Skiing NNE Between 1/1 and 1/3 2009...

[scootertig]

how do you plan on getting from burlington to the areas and from one area to the next?

I should have mentioned that!

My girlfriend and I are meeting a friend who grew up in Burlington, and crashing at his mom's place for at least a night (then we either head out and about, or leave that as base camp). He'll have wheels, and has to head back to Augusta, ME when we're done, so I think he'd have to drive out past/through Montpelier anyway, (which is where the idea to grab the train there came from). Basically, we take the train to Essex Junction, he'll pick us up, and then he'll drop us off at the train station in Essex Junction or Montpelier or somewhere along the route when we're done.


aaron

 

[hardline]

I should have mentioned that!

My girlfriend and I are meeting a friend who grew up in Burlington, and crashing at his mom's place for at least a night (then we either head out and about, or leave that as base camp). He'll have wheels, and has to head back to Augusta, ME when we're done, so I think he'd have to drive out past/through Montpelier anyway, (which is where the idea to grab the train there came from). Basically, we take the train to Essex Junction, he'll pick us up, and then he'll drop us off at the train station in Essex Junction or Montpelier or somewhere along the route when we're done.


aaron

if you can i would use burlinton as the base and hit stowe and bush. and party in town at night.

 

[riverc0il]

I'd almost rather drive it (cost per person would be half of the cost of the train), but that's too fraught with potential disaster, if the weather's "bad' (or good for skiing). After driving back and forth to Orono for years, I learned my lesson about planning long car trips around once snow season starts.

How is taking a train or flying any less potential disaster? Bad weather can shut down airports for days. Even if bad weather doesn't hit the airports your are departing or flying into, delays or cancellations from other airports can effect your timing. Not sure how trains deal with bad weather but I would imagine even they would be slowed down. Worst case, leave one day earlier. If you don't have crash space, you can stay at a hotel and you'll still be up on round trip transportation charges and have an extra full day of skiing with good weather.

Is New Year's day a big skiing day? I would have figured that hangovers and sleep deprivation would thin the herd a bit...

Also - if we do decide to make the drive to Burke, does it warrant more than one day's visit? Is it less likely to be gross on a Saturday? We could make the drive to Montpelier from Burke on Saturday night and catch the train there on Sunday (since our friend will be grabbing Rt 2 back into Maine anyway, and will have to drive past/through there either way).

New Year's Day is part of a holiday travel period so expect crowds to be higher than a typical weekend but more sporadic (late start, early departure, etc.). TB's got a good comparison in saying a mid-week NYD would be comparable to a Sunday.

Burke is a good mountain but it can be covered pretty well in one day. Don't expect a lot of the glades to be open but if they are, Burke has some of the best mellow glades around. Snow making is not as good as the bigger names and in a lean snow year, as TB mentioned, you could make a morning out of Burke if the natural snow doesn't open stuff up. All early season skiing is a roll of the dice, more so than mid-season skiing. New Year's Day is right on the border line of early season versus mid-season and can go either way with extremes.

I think your best bet would be driving up and spending two days at the Bush and one day at Pico. If you stay in Burlington, your first two days at the Bush and then finish it out down at Pico, hit Route 4 west to get back on the NY Interstate, and your set.

 

[scootertig]

How is taking a train or flying any less potential disaster? Bad weather can shut down airports for days. Even if bad weather doesn't hit the airports your are departing or flying into, delays or cancellations from other airports can effect your timing. Not sure how trains deal with bad weather but I would imagine even they would be slowed down. Worst case, leave one day earlier. If you don't have crash space, you can stay at a hotel and you'll still be up on round trip transportation charges and have an extra full day of skiing with good weather.

Hmmm... I just assumed that trains were less impacted by weather like that, since there are fewer connecting dependencies (and the ones that are, are more regionalized than at an airport). The idea of being able to get up and walk around on the train is appealing (vs. sitting and driving), but I guess maybe I was working from a faulty assumption in the first place, eh?

Unfortunately, adjusting the travel schedule's not possible (such as leaving a day earlier) because of work obligations. My girlfriend's just started a new job and doesn't have enough leave built up to take another day, so we're kinda stuck with travelling between the 31st and the 4th.

aaron

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

If I were you...I'd drive to Burlington on the 31st.leaving at like 4AM hang out in Burlington with your friends..anywhere on January 1st will be empty in the morning..Ski somewhere near Burlington..stay near where you ski..ski somewhere else the 2nd day..then make your way down to Rutland..you can stay the final two nights the 2nd and 3rd inexpensively in Rutland..ski a day at Killington, Pico or even Okemo..then on the 4th..you have the entire day for a leisurely drive home..

My experience with Amtrak is that there are frequent delays and stops..and you'd have to rent a car..flying is more expensive and you'd also have to rent a car..just my two cents...if you end up deciding to fly to Burlington..you're almost better off just flying direct to Denver or Salt Lake City from DC..because you won't need a car rental..

 

[deadheadskier]

I still can't wrap my head around spending 12 hours on a train unless I had a private cabin. I regularly take the four and a half hour ride from Boston to NY and by the end of it, I'm ready to kill someone.

 

[AndyEich]

I still can't wrap my head around spending 12 hours on a train unless I had a private cabin. I regularly take the four and a half hour ride from Boston to NY and by the end of it, I'm ready to kill someone.

Take the Acela, it'll get you there in ~3:15 in considerably more comfort...

I have been on trains that kept running just fine when the car/plane traffic was at a standstill due to weather, so while I don't have good data, I think it's likely that they are more reliable.

Back to the original post: no one had said it explicitly, but I'd suggest dropping Attitash from the list. Fine place, but it doesn't stand out enough in size or uniqueness to warrant a visit from DC.
________
California Dispensary

 

[deadheadskier]

Take the Acela, it'll get you there in ~3:15 in considerably more comfort...

I have been on trains that kept running just fine when the car/plane traffic was at a standstill due to weather, so while I don't have good data, I think it's likely that they are more reliable.

Back to the original post: no one had said it explicitly, but I'd suggest dropping Attitash from the list. Fine place, but it doesn't stand out enough in size or uniqueness to warrant a visit from DC.

taken the acela and it really only saves you about a half hour......most towns along the way won't allow it to run at it's top speed. Pretty much a small stretch south of Boston before Providence and then in southeast CT. The rest of the way the travel is the same speed as a normal amtrack I will give you that it is a more comfortable ride / nicer train. If it works with my schedule, I do try and take it.