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Day trip limit

bvibert

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3:15 to Killington and that's the usual end of day trip range for me. MRV would be 4:15. Never done it, but would if an overnight just wasn't an option. I don't mind the drives all that much as long as I have some company. Solo kinda sucks, but that's what the satellite radio is for.

We gotta do a MRV day trip at some point next season. It's really not that much different than driving up late the night before and then driving home right after skiing.
 

Greg

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We gotta do a MRV day trip at some point next season. It's really not that much different than driving up late the night before and then driving home right after skiing.

Good point. Those late night arrivals are rough. Driving up in the dark.....suuuuuuucks.
 

RootDKJ

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4 hours should get you to K if you travel at the right time and take the Bennington route using the shortcuts throught the park in Troy. 4 &1/2 if you take the Fort Ann/Whitehall route.

That Bennington by-pass coupled with the Troy shortcut should get you to K from Summit in 4 hours flat. We do K in 3:20 from Northern Jersey if we don't stop along the way.
I've made it in 4.5 taking the Fort Ann route and only started to take the Bennington route this year. I went to Grandma's driving school, so I set the cruise control at 64 and let 'em rip 8). If I make the drive to K, I'm gonna stay at least overnight.
 

SKidds

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Without the wife and kids, 3 hours give or take. The glades at Gore after a dump are worth it at 2:45. Whenever I get the chance I'll drive 3:15 for a day trip to ski the Slides at WF. Otherwise, I try to keep it under 2 hours, especially with the family.
 

shpride

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Usually I won't do much more than 4. There are good enough ski area's within 3 1/2 miles within my house that I don't feel the need to go farther north. The 4+ hour places I prefer to save for the weekend trips.
 

WoodCore

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Longest day trip was around 4.5 hours one way but, try to keep the day trips under 3 hours.
 

salsgang

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My longest day trips are 2 hours to Sugarloaf and 2hrs 10min to Saddleback. Wouldn't want to do much longer than that. Its a wash however because we can drop all of our stuff off right at the lodge at Saddleback and parking is close... avoiding the Sugarloaf shuttle makes it a wash between the two.
 

gladerider

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4 hours should get you to K if you travel at the right time and take the Bennington route using the shortcuts throught the park in Troy. 4 &1/2 if you take the Fort Ann/Whitehall route.

That Bennington by-pass coupled with the Troy shortcut should get you to K from Summit in 4 hours flat. We do K in 3:20 from Northern Jersey if we don't stop along the way.

i'd like to learn your Troy shortcuts. never made to K in 4 hours from summit.

my max is K, which takes on average 4.5 - 5 hours.
 

kcyanks1

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Longest I've done is 3.5. I generally prefer under 2, but I'd say 3 if I had to give a rule of thumb. All of those numbers are pretty irrelevant for me now, though, based on where I live. If I'm doing a day trip, Hunter is about 2.5. Nothing closer is (e.g., Mountain Creek) is worth it, and on the longer side, VT is really out of day trip range, especially since I'd rather just go to Hunter than southern VT.
 

marcski

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For years my rule of thumb was that you need to ski as many hours as you spend driving in the car.

But now....being the old man that I am...(lol), I don't know if I'd drive 3 hours to S. Vt. for one day of skiing. I would probably just spend the night for anything 3 or above.

From where I am though, the Catskills areas are easy day trips for me...(about 2 hours or 2:15 max!). It's the same for most areas in the Berkshires (with BEAST being the longer exception). Southern Vt. is about 3 hours for me.
 

BackLoafRiver

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Longest for me has been 3.5 hours but that was in a terrible storm from home to the 'loaf. Normally that is an hour and half. I will definitely do a 3 hour trip one way. I do agree, getting there isn't the real problem. It's driving home when your legs feel like jelly and you are uber tired. No matter what road you drive, it becomes pretty tough to make it back.
 

Bumpsis

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2.5 h is ok. Anything approaching 3h gets to be a real chore, but I always factor in the "fun quotient".
If I expect really good conditions, (like good spring corn) and I'm meeting up with some good people, I'm happy to pull a 3h drive one way.
Once or twice a season, I'll do something even longer like Sugarbush or Mad River (3.5h one way)for a day trip but the expected fun quotient really has to be high.
 

deadheadskier

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I try and keep my day trips down around 2.5. As with 2knees, it's not the ride there I mind, it's the ride home.

I can hit MRV and Stowe at right around 3.5, which isn't too bad, but if I'm heading up there, I'm crashing at my old house mate's place.

As the vast majority of skiing I do is day trips, ideally I want my home mountain to be 1.5 hours away or less though. Going to give Ragged a shot next winter as it falls in that range.

http://forums.alpinezone.com/53797-sugarbush-mogul-fest-4-26-a.html

guess I'll be doing the day trip to SB afterall in a couple of weeks
 

Zand

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I've done Killington a few times at 3 hours give or take 15 mins. Never done longer than that.
 
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