When to visit Craftsbury: what the numbers say

One of the positives of our contact tracing system for Day-use reservations is that we can quantify our experiences of welcoming folks. We're only starting to dig into this, but we thought sharing some early data could be helpful for users who are looking to plan their time at Craftsbury.

Takeaway #1: Mondays and the mid-week are still the best days to ski.

Duh, I know. But it's still striking how much quieter the midweek days are. If you have flexibility in your schedule, you'll have far fewer folks to share the trails with.

Takeaway #2: Come early or come late to avoid crowds.

10:00am to 1:00pm is busiest part of the day. Be on the snow at 8:30am and off before lunch so that your only experience of the busy-ness is as you take off. Or start at 2:30pm - but scoot out into the woods quickly. (Doing things like purchasing your pass or membership in advance are helpful, as is thinking strategically to get out of your car and on to your snow ASAP.)

Takeaway #3: If you ski on the weekend, Saturday has SUBSTANTIALLY less traffic than Sunday.

Sunday is the busiest day of the week, by far. Even compared to Saturday, which has approximately half of the crowds of Sunday. If you have to ski on Sunday, do it in the afternoon to avoid the majority of folks.

Takeaway #4: For advanced skiers, particularly annual members with their own gear, start your ski from somewhere else.

These numbers still primarily reflect folks starting from the campus. While the snow this winter hasn't provided uniformly great conditions further afield, consider starting your ski at Hosmer Point, Highland Lodge, or other parking lots. (We'll let you know as more come online).

Starting at these locations still require you to mask around others, reserve a spot for day-use, and have a day-pass or membership - but you can accomplish the administrative part of these things from the comfort of your home before you drive up.

If you don't need services, lessons, or rentals this is a great way to avoid crowds and parking hassles.

Hope to see you up here soon! (Perhaps in the mid-week?)