Winter in ski towns often means lots and lots of traffic, but few areas see road closures, traffic jams, and car accidents quite like the I-70 corridor of Colorado. Now that there’s plenty of snow on the ground, I-70 will likely see hour long closures and 30+ mile long traffic jams every weekend until the ski season ends. While this is certainly a frustration for skiers and snowboarders hoping to make it to and from the mountains, it’s a serious problem for the residents of these mountain towns.

In response to these horrific jams and closures, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is hoping drivers will do their part to keep things moving on the road. But what does doing their part really look like? You can’t just ask people to stay home from skiing, that’s for sure. Instead, doing their part comes in three steps, 1) staying safe and aware on the roads, 2) carpooling, and 3) utilizing public transportation.

Pay Attention On I-70

It is no secret that accidents are nearly always caused by dangerous behavior. Colorado has traction laws for a reason, and people who violate those traction laws can often be spotted shutting down I-70 because their car couldn’t handle the conditions. Additionally, people who fail to pay attention, continue to drive at high speeds when the roads clearly can’t handle that, and choose to drive way to close to the people in front of them enjoying the weekend a lot harder for everyone else. To put it plainly, if you cause an accident on I-70, you’re ruining hundreds of people’s weekend. Slow down, leave some space, and put your damn phone down.

The easiest way to reduce the number of accidents, of course, is to take cars off the road. Carpooling is easy, and with many resorts charging people who don’t carpool for parking, it’ll hopefully become more common. Public transportation, in Colorado, is a bit more difficult. Sure, the mountain towns tend to have great shuttle systems, and once you’re there it’s nice to get around that way. But utilizing public transportation to get to the mountains can be a bit more difficult.

The Snowstang

The state of Colorado has two fixes for this. The Snowstang bus system and the Winter Park Express. The Snowstang will take visitors to Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Loveland Ski Area, and Steamboat Springs, departing from three pickup locations in Denver.

Here’s what I see as the problem. The Snowstang still has to deal with traffic, and it costs $25 round trip. You can probably make it to and from the mountains for less than $25 worth of gas, and you only have to share the vehicle with friends or family. I think you’d have a hard time convincing people to pay $25 to sit on a stinky bus for five hours when they could pay $25 to sit in their own car, listening to their own music, talking to their own people for five hours.

The Winter Park Express

The Winter Park Express, being a train, doesn’t have to deal with traffic. It leaves Denver at 7am, takes about two hours to get to the mountain, departs Winter Park at 4:30pm, and takes about two hours to get back. Guests can enjoy views of the Rocky Mountains while enjoying snacks and drinks off the café cart. Plus, it’s a train. Who doesn’t love trains?

Here’s the problem. Depending on the weekend you choose to go, the Winter Park Express can easily cost around $140 per person round trip. I can fly from Denver to Aspen for just $50 more. If you’re planning on staying in Winter Park for a few days, it’s a great alternative to dealing with parking or renting a car (especially if you’re flying into Colorado). If you’re just hoping to go up there for a day, you still need to get to Union Station to take the train, and let’s not act like Denver’s local public transportation makes that easy.

I truly do love the Winter Park Express. I love taking trains, and I love the idea of a train system to transport skiers and snowboarders to the mountains. But the cost and lack of accessibility is a problem, and the fact that it only goes to Winter Park means those hoping to visit and Epic mountain, who make up a significant portion of people skiing in Colorado, can’t take advantage of it.

Drive Safe On I-70, Stupid

I don’t think it’s realistic for CDOT to expect skiers and snowboarders to rely on the Snowstang and other forms of transportation when they’re so difficult to access. I do think it’s realistic to expect drivers to behave in a safe manner on the road. If you cause an accident on I-70, you’re ruining hundreds of people’s weekend. Don’t be that idiot. Slow down, leave space, put your phone down, and leave your 2WD crud-mobile with summer tires in Denver.

Maybe I sound like a grumpy old man. I don’t care. Riding someone’s tail because you want to go a little bit faster in crummy conditions is slimy. Sitting on your phone because you lack the attention span to just look out your window and listen to some music for a few hours is dumb. Hauling down a snow-covered highway because yOu’RE iN a bIG TRucK ThAt WaNts tO Go FAsT is incredibly immature. Surprise! If you’re in I-70 traffic, you’re not getting first tracks. Calm down.

Related: Local Skiers Unhappy With Utah DOT For Traffic Control Measure

Image Credit: Colorado Department of Transportation via Facebook

Featured Image Credit: CBS Colorado via YouTube

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