Winter is here! Well, it was, for like that one week when it snowed a bunch and now it seems to be freakishly warm again. So maybe your dreams of tromping around a winter wonderland ended last week when the children of Park Slope got up earlier than you and ruined all the good hills in Prospect Park. But fear not: there are still lots of ski slopes within day-trip range from the city, and you don’t even need a car to get there. Heck, you don’t even need to own your own jacket or ski gear either.
Our friends at the NYC Snow Bus (the winter version of the NYC Beach Bus, also known as our Favorite Thing Ever) have vastly expanded their offerings this year, giving you round-trip bus rides to seven different mountains, from New Jersey to Vermont. They also opened a brand-new retail store on Atlantic Avenue that rents jackets, pants, gloves, goggles and more for up to 90 percent off retail price. The best part? We’ve got a pair of tickets and gear rental to give away to Brokelyn readers too! Find out how below:
This year the Snow Bus goes to Mountain Creek, Gore Mountain, Hunter Mountain, Whiteface Mountain, Windham Mountain, Killington and Mount Snow. Buses leave at various times (the Killington one leaves at 3:30am, for example) from the new storefront at 514 Atlantic Ave. (by Third Avenue, next to Hank’s, which will definitely be open at 3:30), plus Metropolitan Avenue and Marcy Avenue in Williamsburg, and pick up locations in Astoria and Manhattan. See the full list here.
Want to go skiing or snowboarding for free? Brokelyn has a pair of tickets to give away to a Snow Bus of your choosing this year.
HOW TO ENTER TO WIN FREE TICKETS
Just sign up for Brokelyn’s newsletter (if you haven’t already) and keep an eye out for the contest announcement later this week! One lucky subscriber and a friend will get to hit the slopes for free.
(The newsletter is fun and we don’t use your email for anything evil — you get a Monday digest of the best events in Brooklyn that week, and a Friday wrap up of the best weekend events and the top Brokelyn stories of the week. Plus you get first dibs on exciting Brokelyn projects like the 2016 Beer Books, which are coming out soon!)
The prices vary for each location, but they’re a steal considering how pricy skiing can get : A roundtrip ride, lift ticket and gear rental at Mountain Creek in NJ will run you $100, for example).
But the best part for those of us who just want to try skiing or snowboarding without investing in a whole REI’s worth of gear is that they also rent jackets and pants for just $25 a day (and other gear too)!
Read up on the full offerings of the NYC Snow Bus here. And if you’re like this writer and just waiting for the Beach Bus to come out of hibernation, there are only 119 days until Memorial Day.