Why Is A Ski Kaos Bus Trip Better Than Driving?

• First note that Ski Kaos has plenty of self-drive options,
  including tailor-made quotes for your self-drive holiday.
  If you definitely want to drive, get an accommodation quote from us first here

Disadvantages With Driving

• You may think you will save money & have less hassles by driving, but this is rarely true:
• National Park Entrance Fees (NPWS) This unfair NSW Government tax is included with our packages on the bus. For a car it costs $29 per car per day: so $174 (6 days), $87 (3 days), $58 (2 days), or $190 per car for an annual pass. You must pay for every day your car is inside the National Park (ie: the ski resorts), not just on entry. There is a 99% chance you will get fined $300 if you don't have a valid permit on your car.
• Petrol Usually people only think of the cost of petrol (which is now very expensive), but there is much more than this.
• Wear & tear on your car In the long run this is equal to the cost of petrol. Adding lots of kilometres to your car also reduces the sale value of your car. (Sydney to Thredbo/Perisher is 1,000km return, add 70km/day for resort transfers if staying in Jindabyne).
• Snowchains If driving to Perisher you must carry them (4WD excepted). They cost money to rent.
• Speeding fines Police are rampant en-route to the snow!
• Break-downs If your car breaks down, you not only have to pay for repairs, but your whole trip could be ruined.
• Accidents Bus travel is safer. Even if the bus ever fender-benders a car - you won't be the one paying for it. No bus has ever had any kind of accident on a Ski Kaos trip. Note that driving in the snowies requires care and experience - black ice and other road hazards are not to be ignored.
• Anti-freeze If you do not already have antifreeze in your radiator you will need to pay for this before you go.
• Skitube (Perisher only) If you get the Skitube from Bullocks Flats you do not have to pay the NPWS fees, but the Skitube is very expensive. The extra cost of Skitube is more than the park fees and snowchain rentals etc. You also take a lot longer to get to the slopes after waiting up to 30 minutes for a train that then takes from 20 to 30 minutes (each way). Imagine havving to get the train back to your car just because you want to change clothes or if you left something behind!
• Roof Racks & Luggage Space Some cars may not have boot space for all your gear. You might need to rent or buy roof-racks. If you are renting locally and staying in Jindabyne you still need to get them up the slopes each day.
• The Driving Itself For some, driving a short distance in the city is fine or even relaxing. But it gets pretty boring and very uncomfortable after only a couple of hours and from Sydney to the snow is very boring and not at all scenic.
• Getting Lost or Going the Wrong Way Don't laugh this one off! About 20% of people take a major wrong turn on their first trip to the slopes. This usually adds 2 to 4 hours to their travel time, making for a rather late arrival.
• Running Out of Petrol There are sections en-route where you must fill up or you won't find another (open) servo in time - be careful, especailly late at night.
• Travel Times Most people get their times wrong the first time they drive and end up arriving maybe 2 hours later than planned. You need to factor in rests, meals, driver changes and small towns with 60km/h limits. Don't expect to sit on 100 or 110 for the whole freeway.
• Fatigue & Drinking See the special section on this at the bottom of this page.

Advantages With Bus Travel

• All the above disadvantages with driving are washed away with bus travel:
• Organisation Everything is organised for you - you just sit back & relax until we arrive, and relax as we take you home.
• You Get Up In the Morning (if staying in Jindy) Yes, this is an advantage! The bus does leave at certain times of the day meaning you have to rise & shine early even after a night out. With a car you will sleep in, but at the end of the week you will have missed a lot of skiing time. You will wish you had taken the bus and used your lift pass. The best snow is in the morning - get the bus and ski it! When you have to get up to make it to the bus, you will feel very tired at first, but by the time you are on a chairlift you'll be glad you're up early to hit the slopes - you get a full day of skiing instead of being lazy. Most drivers regret getting up late and missing the best snow of the day.
• Good Atmosphere Most people like the holiday atmosphere of a happy bunch of people on the bus. You can meet new people and play jokes on the tour guide.
• Videos On coaches (not minibuses) we play videos on the bus. Buses also have good sound systems and play music as desired by the passengers.
• Sleep It's smoother and easier on a bus to sleep than in a car and you don't have to prepare yourself to drive. Staying an extra night just to make the drive home easier is a rather expensive solution.
• Drinking Whilst it is illegal to drink on buses, you can drink beforehand at the pub or in your room. You don't need to sacrifice your fun just so you can drive.
• Ski a full day You don't need to worry about skiing too hard and then trying staying awake for the drive home, or staying awake to keep your driver(s) awake.
• But the Ski Kaos bus gets back to Sydney after midnight, and I have to work the next day: Almsot everyone falls asleep on the bus ride home for at least a couple of hours so once you get home you will have already had a chunk of your sleep for the night. This is not so likely to be the case even if you are a passenger in a car coming home.

Special Section On Fatigue & Drinking

• We will assume you aren't stupid enough to let yourself get too tired before driving, or drink then drive. A long trip there & back needs planning:
• Getting There Our 3, 4, and 6 day trips involve an overnight bus ride to get to the mountains. You don't really want to drive all night (risk falling asleep) and then try and ski after a tiring drive, do you? Even if you share the driving you will all be tired when you arrive. On a 4 or 6 day trip you could leave later and miss the Sunday afternoon ½-day on the slopes, but that would mean sacrificing part of your holiday with no saving. At least on the bus you will get some sleep and no one has to worry about driving.
• Getting Home On your last day you need to stop skiing early to save your energy for the drive home. It's very easy to fall asleep at the wheel after a day on the slopes. Someone needs to barely ski on the last day to drive home. Even if you share the driving home, you will still all be tired and have to stop a lot for rest breaks going home. Staying an extra night just to make the drive home easier is a rather expensive solution; few accommodations will even accept a booking for an extra night.
• RBT It's rampant at the snow - much more present than you see in the city.
• Legal Drinks A drink or 2 might be "legal", but it will put you to sleep a lot faster than otherwise. RBT is not even the real risk factor. In the mountains, having an accident is what you should be worried about. If you're driving long distances, you're crazy to drink at all. Bear in mind how this impedes what should be a care-free holiday. A couple of drinks before driving back to Sydney might be "legal", but it's crazy as it will put you to sleep.