that_guy Posted October 12, 2009 Report Posted October 12, 2009 I'm wondering if anybody living on the east coast buys passes for the Rockies, since it seems practical given that you make up the cost in a few days or riding. If so, is a regular 'commute' out west reasonable- Newark and Philly airports are nearby, and are hubs, I would guess the flights range from cheap to reasonable in price. . . Any thoughts on this? Quote
that_guy Posted October 12, 2009 Author Report Posted October 12, 2009 Dirty Jersey, which puts me hopefully within 30 minutes of EWR or something like that. I tend to get a bit ill when I'm up in Summit Co., but SLC is just a bit further and the resorts are a bit lower in elevation. All things considered, I guess a 4 hour flight + check in + claiming baggage is not significantly more than driving to Vermont from NJ. Quote
that_guy Posted October 12, 2009 Author Report Posted October 12, 2009 Right- EWR is pretty clogged up, so I guess you're right. I'm probably looking at a 7-8 hour turnaround going west from EWR. I'll take a closer look at the VT resorts. Thanks for the info. Quote
sibhusky Posted October 12, 2009 Report Posted October 12, 2009 Dirty Jersey, which puts me hopefully within 30 minutes of EWR or something like that. I tend to get a bit ill when I'm up in Summit Co., but SLC is just a bit further and the resorts are a bit lower in elevation. All things considered, I guess a 4 hour flight + check in + claiming baggage is not significantly more than driving to Vermont from NJ. Actually, I have to agree. The hassle of winter driving vs. sitting on a plane in reading a book or in a warm terminal and then the snow quality differences when you get there to me said "go west" when I lived in NJ. I tried the New England route a couple times when I lived in NJ after moving from Connecticut, but I opted for the Poconos pretty soon for weekends as you had to get around the NYC area first, then there seemed to be only two lane highways into Vermont to get to the good places and it was just exhausting even getting to the Berkshires. So, for the 27 years we were in NJ, it was the Poconos or the Rockies. I think we did New England less than 5 times that whole period, each time saying it just wasn't worth it compared to flying west. (Of course at the time I was being paid pretty well and could afford the extra money and thought it well spent for the nicer snow.) Quote
sibhusky Posted October 12, 2009 Report Posted October 12, 2009 Well I disagree with you there. You have to allow extra time to get to the airport as the Newark airport is in a highly conjested area and unless you want to pay alot for parking, the economy lots are in Kansas and require a shuttle bus. Check-In/Security adds more time and you need to be at the gate at least 30 minutes before departure..then hopefully the flight takes off on time..and lands OK..then claiming baggage and securing rental car can add another hour+..then you have to drive to the resort..driving from NJ-VT is alot easier.. Hire a limo or a friend or a one way car rental and you've got that covered. I used to get a corporate rate on limos, $30 each way for the family, held all our ski gear in a stretch, not a bad price for door-to-door service. Probably more these days but get a buddy to do it for you and owe him a return favor. Then at the other end, depending on where you go, there is also similar stuff available, either through hotels or publicly. If you fly in here, I know the hotels will come to the airport to get you. In CO, there are buses to many of the resorts. I've taken buses in UT as well. Quote
Justo8484 Posted October 12, 2009 Report Posted October 12, 2009 Well I disagree with you there. You have to allow extra time to get to the airport as the Newark airport is in a highly conjested area and unless you want to pay alot for parking, the economy lots are in Kansas and require a shuttle bus. Check-In/Security adds more time and you need to be at the gate at least 30 minutes before departure..then hopefully the flight takes off on time..and lands OK..then claiming baggage and securing rental car can add another hour+..then you have to drive to the resort..driving from NJ-VT is alot easier.. sounds like you don't like flying very much... if he's living close to EWR, there's probably public transit he can take to the airport, therefore negating the need for airport parking. whenever i've taken public transit to fly out of philly, it's been super easy and hassle free, aside from getting pulled to the back room by overzealous TSA folks. if you know how to pack, all you need to check is your ski bag, so worst case scenario, they lose your skis, you demo a few new ones and make the airlines pay to replace the stuff they lost. i can generally get all my other gear in my carry on and personal item bag or whatever. the people on the flight might hate you for carrying on your ski boots, but oh well, it makes my life easier. Quote
Dan- Posted October 12, 2009 Report Posted October 12, 2009 Honestly, if you have the extra money i'd go out west. Vermont doesn't compare to it, no matter how you look at it. Times to get out west are comparable to times it takes to get to any good resort in VT, and if roads suck, add on a few more hours to that drive time. Utah is super easy, fly to SLC and they will take you right to the resort, Most resorts, if you get there the same day you flew in, they'll let you ride free that day which is nice. Quote
method9455 Posted October 12, 2009 Report Posted October 12, 2009 I don't like flying..it's just not apples to apples when comparing driving to VT vs flying to the Rockys in terms of user friendliness. I like flying out of the Allentown airport because then I can get a ride to the airport. I never ask for a ride to Philly or Newark because I wouldn't want to return the favor. I carry my ski boots on in a backpack..and check a large suitcase with clothes and my skibag..for me personally it doesn't seem worth it to fly out west for a weekend..and I'm just so much more comfortable in my own car..I don't like flying but deal with it because the drive to Jackson Hole is uber long.. Well then nothing you recommend applies to his situation. Sure getting from south east PA to EWR is a hassle. Getting from 20-30 minutes away from Newark to Newark is easy. I drop of my friends and family when they need a lift and vice versa. When the whole family goes we get a car service and its $30 each way. Even parking at Newark is a lot better today because of the parking garage, if you park there it is 150 feet to the baggage claim. EWR is not even especially crowded. Going from NJ to JFK or NJ to LGR is bad. It is a long trip and lots of delays. Newark doesn't have killer delays, especially with Continental because they have their won terminal. In my experience flying for ski trips the main problem is at the other end when a snow storm holds up the plane you are going to get on, or getting home. As for compared to driving to VT, I think flying to ski is way easier up until you get off the plane at the other end. Finding someone to drop me off at the airport, getting through security, getting on the plane. That is all really easy. At Newark the ski bag gets checked into special security at the door so you don't have to lug it around. Security is easy anyone who complains about it is not doing it right. Prepare your bag and yourself and it takes less than a minute. But the waiting at the other end for your bag, getting a car from the airport to the hotel can logistically be more challenging. So I'd say make it a 3 or 4 day weekend to be worth it. I wouldn't think flying out on Friday and flying home Sunday night would be worth it. Driving to VT can be just as bad though. I've had the drive to Mount Snow from probably the same area be 3.5 hours, and I've had it be 7 hours. My drive to Stowe was 7.5 and 9. It was worth it for a long stretch, but if flying at least you can sleep where as I had to pay attention the whole time driving back. And bottom line, skiing out west will always be better. Quote
that_guy Posted October 19, 2009 Author Report Posted October 19, 2009 I guess if I consider UT/CO an option, then Europe is also within reach, right? I was just doing a quick calculation in my head, and if you fly into Geneva (not sure if you can do that nonstop from EWR), then it's something like 45 minutes to Chamonix. Fly into Munich, and it's 2 hours to Innsbruck. Fly into Zurich, and it's 2 hours to Grindelwald or the Arlberg. Too bad about the exchange rate, though. Quote
Dan- Posted October 19, 2009 Report Posted October 19, 2009 (edited) Your forgetting the difference in cost of plane tickets. Utah/Colorado= 200-250. Europe is at least double if not more then that. Edited October 19, 2009 by Dan- Quote
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