Square State Colorado

Can You Drive Your EV to Colorado Ski Resorts

The question you should be asking yourself is “Should you drive your EV to Colorado ski resorts?” I live in Colorado am very familiar with driving Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and I have some thoughts. Colorado is doubling down on EV infrastructure and encouraging eco-friendly transit. We in the state are very aware of the fact that global warming is having an impact on our weather and our economy. Driving an EV sounds like a great thing to do for the environment, but before you head up to the mountains-there are some important things to consider. If you live in-state you’ve probably already thought about these things, if you’re visiting from out-of-state I want to bring up some important logistics to consider.

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Schedule a Tour

If you’re visiting the state of Colorado for a ski trip, I strongly encourage you to book a tour and experience a couple of unique to Colorado spaces before or after heading up to the mountains. Colorado has a lot to offer and is always a fun time.

• Pikes Peak Cograil and Garden of the Gods Tour (Lunch included)

• Private City Tour of Denver with Transfer

• Denver in a Day, RINO Art District, Sites Downtown and Red Rocks

9 Things to Consider When Using an EV on a Ski Trip

If you’re thinking about renting an EV for your Colorado ski trip, here are a few things that you need to factor into your planning.

• Going on a day trip only? If that’s the case then I would discourage going Friday-Sunday because of the traffic going in and out of the mountains. You will be stuck in traffic at some point in your trip and if your car isn’t fully charged…that could end up being a really stressful day.

• Does the ski resort have the right charger for your car-Do your research, there are a number of resorts that have charging ports available to guests, the question is are they the right ports for your car?

• Get the Plugshare , Chargepoint or Tesla charging maps.

What About the Weather

• Winter weather-I’ve been stuck on Colorado highways at least 5 times for over 4 hours during winter weather. Thankfully each time I’ve been on a commuter bus. Does your car have everything you’ll need in the event that this happens? Fortunately there are a ton of small towns that you can pull off and wait in along the I-70 corridor. You’re going to run the heat in your car which will lower your charge. Something to think about.

• Does your hotel have an EV charger? Or, can the valet do this for you while you’re on the mountain? If you’re staying overnight or multiple days-call the hotel and ask this question.

• Where are the charging stations located? Are they in a garage, at a library or hospital, completely outside? Then what? Is there a restaurant or coffee shop nearby to relax in while the car charges?

Length of the Trip

• How long will it take? I recently used a Nissan Leaf on a road trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park and the charge to 100% averaged 1 hour and 15 minutes each time. The only place where this was problematic was in Fairplay because the coffee shop was closed by the time I got there.

• Are there enough chargers for the demand-One of the real issues that I see becoming an increasing problem is demand for chargers and not having enough to meet the demand. Have a plan B location that you can check out in the event that there’s a line for your preferred charger.

• Out of Order Stations-This is my worst nightmare when I have a low charge. Have a Plan B location to head to just in case there’s an issue with your preferred charging station.

Now that we’ve worked through some of the issues that you should think about before heading out on your next ski trip-I decided to check which resorts have charging stations. If we’re asking can you drive your EV to Colorado ski resorts, it’s nice to know which resorts actually have charging stations.

Colorado Ski Resorts with EV Charging Stations

Double-check everything in this section because things can change LOL! Also, if you don’t see your favorite resort on this list that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any chargers at the resort-do your own due diligence and reach out to see if they have stations located at or near the resort you’re heading to. With that in mind. This is an incomplete list of ski resorts with EV charging stations. You’ll have to check and see what types of charges are at the resort you’re interested in visiting.

• A (Arapahoe) Basin

• Aspen Snowmass

• Breckenridge Ski Resort

• Copper

• Eldora

• Monarch

• Steamboat Springs

• Telluride

• Winter Park

• Wolf Creek

• Vail

Can You Drive Your EV to Colorado Ski Resorts

Yes, you absolutely can drive your EV to Colorado Ski Resorts. I wouldn’t do it on EV trip on a whim. I absolutely would spend some time thinking about the logistics. Things that could completely derail your trip such as weather, traffic and the amount of distance that your car can manage. Definitely follow Reddit threads on this topic as well. Also check EV forums focused on ski trips and driving EVs in Colorado.

Don’t Feel Like Driving

You’re in luck! If you don’t feel like driving on your next Colorado Ski Trip there are several ways that you can head to the mountain. My favorite is Bustang or SnowStang, this a bus service that you can take from Union Station in Denver to points heading throughout the state. What I love about Bustang and SnowStang is that the buses are clean, they usually have internet and there’s a bathroom. The price per ride is incredibly reasonable too. You can also take the Ski Train to Winter Park and I’ve heard that there’s potential for that route to expand its service. There’s also a number of groups that pay for buses to head to the mountains, carpool apps such as Caravan, Treadshare and Rideski.