Trust the Ski Bus

When I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, I was  nervous. Not because I was making a serious change in my life or because I didn’t know anyone in this city, but instead because I was going to be over four hours from the nearest ski area and I didn’t have a car. As an avid snowboarder and true powder addict, leaving my safe 30 minute drive from snow to live in the city was absolutely terrifying.

When the winter season got closer, I began searching for a way to get to Tahoe. My first plan was Craigslist’s rideshare feature. This unfortunately left me with little luck of getting to the mountain (however it did help me meet a cute snowboarding girl who offered company in the city of love). My next plan was Greyhound, which was a waste of my time.

Then I started looking for a shuttle. While there wasn’t any sort of shuttle, I did come across a company called the Bay Area Ski Bus. It was only $105 for a ride to and from the mountain, lift ticket once you got there, and breakfast on the ride up. It sounded like a good idea, so I made my reservation and gave it a try.

My bus left San Francisco at 4:30 in the morning. I fell asleep, and was pleasantly awoken with a bagel, juice, yogurt and a Warren Miller flick. I booted up on the bus and was on my first lift of the day at 10.

It was an epic day; 15″ of freshies on a Wednesday so there weren’t to many people around. The Ski Bus schedules a different resort every day they go. My day was a trip to North Star (amazing mountain, I will be rating it soon on my rateskiareas.com profile).

My body was absolutely tore up by three and I was ready to head back to the bus. This is when the Ski Bus truly made the trip the best it could be. When I returned to the bus, they had snacks and wine waiting for us. I had five glasses of wine before we left at 4:30 to head home and took a GREAT drunken three hour nap on the ride back. When I woke up, it was 9 o’clock at night and we were just pulling back into the city. I was home by 10 and asleep in bed by 11.

Overall, definitely an amazing experience. I would have to say the only downfall is being on a bus for nine hours total throughout the day. Otherwise, I am very impressed with the Bay Area Ski Bus. They were friendly, laid back and very inviting. It even made me think I might want to work for them part time next season. If you live in the Bay Area or are visiting and feel the craving for some of that white stuff, I would highly recommend Bay Area Ski Bus.