Palisades Tahoe's Free On-Demand Transportation Service Expands
Getting an Uber in a mountain town/ski resort can be challenging, to the say the least.
Thankfully, for skiers who visit Palisades Tahoe, California, a convenient, and most-importantly free, ride-sharing service exists - Mountaineer Transit Company, known simply as 'Mountaineer'.
The service started in December of 2018 to reduce the amount of cars on the road in Olympic Valley. Now, nearly 5 years and thousands of rides later, the service is expanding.
Check out the expanded days and hours of operation for Mountaineer for the Winter '23-'24 season. The information comes from a press release shared with Powder:
"Mountaineer, the service that offers free, on-demand winter transportation in Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows, will expand its operating schedule for the 2023-24 winter season.
Daily service in Olympic Valley and between the two valleys will be extended by 30 minutes until 11 p.m., and in Alpine Meadows, an additional day and another hour of service has been added to offer five days a week (Thursday-Monday) service until 6 p.m. These service expansions give residents and visitors more flexibility and opportunities to get around the resort without their personal vehicle."
The free service essentially eliminates the need for skiers to take their own car between their home/vacation property and resort. Did I mention it's free?
Mountaineer shuttles will run between December 8, 2023 and April 7, 2024. The service will use their 9-passenger, dog-friendly vehicles that include ski and snowboard racks.
Keep reading for more operation details:
-Daily in Olympic Valley from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with service until 2 a.m. during WinterWonderGrass (April 5-7, 2024). Early morning service will also be offered beginning at 5 a.m. for the World Cup, Feb. 22-25, 2024.
-Thursday through Monday in Alpine Meadows from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional service offered on Tuesday and Wednesdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 19-20, Dec. 26-27, 2023 and Feb. 20–21, 2024.
-Daily between Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The expanded service is great news for vacationers, day trippers, and homeowners alike. Less cars on the road is a good thing in already-congested Olympic Valley.
I've used Mountaineer's free shuttle service a handful of times over the years. I'm happy to report that the wait times were usually short, the drivers will extremely friendly, and the service is actually FREE.
Mountaineer is so free, in fact, that I didn't mind splurging on a couple of extra beers at The Slot Bar one particularly snowy December night.
I wasn't driving, I wasn't paying to get home, and beers taste better when vintage ski movies are playing. Can you blame me?
Mountaineer is supported by a 1.5% assessment on all Palisades Tahoe lift ticket sales, vacation rentals, and lodging in the valley. Basically, a portion of the tourism dollars you were already planning on spending is paying for a free ride service.
It doesn't get much better than that, folks.
Bravo to Mountaineer, Palisades Tahoe, and the other entities involved in this fantastic service. Here's hoping Mountaineer's success will encourage other resorts to follow suit.
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