trail from Jay Peak Ski Area, said Russ Ford, a member of the Green Mountain Club and longtime ski patroller at Jay Peak. Ford said he recognized the men as skiers at the resort, but did not know much about them. Neither Poulin nor Ritter had much to say to the media.

"No, this is in process. I can't talk about it," Ritter told a reporter when asked for information. Neither defendant said much about his background, but Ritter did tell the judge he had a Ph.D. He told a reporter later his Ph.D. was in chemistry before refusing to comment further.

The Green Mountain Club --stewards of the Long Trail hiking network -- purchased the land on Big Jay about 15 years ago, Ford said. The club conveyed ownership to the state but retained conservation rights, he said.

An estimated 873 trees were cut, with court documents putting a replacement cost of $47,883.

"We were horrified," Ford said about his reaction when he first saw the cutting. "There has never been a violation of this scale on Vermont mountains."

An affidavit signed by investigating officer Sgt. Bradley Mann, a game warden for Vermont's Department of Fish and Wildlife, details the incident.

The case unfolded July 12 when a tram operator at Jay Peak Ski Area reported apparent illegal tree cutting. Mann said he responded to the area with another warden and saw fresh cutting on the side of the mountain. He took photographs of stumps, brush piles and logs. He also found a red chainsaw, a pole saw and long-handled lopping shears left under a green tarp. The tools were removed a few days later.

On July 21 while investigating the scene, Mann ran into Ford and Rebecca Washburn of the Green Mountain Club, who told Mann they were assessing damages. Later that day, Mann got a call from Ford who claimed he saw two men heading toward the cutting area.

Ford and Mann staked out a car parked in a nearby parking lot for more than an hour until a pickup carrying both men stopped. One man got out and hopped into the car, and both vehicles quickly drove off, evading Mann. Ford said he could identify both men as the men he saw heading to the cutting area, the affidavit states. But Ford said he did not see them actually cutting trees.

Mann tracked down Ritter shortly afterward because Ritter left a bank statement with his name and address face up in his car. Mann said Ritter was unclear about why he was at the mountain but denied cutting trees. Ritter also gave Mann Poulin's address.

Mann spoke with Poulin later that night. Poulin admitted being in the area, but denied cutting trees. Poulin told Mann he was a skier and had done off-trail skiing on Big Jay.

On July 23, court documents say Poulin and Ritter apparently sought out Mann when they drove to Mann's vehicle as he was stationed in another town. They told Mann they wanted to confess and admitted to the illegal cutting. Poulin also led Mann to where he hid the chainsaw and other items from the cutting site, according to the affidavit. Poulin and Ritter were arrested Aug. 3 and released without bail.

At their arraignment Tuesday, Judge Bent again released them without bail on condition they attend every court hearing, inform the court of address changes and stay away from Big Jay.

Ford said he hopes the court bans the pair from all state-owned land.

"Big Jay is a remote, untouched peak that is popular with backcountry skiers," Ford said. "They cut a massive downhill ski trail. It is a swath of destruction. This is a steep, sensitive high-altitude ecosystem."

The men are due in court again Oct. 9.

**Core Shot** · 09-12-2007, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by Right Coaster

[

Paul Poulin, 47, of Newport and Alan Ritter, 46, of Jay waived the right to a lawyer in favor of representing themselves -- against the urging of Judge Robert Bent -- at their arraignment in Vermont District Court. The pair faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.

An estimated 873 trees were cut, with court documents putting a replacement cost of $47,883.

Dumbasses.
If they had a good lawyer and didn't confess, they could beat the rap unless their prints are on the chainsaw - and even then they could say that they were just checking out the damage and found and handled the tools which weren't theirs.
Serving as their own lawyers, they are dead meat.

Oh, and the irony of being named Poulin and cutting trees

**telepow** · 09-12-2007, 10:08 AM

"Oh only five years in the joint? I think I'm gonna represent myself on this one"

-Paul Poulin and Alan Ritter

**Boilerplatermashpotater** · 09-12-2007, 10:09 AM

Kind of late chiming in on this one, but at Jay? Is it really needed?
Especially something so obvious?! Let's go ahead and advertise it on the freakin' trail map. Jay is on the radar now! boo.

**Big Turns** · 09-13-2007, 09:33 AM

So, how many people bitching about cutting trees down, will go and ski that line this winter?

**Doremite** · 10-10-2007, 11:05 AM

wcax.com:
http://tinyurl.com/39df5k

news clip quote: "In the meantime, Fish and Wildlife officials are faced with the task of keeping skiers out of the area this winter."

I anticipate access from Jay Peak to be "closed" this season

**yodaottis** · 10-10-2007, 11:21 AM

I think keeping asshats armed w/ chainsaws out would be a better place to start..
I've never skied big jay and thought it'd be something great to work up to this coming season :/ Hopefully that isn't a lost dream.

**skiingsamurai** · 10-10-2007, 11:39 AM

ill still ski big J, I dont care what they tell me

**telepow** · 10-10-2007, 11:44 AM

You're a rabble rouser. I was actually thinking closing it may be a good thing- Keeps out the riff raf and saves the goods for the renegades.

**AdironRider** · 10-10-2007, 12:20 PM

What morons. They coulve lived by the whole "deny till you die" philosophy and gotten away scott free. Noone saw them cut down shit just that they were parked there overnight. They deserve 5 years for being retarded.

**DaveTV** · 10-10-2007, 12:32 PM

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=7191357

**Doremite** · 10-10-2007, 01:00 PM

From a GMC representative... and I quote:

".....my interpretation of what Col. Rooks meant was keeping skiers, boarders, hikers, hunters and bird watchers out of the opening to reduce the potential for erosion and allow the area to rebound from the rape and pillage it experienced earlier this summer....."

I interpret this response (to a freind's e-mail to GMC) as (legal) access to Big Jay itself may not be restricted, but rather officials face the challenge of keeping recreators out of "the scar."