Spring Break
Spring Break Skiing,
With the Whole Family
March is the snowiest month in much of Colorado and the busiest all season. Both facts are planning constraints.
Colorado spring break ski travel runs through March and into early April, spread across the month as different school districts break on different weeks. March is the snowiest month in much of the state and also the busiest, so vehicles should be booked by January. Arion supplies car seats at $25 each with boosters free, applies a five-passenger winter cap on Luxury SUVs, and books hourly with the rate locked.
Why March is different from February
Two things happen at once. March is climatologically the snowiest month across much of Colorado, so conditions are usually excellent. And spring break rolls through the entire month rather than landing on one week, because districts across the country break at different times.
The consequence: there is no quiet week in March. February has Presidents Day and then calms down. March simply stays busy for four weeks, which means lodging, lift tickets and vehicles all need to be committed earlier than instinct suggests. January is the sensible deadline for transportation.
Full season view: the Colorado ski season calendar.
Sizing a family group honestly
Seasonal capacity rule: from November 1 through April 30 the Luxury SUV is booked at five passengers rather than six. The sixth seat becomes luggage space, which leaves room for roughly seven or eight pieces inside. The Executive SUV is five passengers year round.
Family bookings are where seat-count math goes wrong most often, because car seats occupy seats and children generate a startling amount of equipment.
Skis, boards and boot bags go on an open roof rack on the SUV, or in a covered box; anything that does not fit comfortably inside goes up top. Boot bags ride inside — nobody wants frozen boots. Exact capacity varies by vehicle, which is why we ask for a gear count at booking rather than guessing. Vans take up to eighteen suitcases with oversized items on the roof.
Car seats, boosters and Colorado law
We supply and install rear-facing seats, forward-facing seats and boosters. Car seats are $25 per seat, boosters are free, however many you need.
The one hard rule: request them at booking. Seats have to be in the vehicle before the chauffeur leaves, and it is not something dispatch can fix while you are standing at the curb with a two-year-old. If Colorado law requires a restraint for your child, it is required in our vehicles.
Count car seats as passengers when sizing the vehicle — each one occupies a seat whether or not the child is small.
The March traffic problem
Spring break traffic behaves like winter weekend traffic but spread across the week. Saturdays and Sundays are still the worst, and eastbound I-70 on a March Sunday afternoon is as bad as anything February produces.
For a winter departure we work the pickup backwards from the flight and then add two hours, not fifteen minutes. Metro-area departures get 10 to 15 minutes of slack; the chauffeur stages 15 minutes early, 30 minutes for weddings and events.
The specific advice for families: a midweek arrival and departure is dramatically easier than a Saturday-to-Saturday booking, and the price of lodging usually agrees. If your district's break allows a Sunday-to-Thursday trip, take it.
Vehicles run state-approved winter tires and four-wheel drive, which satisfies Colorado's Traction Law without chains; two-wheel-drive vans and buses carry the traction devices the state requires. Chauffeurs are asked to carry a cold-weather kit — flares, triangles, solar blankets, water, food.
Spring conditions, which change the packing
March and April in Colorado run warm afternoons and frozen mornings. Sunscreen matters more than it feels like it should at 10,000 feet, layers get shed by noon, and the snow goes from firm to soft over the course of a day.
For the vehicle side this means more loose items — jackets, helmets, half the group in t-shirts by 2 p.m. That is fine, but it is another reason the sixth SUV seat is spoken for from November through April.
Rates are hourly and all-inclusive except gratuity, with the first 40 miles of each booking included. Executive Sedan $150/hr (3 passengers, 2-hour minimum), Executive SUV $125/hr (5), Luxury SUV $150/hr, Luxury Coach Van $250/hr (12, 3-hour minimum), Executive/Jet Van $325/hr (9) on a 4-hour minimum. Stretch limousines, party buses and coach buses are quote only. The rate is locked when you book and does not move with demand, weather or the hour of the night.
Booking and cancellation
Book by January for a March week. Vehicles — particularly vans, which is what most family groups actually need — are the constraint, and the rate does not rise with demand so there is no advantage to waiting.
Cancellation terms are the same on every booking: full refund at 48 hours or more, up to 50% inside 48 hours, nothing inside 24. Tours run on a 7-day window.
Work runs on Arion's own vehicles and on Arion-trained 1099 affiliate chauffeurs and vetted Colorado PUC-certified operators, depending on the date and the vehicle. Every one of them carries a PUC permit and commercial insurance, and every one is dispatched and answered for by Arion. Colorado PUC permit LL-04689, $1.5 million commercial auto liability, $5 million general liability.
Across the company record: 2,500+ trips, 10,556 passengers, 579,878 miles, zero accidents. More than 65% of those trips were run on Arion’s own fleet with Arion chauffeurs; the balance went to vetted Colorado PUC-certified affiliate operators trained to Arion’s written standards (how we vet them). Fifty-one percent of clients book again.
Questions we get asked
When is spring break ski season in Colorado?
Through March and into early April. Different school districts break on different weeks, which spreads demand across the entire month rather than concentrating it.
When should I book spring break ski transportation?
By January. There is no quiet week in March, and vans — what most family groups actually need — are the scarce item.
Do you provide car seats?
Yes. Rear-facing, forward-facing and boosters, supplied and installed. Car seats are $25 per seat, boosters are free, and both must be requested at booking so they are in the vehicle before the chauffeur leaves.
How many people with ski gear fit in an SUV?
Four comfortably, five as the published winter maximum. From November 1 through April 30 the Luxury SUV is booked at five passengers rather than six because the sixth seat becomes luggage space.
Can two families travel in one vehicle?
Eight people fit a Jet Van well; ten to twelve fit a Luxury Coach Van. Twelve is the per-vehicle maximum, and twelve people with twelve ski bags is a two-vehicle booking.
Do car seats count toward the passenger count?
Yes. Each one occupies a seat regardless of the size of the child.
Is March a good time to ski in Colorado?
It is the snowiest month in much of the state, so conditions are usually excellent. It is also the busiest month of the season.
How bad is I-70 traffic during spring break?
Weekends are as bad as February, with eastbound Sunday afternoons the worst. A midweek arrival and departure is dramatically easier, and lodging usually agrees.
Do you charge more during spring break?
No. The rate is locked at booking and does not move with demand or the date.
What should we pack differently for spring skiing?
Layers and sunscreen. Warm afternoons and frozen mornings are the pattern, and the sun at 10,000 feet is stronger than it feels.
Can you handle a large multi-family group across several vehicles?
Yes. Groups above twelve are staged as multiple vehicles with coordinated timing, which is routine work for us.
What is the cancellation policy?
Full refund at 48 hours or more, up to 50% inside 48 hours, nothing inside 24 hours.
Sources
- CDOT COtrip — live I-70 conditions, closures and Traction Law status
- Colorado Public Utilities Commission — Transportation permits — regulation of luxury limousine and charter carriers in Colorado
Book the March week in January.
Car seats supplied. Rate locked. Free quote.
Last reviewed: August 24, 2026 by Arion dispatch. Rates, policies and Colorado Department of Transportation rules are subject to change; call (970) 703-4995 for current details.