For Long Islanders who want to ski or snowboard without the stress of icy roads or booking a hotel, ski buses make it easy to turn a single day into a full winter getaway.

With pickups across the Island, you can hit slopes in the Catskills, Vermont or even Maine. Whether you’re up for a fast-paced day trip or a laid-back weekend with après-ski included, there’s a ride that can fit your pace.

One-day skiing, no overnight bag required

Island Snow Bus, based in Westhampton Beach, has been running for four years with a simple idea: not everyone can take a long ski weekend but plenty of people can carve out one day.

"We think there’s a real market for single-day trips," owner Derek Markovic said. "A lot of people can’t get multiple days off consecutively. They can only get a day in, so you get it all in one day."

The company runs full-size motor coaches that hold about 52 passengers and departs from multiple locations across Long Island and Manhattan. Pickups begin on the East End in Calverton, using the Hampton Jitney parking lot (253 Edwards Ave.), then continue west to the Islandia Park and Ride, the Melville Park and Ride near Exit 49 and Christopher Morley Park in Roslyn. Recent additions include a stop in Long Island City, Queens and Upper East Side Manhattan pickups at East 42nd Street and East 86th Street.

From those stops, Island Snow Bus fans out across the Northeast. Closer-to-home options include Belleayre and Hunter Mountain in New York’s Catskills, as well as Elk Mountain in Pennsylvania and Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts. For more ambitious day-trippers, the company also runs trips to larger resorts such as Gore Mountain and Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks, Mount Snow and Stratton in Vermont and Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine.

A skier hits the slopes at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine.

Pricing varies by destination and day of the week. Day trips to Camelback Mountain in Pennsylvania typically run in the low $200s, while Belleayre trips fall in the mid-$200s, with lift tickets included. Transportation-only options are available for about $150. Stratton trips are among the most expensive, with Saturday packages reaching the high $300s, though weekday and Sunday trips are cheaper.

"The cost of participating in winter sports has basically doubled since COVID, along with everything else," Markovic said. "We’re really just matching market pricing."

Early mornings are part of the deal. Trips to Belleayre, one of the most popular and closest options, start with a 4 a.m. pickup. Markovic insists it’s more manageable than it sounds.

"People can nod off and sleep most of the ride," he said. "On the really long ones, people are sleeping both directions."

Visitors try snow tubing at Hunter Mountain.

The clientele tends to split into two camps: die-hard skiers willing to wake up at 2 a.m. for a day at Killington and casual riders who want a straightforward day on the mountain without the commitment of a weekend.

Island Snow Bus has also begun offering multiday trips this season, all starting with the Calverton pickup. Trips can be booked online.

A ski club with built-in après-ski

A skier zips down the mountain at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont.

For those who want more than a single day on the slopes, Miramar Ski Club offers a social, community-driven approach to skiing that appeals to a wide range of abilities.

Miramar is a volunteer-run club with its own lodge in a converted mill along the Mad River in Waitsfield, Vermont, near Sugarbush Resort. The lodge accommodates 52 guests, mostly in double rooms, and leans into an old-school ski club atmosphere, with bus transportation provided from Long Island.

"It’s very community-based," said Brooklyn native Ciara Nestor, chair of the Miramar publicity committee. "If you’re looking for a group to ski with, from beginners to advanced skiers, we hear a lot of feedback that people find us welcoming and open."

The club’s lodge is about 15 minutes from Sugarbush and includes a day at Killington. Nestor described Sugarbush as having a distinctly local feel, where skiers tend to linger after the lifts close.

An overview of Killington Resort in Vermont.

"It’s a really good two-day experience," she said, "because you get the local vibe at Sugarbush and the massive variety of terrain at Killington."

Pat McGillicuddy, 67, of Rockville Centre, has been taking Miramar trips for about 12 years. “When I first heard Miramar offered Long Island pickups, I was immediately in,” she said. “Hauling my gear to the city wasn’t happening, and the drive up to Vermont can be daunting, not to mention the cost of gas and icy roads. Once I get on the bus, I don’t have to worry about anything. I can save all my energy for skiing.”

Discounted lift tickets and rental equipment are available, and the club offers up to three days of beginner lessons for skiers and snowboarders with a $100 reimbursement for each day. A typical Friday-to-Sunday bus trip includes two hot breakfasts, two dinners and a Saturday happy hour with an open bar. After skiing, guests gather around the fireplace, at the full bar or on the dance floor for après-ski and après-dinner conversation. A two-day trip from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25 to Sugarbush and Killington for example costs $499. A three-day trip that adds an extra ski day costs $749. Both downhill and cross country skiers are welcome.

Trips run nearly every weekend through April 10, with registration deadlines set for 5 p.m. on the Thursday before departure. Miramar typically brings a handful of skiers from Long Island each trip, which accommodates up to 45 people. Buses depart Fridays at 4:30 a.m. from Christopher Morley Park. Trips can be booked online.

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