WISH #2: more buses, more trains
Skiers and snowboarders are seasonal "o-zonic" offenders. The amount of gas we use getting from city to slope could fuel a New England Storm Watch. Thankfully, the MBTA has reinstated the good ol' weekend "ski train" to save us some air pollution. The renovated ski coach accommodates skier, snowboarder, and equipment — comfy. Unfortunately, the train only runs to Fitchburg. The Fitchburg mountain, a/k/a Mount Wachusett, runs a free shuttle bus to and from the commuter rail station. At least it's cheap! The commuter rail/ski train fare is $7.75 one-way (subject to change).
For economy plus ever-changing terrain, check out Ski Market's Day Bus. With a bottle of . . . something, the bus is not that bad. This season’s schedule includes runs to big mountains such as Killington, Sugarbush, and Sunday River and small mountains like Sunapee. Bus ticket and lift ticket combined are only a cool $72. Check for College Break Trips in January and March. And wish for more buses, more trains, and less traffic to the slopes.
WISH #3: more women boarders, more women skiers
It wasn't until recently that ski and snowboard manufacturers started designing equipment specifically for women's bodies. Now that we have K2's feminine Luv line, how about some women-only ski mags? Or even, women-only park days? If only to break from the bands of squatting sk8ter bois . . .
Finally, some women-only stuff is happening. Skiing magazine launches Women's Skiing in December. And despite cheesy subheads like "True stories of four women dominating Dudeville," at least it's a "girls-only" outlet, with Jenn Berg's prettier-than-thou mug on the cover.
Online, accessorized, and hot pink, Ski Chick LLC also focuses on, well, just chicks. The best part of the Web site is its extensive calendar of women and girls-only clinics, like this year's Women in Motion Camp in Stowe, Vermont. Worth, at least, a tune-up.
Ellee Dean, now thoroughly re-oxygenated and ready to slalom, can be reached at edean@phx.com.
