Ride To The Top Of The Mountain On A Warm School Bus At Moose Mountain Ski Resort In Alaska
By Megan McDonald|Published December 29, 2019
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Megan McDonald
Author
Megan McDonald is a writer, photographer, and owner of humu media, an Alaska-based digital media agency. She spends her free time traveling with her husband and daughter around the US and the world.
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If you’re looking for a great mountain to ski on when you’re in interior Alaska, Moose Mountain Ski Resort in Fairbanks is a fun and unusual ski slope. Ride their fleet of school buses to the start of your trails, and stay warm and cozy the whole way up.
Moose Mountain Ski Resort, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, is the interior's largest alpine ski and snowboard area.
The resort totals more than 750 acres, is over a mile wide and a mile long, and offers 1,300 vertical feet of skiing. This awesome ski resort has lots of south-facing runs, so you can enjoy sunny skiing above the inversion every day of the season.
The average inversion is 20 to 30 degrees warmer than the flats of the Tanana Valley and the views are beautiful.
You can enjoy some of the best views this area has to offer. And if you didn't bring your skis or snowboard, don't worry. They have great deals for you in their ski rental shop.
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This ski resort offers runs for every ability, so you can bring everyone in your family.
You can ski or snowboard short beginner tow trails at the base lodge, long gentle runs, or steep, narrow black diamond trails. Moose Mountain is also the only known ski area with the primary lift system comprised of a fleet of school buses.
This actually provides a great, fast, and economical way for all of our guests to get to the top! Because the mountain continues to use school buses instead of a ski lift, it actually allows them to remain one of the least expensive ski areas of our size.
The best part of the ride to the top is the free time in a warm space!
You can enjoy a mid-run snack, chat with your friends about your favorite trail, or even unzip your coat and relax for a moment. The bus ride is only 10 minutes, while a regular chairlift could take 13-15 minutes and you would be completely unprotected from the elements!
The ski resort has used school buses for transportation for more than 25 years of its operation.
The buses are variable capacity turbo-charged terrestrial trams. Each bus is equipped with ski racks — and they are the perfect way to stay warm between each run!
This awesome ski resort opened this year on November 23rd.
Its open Friday through Sunday every week once they have enough snow. Sometimes the temperatures are too far below zero and they will not open out of safety concerns, so make sure to check their Facebook page for any important weather updates. They won't run when the average top to bottom temperature is below ten degrees for safety reasons.
Have you ridden the school bus fleet at Moose Mountain Ski Resort? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
