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2012-2013 Season Planning

steamboat1

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Does K do any kind of public transportation on the access road to/from the mountain?

Killington runs a free shuttle between Bear, Skyeship & Snowshed base areas.

Public transportation is what they call "The Bus". It's not free but they have a regular schedule from Rutland stopping at lodges along the way up to Pico & Killington.

Some of the drinking holes have free transportation in the evening. I'm sure there are other transportation services I'm not aware of.
 

steamboat1

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might also want to look into ski clubs with lodges on or near mountains.
My ski club has a beautiful lodge about 20 minutes from Pico & 1/2 hour to K. Sugarbush & Mad River Glen are about 1 hr to the north & Stratton, Bromley, Magic an hour south. Okemo is about 45 minutes Lodging is very affordable for both members & their guests.

There are other clubs with lodges in the area. You can google Metropolitan Ski Council to find out about other ski clubs in the tri- state area.

Pic of my clubs lodge. Sorry it's a little fuzzy.
 
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Edd

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My ski club has a beautiful lodge about 20 minutes from Pico & 1/2 hour to K. Sugarbush & Mad River Glen are about 1 hr to the north & Stratton, Bromley, Magic an hour south. Okemo is about 45 minutes Lodging is very affordable for both members & their guests.

Wow, nice location.
 

steamboat1

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Wow, nice location.
Yes it is centrally located to most of the goods in VT. I'll be at the lodge Tues. Have a few friends coming up Wed evening & we plan driving to & skiing Stowe Thurs. morning (about 1 hr. 40 min. drive). After skiing Stowe driving up to Jay to sleep & ski there the next day or 2. Sounds like spring skiing this week.
 

boston_e

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Depending on how many weekends you will go there are also other discount options out there.... Express card at Killington or Pico gets you discounts or pre-buying some lift tickets (for example the K57 tickets or 39 tickets at Pico).... I'm most farmilar with Killington area but I'm sure other mountains have similar deals.

I'm a big Pico fan for taking the family (but you might get bored there if you are going literally every weekend)... although the $350ish season passes are a nice option.

Maybe a Ski Club or a family friendly "ski house" would be a good option for lodging.
 

Paul_M

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Just saw the X2 discount at Stratton, looks like an option. It has 3 midslope lifts which are attractive as well.

On another note just got the lift ticket bill for 3 days at Killington and despite purchasing in advance it could have paid for an entire season pass for one of us.

Pico's lodging options are many, but they're all jacked up because of it's proximity to K.
 

bdfreetuna

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I think Sugarbush is the only mountain I wouldn't get really bored skiing all the time if I had a seasons pass.

Jay would be a close second but Sugarbush is bigger, and don't forget about Mt. Elllen (Sugarbush North) and all the backcountry skiiing in between those mountains.

Plus they get great snow and will extend their season as long as anyone besides maybe Jay Peak because their mountain ops are really cool about leaving trails open even when their are bare patches, rocks, etc.

It has plenty of intermediate terrain but for the advanced skiier and if you like woods Sugarbush can't be beat.

Plus a good hour closer than Jay. Jay would be a close second.

Also if you get a Sugarbush pass you can go ski Mad River Glen right up the road once or twice just for the hell of it.
 

gmcunni

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just another thought to add to the mix. if you go S VT you can get a black out pass @ one place and also get the Magic White Out pass to compliment it. that way you save $$ and while adding variety to your ski season.
 

Geoff

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Thanks to all so far. Lots of things to consider.

Automobile is going to be a dominant cost. If gas is $5.00/gallon next winter as some are predicting, Westchester County to Jay Peak every weekend is going to be big bucks. The IRS gives 55 cents per mile and that's pretty accurate for a newer $30K car that gets 25 mpg. 20 weekends to Jay would cost $7,000. That's probably more than you'd spend for 3 season passes and lodging combined.

I don't know where you are in Westchester County but Google says Rye, NY to Mount Snow is between 185 and 198 miles depending on route. Jay Peak is 347 miles. Over the course of a winter, that ends up being a huge savings. It also gives you the option of driving up early on Saturday morning and only paying for Saturday night lodging.
 

Paul_M

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Yeah the blackout pass at K w the 3 floaters is attractive. Our season would break down to 3 or 4 multi-day trips and 5 or 6 weekends. Reading the bd it sounds like the bottom of Jay is flat and loses snow quickly, especially this year. Having no mid-slope lifts and a long, flat run out can't be good. We're considering make a trip the week after Easter to Jay and others to get a feel of a couple more places.

On another note after discussing ski clubs w my wife we ruled that out.
 

boston_e

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Yeah the blackout pass at K w the 3 floaters is attractive. Our season would break down to 3 or 4 multi-day trips and 5 or 6 weekends. Reading the bd it sounds like the bottom of Jay is flat and loses snow quickly, especially this year. Having no mid-slope lifts and a long, flat run out can't be good. We're considering make a trip the week after Easter to Jay and others to get a feel of a couple more places.

On another note after discussing ski clubs w my wife we ruled that out.

I suspect that you would love Jay... but if your wife and daughter are low intermediate... I would say that is not the place they would love the most.
 

bigbog

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......As far as Windham and Hunter I don't see my kid enjoying it much if she has to get in the car at 6am on Sat/Sun mornings. I like being at the lift as it opens. We're about 2 hours and 15 mins to Hunter.

Have her shower at night...then make room somewhere in the family vehicle for her to grab some sleeptime while you're driving. You're making mountains out of molehills. D'you honestly think everyone at first chair spends the previous night trailside in a condo? You know that if and when she wants to get out of the low intermediate-thing skiing will only get more exciting...she'll appreciate anything...
 
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riverc0il

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What about Gore?

Jay isn't that great for intermediates progressing.

Killington would fit the bill but at a grand per pass, it is a bit costly. Snow is your closest option but it is a zoo. You could look at Okemo and Stratton, again both pricy and busy.

Bromley might be a good SoVT option. Close to you, good intermediate terrain, not horrendously crowded like the other big SoVT resorts.

But seriously, why not Gore?
 

Paul_M

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Have her shower at night...then make room somewhere in the family vehicle for her to grab some sleeptime while you're driving. You're making mountains out of molehills. D'you honestly think everyone at first chair spends the previous night trailside in a condo? You know that if and when she wants to get out of the low intermediate-thing skiing will only get more exciting...she'll appreciate anything...

Just going on past experiences my wife and kid going on there own have trouble getting out of the house by 8:30 am to go to Windham for the day.

This February the 3rd day of showing up at Killington at 8am for an 8am start my daughter realized the value of getting up early to ski on empty runs so there is hope. I got her moving at 6:30am to do that since we stayed in Rutland.

I figure most folks arriving at 8am for an 8am opening have less than a hour drive and those that arrive at 9am for a 9am opening have less than a 2 hour drive, unless it's a powder day.
 

Paul_M

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What about Gore?

Jay isn't that great for intermediates progressing.

Killington would fit the bill but at a grand per pass, it is a bit costly. Snow is your closest option but it is a zoo. You could look at Okemo and Stratton, again both pricy and busy.

Bromley might be a good SoVT option. Close to you, good intermediate terrain, not horrendously crowded like the other big SoVT resorts.

But seriously, why not Gore?


Thanks, I'll check out Gore and Bromley.

At Killington we could use the X2 and cheaper Rutland motels and go to Jay or others for the 3 or 4 longer shots. Or get the K blackout pass and just use K for the entire season.
 

SKIQUATTRO

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5 hrs in the car is pushing it...we do 4.5 from LI to Pico everyweekend...find somewhere in the 3-4 hr range and you'll use it more

with just the 3 of you you dont need a full house, get a 1br condo...leave all the gear/food etc there..if you go to a hotel every weekend thats an additional 6 meals you are paying for...adds up.
 
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