Winter is upon us and as temperatures begin to drop and snow to fall, for some in the Bay Area, it’s time to get away and hit the slopes up at Tahoe.

For SF State students, the trip can kick off right outside the Administration Building with bus service, via Kirkwood Mountain Resort, available the first Saturday of February, March and April.

Just in time for what Kirkland’s Marketing Communications Manager Daniel Pistoresi calls “the best time of the season.”

“Kirkwood works with three bus companies out of San Francisco,” Pistoresi said. “You can relax and leave the driving to someone else.

“There are lots of events going on then, but the quietest time of the week is Tuesday through Thursday when there aren’t any crowds on the slopes,” he said. More information on bus schedules can be found on Kirkwood’s Web site under “Groups.”

While the typical season kicks off in mid to late November, some resorts have a different season due to elevation and rainfall.

“Spring offers a better snow pack,” said Savannah Cowley, public relations representative for Squaw Valley Ski Resort. “We still get two feet of snow in April with storms in May, so you can bring your bathing suit too for our pool and hot tub at the top of the mountain.”

Brandon Trent, manager at Lombardi Sports’ Ski and Snow Department in San Francisco has a different point of view.

“About January 1st is a good time to go,” he said. “I won’t hit any rocks and kill my board. If it doesn’t look good by the 1st, it’s going to be a grim season.”

Trent offered a few words of advice when shopping for gear before making the trip in order to make it a successful one.

“You want to shop from the head down,” he said. “People want the latest boards and bindings but not outfitting. If you wear a helmet, buy that first, or a warm hat, then goggles and first layers, then socks, stuff that doesn’t need a lot of emphasis.”

Trent continued to say that when people shop from the bottom up, they skip the basics and don’t have money for them once the board and accessories have been purchased.

Money or lack thereof, is a big issue among students, so proper planning for transportation and lodging should be considered in advance as well.

“It’s crazy trying to find a hotel, and with oil prices around $100 a barrel, gas costs are often overlooked,” said Sean Kristl of the outdoors department at Lombardi Sports, and a business marketing student at SF State. “People stay with friends, but the more people you have, the cheaper it is to rent a cabin through places like the Outdoor Adventure Club at Lombardi.”

Another aspect to consider, if you don’t own equipment, is to rent early if you want to avoid waiting in line for rentals at the resort. That information can be found at each resort’s Web site as well, among other perks.

“You can go online to find discounts,” Cowley said. “Squaw has student discounts too, just remember to bring a valid student I.D.”