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1. How long has the Bay Area Ski Bus been around?
A. The Bay Area Ski Bus has been operating since 1996 when it first offered only a half-dozen trips. Today, the Ski Bus can take you to the slopes every Saturday, every Sunday or even during the week from early-December through mid-April. We also fly to fantastic snow playgrounds such as Whistler, Snowbird, Alta, Steamboat, Zermatt, Aspen, Breckenridge, Vail, Telluride, Banff and Jackson Hole!
2. What kind of reputation does the Bay Area Ski Bus have?
The Ski Bus is a classy outfit that runs on-time and pays attention to the details. Read what some of our regulars say about us! This is not a "party bus" with a keg on the bus and loud, obnoxious behavior. We definitely have Fun, but do so with style and class. Adult customers may drink alcohol on the bus, but not excessively. Rude and obnoxious people only ride once!
3. Who goes on these trips?
Wise people who realize the savings and convenience!! :) Bay Area Ski Bus Adult customers range in age from early 20's to early 60's, with equal numbers of men and women, couples and singles. We have those who wish to meet other singles or people to ski with. We have single or married folk whose spouses or friends don't ski, couples and singles who realize a great deal when they see one, people in town on business, people who will not drive in the snow (or who are sick of dealing with chains and the drive up and back) and all of which love the convenience of having us do all the driving while they relax, sleep and watch movies on the way home! 100% Pure Convenience and Fun! TEEN Trips are for 12-17 year olds and FAMILY Trips are for ages 4 and up.
4. What is the Itinerary for the trips?
We basically board the bus between 4 and 5:30am (depending on your pick up location), sleep until 7:30, enjoy continental breakfast and a ski movie 'til 8:15ish, ski from 8:30am to 4:00pm, then head home, watch a movie, enjoy a 30-minute dinner stop and then watch another movie. Return times are approx. 8:30pm in Walnut Creek through 9:45pm in Sunnyvale and San Francisco. Times are subject to change due to weather and road conditions.
5. What if the Weather is bad or stormy?
The Ski Bus travels "snow or shine". If the road is closed to the scheduled resort, we will re-route to another resort on another freeway. If we cannot reach a ski resort, we will return home and everyone will receive a refund minus a $30 transportation charge. (The bus still costs money). If it is stormy at the resort, any credits on lift tickets will need to be taken up with the resort staff. In over 16 years of hosting ski trips, I can't tell you how many times the media predicted a "major storm" (it's news-worthy ya know) and the weather was actually great at the resort. Storms are great - they bring powder! As long as the roads are open and safe, we go!
6. What should I Wear on the Bus?
It depends on what kind of ski pants or bibs you wear and how comfortable they are. Half of the people wear their ski clothes on the bus, half change at the resort. All resorts have coin or credit card lockers. If your ski pants are comfortable and breathable, wear them. We do.
7. What do I need to bring?
Ski or snowboard equipment if you have it, regular clothes and warm ski clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses and goggles, waterproof gloves, cash for meals and/or souvenirs, credit card if you are renting equipment (required) or just in case something breaks. Although videos will be shown on the return home, some people bring a book, a pillow and/or ear plugs. Equipment will be loaded in the bus' storage bins and a carry-on bag or backpack can accompany you on the bus. Ski and Snowboard bags are RECOMMENDED to avoid scratches. LABEL YOUR EQUIPMENT!
8. Can I Leave my belongings on the bus during the day?
Yes, you may leave anything you wish on the bus, however, you WILL NOT have access to it during the day since the bus will be LOCKED and the driver needs to rest/sleep. We DO NOT recommend leaving any valuables on the bus because we cannot guarantee the integrity of all of our customers:( Wallets, purses, CD players, etc should be brought with you and/or put in a locker in the lodge.
9. What about Rentals or Beginning Ski Packages?
If you are a beginner and need to rent equipment and take a lesson, then a beginner's ski package is for you. For an additional $30-$45, you get a beginner chairs lift ticket, rentals and a 90 minute lesson. Select this package when registering online. If you need Rentals only, you can purchase them when registering for many of our trips for $30-$38. OR you can rent Before you come which will save you time and give you more ski or riding time!
10. How do I set up a Trip for my company, school, church or my large group of friends?
This can be handled in 1 of 2 ways:
1. If you are sure that you will be able to fill your own bus (minimum of 40), check out our Group Trips page, pick a date and resort that you would like to go to and give us a call or send us an , or
2. If you are not sure of how many people will go, choose a date and location on our existing schedule and give us a call. This way, even if you only have a few people or even a half of a bus, the trip will not be canceled, rather it will be combined with another group to fill the bus.
11. Can I get a discount for Referring my friends or co-workers?
YES! If you refer someone, tell them to enter YOUR e-mail address in the "Referred by" box when they create an account. They will receive $10 off their first trip and you will receive a $10 credit into your account.
12. What are the Light Refreshments that are included with the price?
In the morning, we serve bagels with cream cheese &/or muffins, juice and yogurt. When you return to the bus after a full day of skiing or boarding, we will have soda, water, hot cocoa with whip cream and cookies waiting for you! Lunch and dinner are on you. At the dinner stop, there are usually 3-4 choices for food.
13. What kinds of videos will we see?
The Ski Bus usually has 3-5 movies for the customers to vote on, typically PG-R for Adult Trips, PG and PG-13 for Teen Trips and G-PG for Family Trips. For those who wish to sleep on the way home, bring ear plugs.
14. Is the Bus Company safe and reputable?
We only use bus companies which have fantastic safety records, top-of-the-line equipment and safe, friendly drivers.
15. What if I need to cancel, can I get a refund?
For the one-day trips, if you cancel more than 5 days prior to the trip you will receive a credit towards a future trip. If you cancel within 5 days of the trip, there are NO Refunds. Cancellations credits (that can be used for a future trip through the end of April 2009) will be: $40 for Adults, $30 for Teens, $20 for Seniors and $10 for Children. NO REFUNDS/Credits for "Bus Only" registrations, cancellations within 24 hours of the trip or "No-Shows". For multi-day trips, see trip pages.
16. What kind of lodging will we expect on the multi-day trips?
We stay at quality hotels that would be considered moderate or "middle-of-the-road". (During a survey of our customers, some wanted "cheap", some wanted "high-class" and the majority wanted "moderate and clean"). Each hotel has clean, good size rooms, hot tubs, free continental breakfasts and restaurants within walking distance.
17. Can I bring my kids?
The Ski Bus offers Adult trips for those 18 & over, Teen trips (12-17 years) and Family trips for ages 4 and up. We do not mix children in the adult trips because, 1. they are often excited & can be noisy, especially during early morning sleep time and 2. we show PG-13 (and sometimes R ) rated videos that are not appropriate for them. Parents CAN ride on the Teen bus.
18. Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing?
XC and snowshoeing is available on trips to Northstar, Kirkwood (via shuttle) and Squaw (via shuttle). Since there is no shuttle from Sugarbowl to Royal Gorge anymore, we do not promote XC on Sugarbowl trips. Experienced XC skiers CAN ski from Sugarbowl to RG and back. For all trips, XC skiers will sign up for the "bus only" ($59) and then purchase their own trail pass at the XC center.
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