Best airports for skiers.

[RidgeRacer]

I found this pretty interesting. Having been to 3 of these I like SLC the best for proximity, size and ease of getting from point A to point B.

 

http://www.skinet.co...=MTk0MjY5ODQyS0

 

Aspen/Pitkin County Airport

 

 

Chris Davenport, skier

When flying into the mountains, I always try for early flights. If a flight gets cancelled or delayed, you still have time in the day to get on another flight.

I always check in on-line to secure good seats, and I have my boarding passes sent to my iPhone to scan at the gate.

To avoid baggage weight fees, you can always try the guys on the curb and hand them $20 to make it happen.

I fly in and out of Aspen all the time, but if it’s shut down due to weather, I'll zip over to Eagle County Airport near Vail or even Grand Junction.

Get the direct phone number of the check-in counter at various airports so you don't have to wait for an operator in India to help.

The bottom line when traveling into ski country is to be flexible. If you absolutely have to be somewhere at a certain time, build some wiggle room into your trip in case Mother Nature throws you a curve ball.

 

Jackson Hole Airport

 

 

Lynsey Dyer, skier

In Jackson, everything is an adventure, including traveling TO the airport. The other day I had to stop and wait for a herd of buffalo to cross the highway, no joke.

Early flights always offer a better chance of having you and your ski bag end up where you intended at least by the end of the day, but there's no guarantee. Prepare for an adventure and if you happen to have a smooth day, consider yourself lucky.

Get a credit card that waives baggage fees.

Take good care of your friends now, so you can ask for favors later.

Some of the hardest places to get to are the best—that's why the snow stays good!

The only trick that seems to work is not caring weather you make it at a desired time with or without baggage. Letting go and being willing to take the ride seems to be the only way to beat the suffering of traveling.

 

Reno-Tahoe International Airport

 

 

Elyse Saugstad and Cody Townsend, skiers

Reno is one of the easiest airports to fly in and out of. There are rarely lines at check-in or going through security. You really don't need to be there more than an hour before your flight, no matter what time of day you are departing.

I've never bothered to print out my boarding pass prior to arriving at the airport because it's never crowded.

Flights are rarely cancelled, but with that being said, sometimes wind and fog in the wintertime can cause delays and even cancellations.

Fast Taxi is the best and cheapest shuttle to and from Tahoe. It’s door-to-door service, plus you're supporting real ski bums.

Sometimes the highway closes if it’s snowing super hard.

Reno flies direct to SLC and Denver.

Downsides? The food and it takes forever to get your luggage.

Bonus: From Reno, tickets to Europe seem to be as cheap as they get from anywhere on the west coast (even San Francisco, though you'll usually connect through there).

The number one thing to remember on a ski trip is to ALWAYS, NO MATTER WHAT, NEVER, EVER CHECK YOUR SKI BOOTS. The more you travel, the more you realize how easy it is for an airline to lose your luggage, and if they do it can take several days to get it back. It's easy to rent skis and borrow ski clothing, but nothing replaces your ski boots. Once, in France, I arrived with nothing but my boots. I skied in jeans, borrowed a hat, a pair of goggles and gloves, and rented some skis.

 

Salt Lake International Airport

 

 

Dave Steiner, Oakley R&D

SLC is a hub for Delta and Southwest. There are lots of options on both those airlines.

Canyon Transportation is the quickest way to get from the airport to skiing.

Try to fly in early in the morning so you can get a half day of skiing in. Fly out late-night for the same reason.

Park and Jet off Redwood Road offers cheap and easy airport parking.

If the security line is long and it’s before 11am, go outside, take a right and walk over to the international terminal.

Smile, ask how their day is and tell them your bag is overweight because you brought presents for your mom.

Same goes for trying to get upgraded. Be super nice, talkative and smile. The gate agents can move you up if they want.

 

Denver International Airport

 

 

Shay Williams, Freeskier photo editor

Since delays and cancellations are mostly out of your hands (weather, maintenance, etc.) there isn't too much you can do. However, in the winter, when the weather is more likely to be bad at DIA, try flying out earlier. This is because the planes have been sitting overnight and don't have to get to DIA from somewhere else. You can also use sites like seatexpert.com and seatguru.com to find out what route your plane is on. Picking a plane that flies from DC is more likely to be on time than from a place like LaGuardia or O'Hare.

When it comes to weather, flying in the morning is best. However, if you know the weather will be good, then evenings are best, especially if you are flying west to east. The airport is usually less crowded than midday and you'll get a full day to spend on the slopes in whatever town you're in. And, it gives you more time to get to the airport. Remember, delays can happen before you even get to the airport, especially if you're coming from Summit County.

Printing your boarding pass in advance can help, but since you are skiing, you are most likely checking bags, not carrying on. Sure you can pay your bag fees online and such, and some airlines at DIA (like United or Continental) have special bag drop areas. But if you're flying something like JetBlue or Delta out of DIA, you still are going to have to wait in line to drop your bags, in which case having the gate agent print your boarding document isn't a big deal. All in all, if you're checking bags, printing at home or used mobile boarding docs (which DIA can accommodate but other airports cannot), doesn't save a ton of time.

DIA uses pretty wide scales, that pretty accurately measure the bags. Since ski bags are long, you can try propping one end under your foot secretly as to take some of the pressure off the scale. Also, since the middle of the bag is what physically sits on the scale, try putting a lot of the weight (i.e. your boots) at the very end of the bag so it's not getting weighed directly. That might shave a few pounds.

DIA doesn't make you drag oversized bags to a special drop off bag area, they take it right at that counter where you're checking in. This is good because you don't have to drag your things anywhere. But it's bad because the age old "take 10 pounds out of your bag and stuff it back in on your way to the bag drop" trick won't work.

While the status check-ins (i.e. red carpets, premium lines, etc) are a no-no to general fliers and you'll get kicked out and embarrassed if you get caught. But you can always chance it and hope you get a lazy gate agent. Some might just assume you're a status member without actually looking. That usually means free bag charges and maybe even priority tags so that your luggage is less likely to get lost in transit.

Outside of renting a car or having someone to snag you at DIA, it's not that easy to get to the mountains. Colorado Mountain Express is your best bet. CME picks you up at DIA and will deposit you door-to-door or at a depot in Summit County, Vail County, Eagle County or the Roaring Fork Valley. The cost isn't too bad either. Translation: Shared van/shuttle to wherever you're going in Aspen/Snowmass, Vail, Beaver Creek or Summit County.

As for air connections, DIA services airports like Aspen, Montrose (Telluride or Crested Butte) and Eagle (Vail/Beaver Creek).

If you're in gates 80-90, those are the commuter terminals and expect a walk to or from the main terminal.

If you're flying out of Concourse A, you can walk there, accessing a lesser known security checkpoint that is usually faster than the two main security zones at DIA.

Don't park a car in the Mt. Elbert lot. It's literally in Kansas. Pike's Peak is better and the Garage is the best. But never Mt. Elbert.

Need last minute dress clothes or shoes? The only formal wear place in the whole airport is Johnston and Murphy in Concourse B.

Flying home from an international destination? Even if DIA isn't your final stop, make it your first from overseas. Customs in Denver is a breeze, the fastest I've ever used in the States.

Every 2nd pillar at DIA has an outlet. So if you're looking to charge your phone or laptop, don't crowd your gate, go find an empty one (there are always empty gates at DIA) and you'll be set. Alternatively, the upstairs areas in the main part of each concourse has lots of plugs floating around.

The first and last car in the inter-terminal trains are usually the most full, but they are the closest to the escalators for baggage and each concourse. If you're in a hurry, save yourself some time and hop on an end car, not a middle one.

[AtomicSkier]

I've been to all of those airports. DEN/SLC are both major airports and feel that way, but JAC and ASE have that ski town feel.

 

ASE is the smallest by far and definitely has that small feel. Every flight out of ASE I've ever taken has been boarded by the same guy. JAC is about three times the size of ASE, but what other airport has leather couches, oversized leather chairs, glass tables, and fire places in the gate area? JAC is still 40 minutes from the ski area (5 minutes as the crow flies).

 

As for ASE, you can walk to Buttermilk in about 10 minutes (I've done the walk in the fall, it's beautiful). It's a 10 minute free bus ride to Ajax. You can be skiing quicker from wheels down to skis down than any other ski destination.

 

For views, you can't beat the runway 19 approach/departure for the views of the Tetons out the right side at JAC. Another plus of JAC is the privatized security (no TSA). JAC is one of a handful of airports in the US that is allowed to have privatized screening. It's a much more pleasant experience.

 

DEN is my favorite airport in the US to transit. I much prefer flying PHL-DEN-ASE over PHL-ORD-ASE, as there are 10x daily DEN-ASE flights and 4x daily ORD-ASE. Denver has so much room, some decent places to eat, and has the best runway configuration to deal with the nonexistent traffic that it has. DEN is one of the least delayed major airports in the US. The downsides: it's in Kansas. The airport access road is 20 minutes long.

 

I love to ski both Jackson and Aspen, and both have very unique airports. The final approach into Aspen is quite 'sporting'. You can see in the first few seconds of this video I shot how high the mountains are surrounding the airport:

 

[Justin]

the best airport for skiers is the one taking you to where it's dumping