Now that we’ve finally had some decent snowfall, I’m hankering for some of this. Since the last time I checked, several new bus services to the nearest ski hills seem to have been launched. I found it a bit of a hassle tracking down the information, so here’s a list for my own future reference and as a public service:
Practical ways to go skiing from central Seattle without a car
To Steven’s Pass
Saturdays & Sundays
Picks up from Snowboard Connection, 263 Yale Ave N at 8am and returns around 6pm
Also has a pickup point in Fremont
Cost: $20
Bonus: biodiesel powered!
Tuesdays
Picks up from the old MOHAI site, 2700 24th Ave E at 7am and seems to return around 6pm
Also has a pickup point in Kirkland and might pick you up from Monroe on request
Cost: $40
To Snoqualmie Pass
Saturdays & Sundays
Picks up from the Grand Hyatt, 7th & Pine at 7:45am and returns around 6pm
Also has pickup points in West Seattle and Bellevue
Cost: $35
Only drops off at Snoqualmie Central, but the resort has a free shuttle for Alpental access
To Crystal Mountain
Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays
Picks up from the Grand Hyatt, 7th & Pine at 7:30am and returns around 6:30pm
Also has pickup points in West Seattle and Auburn
Cost: $40
To Whitefish, Montana
Daily
Departs King Street Station at 4:40pm and gets you to Whitefish early the next morning.
Return train departs Whitefish after dinner and gets you back here at 10:25 the next morning.
Cost: varies; was $158 for a return seat when I checked for this weekend, but bed reservations almost double that.
Bummer: Amtrak won’t let you reserve just a bed like European sleeper trains – you have to reserve a 2- or 4- bed room, which makes this needlessly expensive for solo travelers or groups of 3.
To Whistler/Blackcomb
3 trips a day
Takes about 7 hours, including a very efficiently run transfer at Vancouver train station.
Cost: varies; around $60 each way.
Others?
I’m sure I’ve missed something. Leave a comment if you know of any other options.
[…] post is a quick update on last year’s collection of public transport routes to ski areas. It’s heavily biased towards my own needs (i.e. central Seattle pickup locations). Please let […]