The benefits of carpooling are undeniable: you save money on gas, reduce carbon emissions and help mitigate gridlock. The fewer cars on the road, the faster the traffic flows. Carpooling lets you catch up with old friends or meet new ones. In the event those benefits alone aren’t enough to encourage skiers to make like sardines, ski areas along I-70 and beyond are offering incentives to snowsliders who share their rides.
On select weekends last season, Copper Mountain enticed skiers with coupons for $4 burgers, preferential parking and bumper stickers that read, “Carpoolers Do It Together.” This season, Keystone will continue to reward guests with four to a car with upfront parking in the Montezuma lot. At Aspen, cars with at least four skiers park free at Aspen Highlands and at Two Creeks at Snowmass, a $15 savings. At Arapahoe Basin, skiers who ride four to a car receive roughly 30 percent off lift tickets. Skiers heading to Wolf Creek can log onto wolfcreekski.com or alternetrides.com to find like-minded riding partners. If you don’t already have your own posse of skiers to travel with, log onto skicarpool.org to find riding partners in or near your zip code—and those who are heading to the mountains. Not unlike a matchmaking service, this site lets you view profiles of potential riding mates. You could choose, for example, an expert female telemarker who loves ripping in trees and hiking for powder. References to drinking pina coladas and getting caught in the rain not included.
