Week 6: Relax, Enjoy The Ride

I still miss skiing. Some development happened last week, and it looks like we will not be able to ski this season again. No worries, it’s all for the good, and we plan to be back on the slopes next season – slowly, but with a vengeance and maybe new skis.

Since I miss skiing, the T-shirt this week is from the Bay Area Ski Bus. Half of the time we go to the Sierras, we take the Bay Area Ski Bus (or fondly called “The Ski Bus”). We take the Ski Bus mostly for day trips. We let the bus driver do the driving for us. That prevents us from getting tired from the drive up, putting chains on when the weather sucks, and driving down after a long ski day and after a Bloody Mary for Hubby and a Snuggler for me.  

Their choice of resorts varies week by week. It gives us a chance to get to know the different resorts at Lake Tahoe and collect updated trail maps. I think now, you have a choice of more than one resort per weekend.

On the drive up, you get to take about a 2-3 hour nap. You can even bring a pillow, eye cover, and blanket, if you wish. You are woken up with ski or snow videos and then breakfast follows. When we were taking the bus, breakfast usually consisted of bagels or muffins, cream cheese, yogurt, and juice – sometimes, Red Bull was available.

We usually get there when the resorts open at 9, so there was a good chance of freshies. The only times we were late was when there was a big storm, lots of traffic, or an unfortunate instance getting lost or the bus breaking down. No worries though, in the years that we've taken The Ski Bus, we've only been lost once, and the bus broke down maybe twice. 

Once you’re there, you get ready and put on your gear, while the Ski Bus staff gets your lift ticket - No need to line up! Then, we ski until we’re all worn out. That was all day for me, but that was in my younger days.

After skiing, there is usually a party around the buses. There are soft drinks, Red Bull, of course, Chex Mix, cookies, and occasionally some wine sponsored by a local winery. We enjoy a raffle of resort or ski bus swag – which is where we got this T-shirt. Then, you can either sleep or catch a movie or two while the driver takes us back to the Bay Area.

We have not taken it for the last two years, but we will ride The Ski Bus again next season. They usually had two or three buses, sometimes four, running per weekend. But now, I believe it is more. It’s a lot of fun and a great value.

For more info on the The Ski Bus, check out the Bay Area Ski Bus website and enjoy a ride or two. See you next season.