How do you handle all the driving???

[ctenidae]

I get good and liquored up before heading out.



What?

 

[billski]

I get good and liquored up before heading out.



What?

what's your plate #? :-?

 

[prisnah]

Ain't no thang....did it pretty much every weekend last year...Hell I daytripped to Jay a bunch of times.

Don't know if this has been mentioned, cuz I'm too lazy to read the whole thread, but another option is bus...since you're in Salem take a look at skimarkets daytrips and bssc's daytrips. Just jump on a bus early morning, doze right off and wake up there. I think it's like 69$ including lift ticket.

PLUS then you can get all boozed up after a day of skiing, grab a sixer for the ride home and sit on the bus drinking beers and watching ski porn.....although it's almost always warren miller junk..but what can ya do...

 

[BeanoNYC]

I"m talking 2-3 hours for me to places like Mount snow, wildcat, sunday, etc.

Are you bragging or complaining? I'm looking at about 4 to Mount Snow...I typically day trip that. Alone most of the time.

 

[deadheadskier]

I spend about 6 hours a day in my car (traveling salesman), so I'm not usually bothered by driving. I will say that I ski Sunday River three times as often as I ski Sugarloaf even though I like Sugarloaf much better. I live in Portland and can be on the lift in an hour and forty minutes at Sunday River. It's closer to two hours and forty five for Sugarloaf. By that logic though, Shawnee Peak is 50 minutes from my place, but I rarely ski there because I enjoy Sunday River that much more.

The drive to the mountain never bothers me at all, but the drive home can sometimes.

 

[ccskier]

A DVD player in the car helps, I usually will have a few beers watch a flic w/ the boy or vice versa.. Usually wife and I split, Friday nights one of us drives up the other drives back Sunday or whenever we head home. I also drive about 30k miles a year for work, another 15-20k driving back and forth to VT.

 

[Bumpsis]

I don't mind a 2-3 hour (one way) drive if I'm doing a solo day trip, but it's got to be worth the trip. Meaning, fresh, good dump or nice spring skiing. I won't bother going just to slide around on man made hard pack.
My kids don't like long drives, so agan, the conditions need to be pretty good.
We take a family ski vacation once a season (full week), ususally at Sugarloaf or Sugarbush, so it's only one long haul.
So, over all, not that much driving. Being selective when to go really makes a big difference.

 

[andyzee]

Like others here, a 2.5-3 hour drive is a day trip for me. If going to VT, I drive to the ski house which is a 4 hour trip. From there Killington is another 1/2 hour. I ski just about every weekend and I have done a day trip in a couple of years. The trip to VT seems almost like auto pilot. As a matter of fact I joke to my wife that I can probably do it with my eyes closed. Seems like:

Let's see I get in the car and the next thing I remember I am there .. must be some kind of time warp thing..

 

[gladerider]

some whinnos here, geez..

like Brettski, i am in NJ.

skiing = 4 to 8 hours driving period (mostly VT.) add traffic and snowy driving condition, you are in for 10+ hours of driving. my trip to stowe last season took 12 hours to get there due to snow storm. wify no drivy. i do all the driving. you want something bad enough? you find a way to deal with it.

my way? - ipod

 

[riverc0il]

by the way, by long drive times, I"m talking 2-3 hours for me to places like Mount snow, wildcat, sunday, etc.

I used to do the two hour drive to Cannon when I lived down in Salem like you. Now, I am still doing two hours each way, to Jay Peak though. Every weekend. You want it, you gotta drive.

You can always pick a place closer to home if the drive gets you. Gunstock for example is pretty close to Boston.

 

[billski]

I used to do the two hour drive to Cannon when I lived down in Salem like you. Now, I am still doing two hours each way, to Jay Peak though. Every weekend. You want it, you gotta drive.

You can always pick a place closer to home if the drive gets you. Gunstock for example is pretty close to Boston.

ewwwwww!uke:

 

[ctenidae]

ewwwwww!uke:

Gunstock's great for night skiing. Of course, Pat's is similar, and closer. And probably cheaper. Still, Gunstock's not so bad.

We go to Sunapee a lot becasue it's got the most bang for the driving buck, at 1.5 hours, but we're tiring of it. Not fans of Cannon, sad to say, and really don't like Loon. Not sure where we'll end up spending most of our ski time this year. Maybe Poland. That's a hell of a drive, though.

 

[billski]

Arlberg

Gunstock's great for night skiing. Of course, Pat's is similar, and closer. And probably cheaper. Still, Gunstock's not so bad.

We go to Sunapee a lot becasue it's got the most bang for the driving buck, at 1.5 hours, but we're tiring of it. Not fans of Cannon, sad to say, and really don't like Loon. Not sure where we'll end up spending most of our ski time this year. Maybe Poland. That's a hell of a drive, though.

Going OT: Speaking of travel, If you ever get the chance, The Arlberg region of Austria is simply awesome.

 

[Marc]

I find a way to take my mind off the driving, typically. Reading a book or a newspaper, crossword puzzle, programming a new Fortran script, Rubic's cube... you know... that kind of thing.

 

[Brettski]

some whinnos here, geez..

like Brettski, i am in NJ.

skiing = 4 to 8 hours driving period (mostly VT.) add traffic and snowy driving condition, you are in for 10+ hours of driving. my trip to stowe last season took 12 hours to get there due to snow storm. wify no drivy. i do all the driving. you want something bad enough? you find a way to deal with it.

my way? - ipod

12 hours to Stowe?

Good lord man...should be 6, tops...did you head up 100?

 

[smootharc]

Sugarbush is....

....about 4.5 to 5+ hours each way (250 miles). 90 minutes of that is very scenic. 1/2 is superhighway.

Tunes, XM, DVD's for kids. Efficient quick stops. Pack food.

Owning property helps....our set up is super efficient. Turn the key and we're at our home away from home oasis, stocked and ready to serve.

I figure in this calendar year (Mad River Valley is paradise anytime) our crew (from just me, to part of the pack, to the entire pack) will have about 30+/- round trips to VT, with close to 90+/- nights with heads on pillows in valley.

Guess I'll be a long haul trucker in my next life. I do like driving. Clears the mind.

 

[RISkier]

Going OT: Speaking of travel, If you ever get the chance, The Arlberg region of Austria is simply awesome.

I know, OT but I'd agree with the Arlberg suggestion. Between the Lech/Zuers area and the St. Anton area there would be skiing to suit everyone. We absolutely loved Lech and would really like to go back. Unfortunately, the currency exchange rate right now is making Europe economically unattractive. Last I looked it was around $1.47 for 1 Euro.

 

[skiadikt]

tunez usually get me through. the ride up is a snap. guess it's the anticipation. the ride home sux. my 56 yr old body does not respond well to being strapped into a car for nearly 5 hrs after all the physical activity.

 

[Brettski]

I like to play the.."what stupid move the driver in front of me will do next" game

That game can be played for hours

 

[andyzee]

I like to play the.."what stupid move the driver in front of me will do next" game

That game can be played for hours

I like to play the.."what stupid move the driver in back of me will do next" game. Was that you behind me last week, following closely as I kept on switching lanes and stopping and going to see how long it would take before you stop following me?