Realistic Day Trip Drive Times

[hammer]

Just wondering what everyone has as their tolerance for skiing day trip drive times...in the past I've gone as much as around 2 hours one way but I am considering making that a bit longer. I have family considerations (teenage kids with limited patience) and a dog that I don't want to leave cooped up inside for long periods...

 

[Puck it]

Just wondering what everyone has as their tolerance for skiing day trip drive times...in the past I've gone as much as around 2 hours one way but I am considering making that a bit longer. I have family considerations (teenage kids with limited patience) and a dog that I don't want to leave cooped up inside for long periods...

3 is my max. Gets me to alot of places. SR, K-ton, Okemo, Wildcat are the extremes.

 

[KevinS]

I think about 2 hours is my max. That is 4 hours of driving a day which before and after skiing is a too much. I'd rather do 2 days in a row and stay in a cheap motel saturday night every other weekend than ski 1 day every weekend. You make up for some of the cost of the motel by saving on gas.

 

[4aprice]

I've gone 4 each way which gets me to Southern Vermont but mostly I like to keep it at 2 hours which puts me in the Catskills. I will get up super early and drive up to 6 one way to save a night of lodging but not round trip it. Thankfully the Pocono's (Blue, Camelback, and Elk) are just 1 hour (or just 1:30 for Elk) so I'm not forced to do the long haul too often.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[djspookman]

3.5 max.. gotta get more hours in skiing than total drive-time. That's my equation.

 

[gmcunni]

my general rule of thumb is 3 hours each way. Living in south CT you really have to accept a fair amount of driving unless you have a house up north. i will break my rule for special occasions.

i prefer a drive up saturday AM, sleep over and drive home sunday evening. even then i like 3 hours as the drive home just sucks after a long day of skiing.

 

[zinger3000]

Usually about 3 hours for me. Like someone else mentioned, gotta be skiing more time than driving. Though I did once do a 5-hour drive (each way) to Wildcat in a day. Well worth it.

 

[Warp Daddy]

2 hrs one way, otherwise it's an overnighter

 

[moguler6]

My simple formula is (time on slopes > time in car) Puts my limit to around 3 hours one way, which happens to be the Killington parking lot.

 

[Huck_It_Baby]

About 2-3 hours here....but if there has been 12+ of new snow I will push that time out a bit.

After a hard day of skiing it's sometimes not too safe to drive home tired. Thank god for ski hostels and lodges like Turn of River in Killington. 30 bucks for a bunk...hard to beat that when you are exhusted from ripping powder.

 

[ceo]

In the past I've done a bit over 3 hours, to MRG (from Somerville, MA) a couple times. Now that I have to get there in time to put my son in ski school, Cannon (2:15) is about as far as I'm willing to go; that still involves dragging him and me out of the sack at 6 am.

 

[RootDKJ]

3.5 max.. gotta get more hours in skiing than total drive-time. That's my equation.

I kinda use the same rule as well.

 

[Smellytele]

2 hours gets me to Burke/Wildcat/Stowe. No more than that for a day trip.

 

[Brewbeer]

About 2 hours each way if driving solo, will go up to 3.5 if meeting someone partway and they are driving the remaining distance.

 

[deadheadskier]

Ideally under 2 hours. I'll push it to 3.5 for powder

 

[dmc]

Driven 5 hours to KMart with friends for opening day before.. Suicide Safari...

 

[crank]

I've done the 4 hour trek to Killington a couple of times. I've done Mt Snow, Stratton and Magic several times as a day trip - all about 3 hours for me. More usual though is Hunter, Windham, Berkshire East, Jiminy Peak - all about 2-2.5. I seldom ski closer places which include Sundown, and Mohawk - about 1:15 and Butternut or Catamount at about 2.

A couple of times on the longer trips I have sacked out in my sleeping bag in the back of my Highlander in the parking lot for a couple of hours before htting the road.

 

[2knees]

3 hours for me which puts anything up to killington in play. The MRV is 3.5 minimum but usually takes close to 4. Wish there was a quicker route then 91-89 then back down 100 but i havent found one yet.

hunter is probably the furthest i've done semi-regularly but I'm done with that drive it take over 3 and, not putting hunter down, but i'd rather ski killington anyway.

 

[Black Phantom]

About 2-3 hours here....but if there has been 12+ of new snow I will push that time out a bit.

After a hard day of skiing it's sometimes not too safe to drive home tired. Thank god for ski hostels and lodges like Turn of River in Killington. 30 bucks for a bunk...hard to beat that when you are exhusted from ripping powder.

You are a smart man.

 

[abc]

Ideally, I'd like to keep that under 2 hr.

Only problem being, 2 hr from NYC doesn't give me too good of a choice because everyone else feel the same way and all the resorts in Cakskill are mobbed on weekends.

In reality, I've stretched that into 2 3/4, which got me to Plattekill many times! That's a whole new wonderful world of great skiing. And when I felt lazy going by Bellearye and were tempted to ski there, I tell myself I'll be spending more time in liftlines for longer than the extra 1/2 hr that would get me to Plattekill. Then I drive on. ;-)

Beyond Platts, there's no other resorts within similar distance. The next "jump" in driving time will be 4+ in Vermont. I don't do them on day trip. If I drove that long to get up there, by god I'll ski at least 2 dasy!!!

Anything beyond 6 hrs, it'll have to be an extended weekend of 3 days, unless I got others to share the driving. That's Stowe, Jay, or anything in NH for me.

Having said all that, I would drive 6 hrs each way for a 2 day X-C skiing!!!

Such are my priorities...