Bus Trips

Let someone else do the driving!

Enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow skiers and the refreshments at the back of the bus!

The Club sponsors two or three bus trips each year. These typically depart on a Thursday or Friday and return the following Sunday or Monday night. Either or both of the Martin Luther King and Presidents' Day 3-day weekends are likely to be a bus trip, but almost any weekend in Jan-Feb-March could be scheduled.

We try to choose areas that accommodate beginning to advanced skiers and daily ski tours are planned for all ability levels, except raw beginner. Our main pursuit is back-country skiing, but often the destination has a prepared-track area and a downhill ski resort nearby! Each day there are usually several tour options to choose from.

Sign-up

Each trip can accommodate about 50 members. Members must fill out a trip request form and submit a deposit to request a seat on the trip. Sign-ups are taken at the October and November meetings or by mail, and at later meetings if space remains on the trips. Submitting a form and deposit are not a guarantee of participation, however, if more forms are submitted than there are seats on the bus. For any trips that are oversubscribed a lottery drawing is held after the November meeting (see the procedures described in the documents in the sidebar.)

Lodging

Lodging is in either motels or condos. The trip leader will pair up singles of the same gender, two per room, or you can request a roommate and sign up together.

Cost

Cost for the bus trips ranges roughly between $250 to $450 per person, depending upon the destination and the length of the trip. This covers the bus and driver, the driver's tip, refreshments on the bus, and lodging. You will pay for meals, though some trip may include a group meal in the cost.

Requirements

The bus trips are open to Club members only. See the Bus Trip documents in the sidebar to the right.

Tour Leaders

Leaders for each day's outings are volunteers from among the participants. If you would like to be a leader, indicate that on your registration form for the bus trip. It's preferable to have leaders for all skill levels (class 1, 2, and 3) each day of the trip, so we can use lots of volunteers. If you have skied with the club before but haven't been a leader, check out Guidelines for Tour Leaders, and consider leading as a way to contribute to a successful trip.

2019-2020 Season Bus Trips

We are offering two bus trips this year to Colorado, Crested Butte and Pagosa Springs. Both locations will have ample skiing opportunities for all levels of skiers and are fun places to stay. Both trips are open to children over the age of 12 when accompanied by a parent, grandparent or legal guardian.

Crested Butte dates are January 10 - 13, for $330 per person and Pagosa Springs dates are February 21 -24, for $330 per person.

Registration forms will be included with the Oct and Nov Ski Club newsletter or are available on the sidebar to the right. Bus trips will probably fill quickly. There are great restaurants in both towns, as well as opportunities for those "class 3" shopping expeditions.

Bus Trip History

A list of all bus trips since 1988 is available in the document Bus Trip History. This document lists all of the places we have visited as well as the prices of the trips.  The early data is from Susan Swan.  Many of the costs cannot be directly compared, since they were from different hotels and resorts, different distances, and frequently with different types of meals included.