It's just a matter of traction, i don't really think the road itself is intimidating or anything. Just a climb up maybe 3 miles from Rt 2 to the base area. Consistently uphill (downhill going the other way!), some places a bit steeper than others. If it's the summer, it's not at all intimidating: no cliffs/dropoffs like you'd see in Colorado or something. Just a climb through the woods. No quick ups and downs like you mention.. just a coupla tightish corners. If you have snow tires and drive at a reasonable speed, you'll be fine.

Long consecutive steep… and twisty!

Getting some snow tires. I forgot to ask, are we talking like consecutive steep up and downs like 1-2 car lengths up and then 1-2 cars down like a little hill, or we talking like a long-ish continuous 30 yard down 30 yard up? I'm fine with either I just want to know how freaked out my girlfriend is going to be in the passenger seat and how much calming down or not bringing her I need to do lol.

Getting some snow tires. I forgot to ask, are we talking like consecutive steep up and downs like 1-2 car lengths up and then 1-2 cars down like a little hill, or we talking like a long-ish continuous 30 yard down 30 yard up? I'm fine with either I just want to know how freaked out my girlfriend is going to be in the passenger seat and how much calming down or not bringing her I need to do lol.

Will do, buying some snow tires. I forgot to ask people, we talking like consecutive steep up and downs like 1-2 car lengths up and then 1-2 cars down like a little hill, or we talking like a long-ish continuous 30 yard down 30 yard up? I'm fine with either I just want to know how freaked out my girlfriend is going to be in the passenger seat and how much calming down or not bringing her I need to do lol.

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Yeah, it sucks to buy tires for one trip, but if you might be able to sell them afterwards perhaps?

Again, I described getting snow tires as insurance against sliding off the road and possibly doing great damage to your vehicle, yourself and possibly others. Just add this in as another cost of your trip.

Hope you have a great trip.

Echoing everyone else. Bolton Access Road is a beast. Highest base elevation ski resort in Vermont. Do not try to tackle it without a solid set of snows.

Could you kindly share whether or not you believe OP needs to acquire snow tires, your answer is unclear. 😆

It's mainly to settle my partner's nerves haha, waiting it out won't work. But getting snow tire does. And also people have said it really helps, so I'm getting some :) Thanks!

Awd matrix’s (matrices?) are really good in the snow, but fwd with snow tires should be totally fine for cruising around! If you dont feel safe just take a break or wait it out

This is the answer. A Landlord is not allowed to change lease terms, raise rent, or evict within 90 days of a tenant complaining of a material (ie serious) health and safety issue, especially if a THO was involved - this is called a retaliatory eviction and is illegal. Call Vermont Legal Aid and get some advice at minimum.

I remember in my youth our car with snow tires was skidding up to Bolton, all the kids hopped out and hitched a ride the rest of the way

You're right, I've been corrected by a couple people it's front wheel drive. I didn't need to know either way down here, but in harsher conditions I do. It's my girlfriend's car. I have a motorcycle (but I drive regularly, just don't need a second car since I already have transport).

Ha funny you were also living here. I moved from NYC (where we mostly don't drive) to down here for a job (ironically paid better than the one I had in NYC, more senior too).

I talked to a friend who used to live there (now she's in parts of Canada in similar weather), and people here have encouraged it as well, so I'll be getting some Nokian snow tires. I just wanted to make sure I really needed it, and the benefit outweigh the cost, which it does. For some reason I had thought each tire would cost me $500. For years I keep hearing people tell me "I just changed tires and it cost me $500!" with no specification if it was per tire or 4 tires. But $500 for a set of 4 tires for much added peace of mind and actual real safety. I can deal with that.

Snow tires will be a huge difference. If the conditions are poor and roads slippery, Drive and take turns like you have a bowl of soup you’re trying not to spill on your passengers lap. (Weird analogy but I heard it years ago and it stuck)

Best of luck, go slow, and if you feel overwhelmed, pull over.

Thank you for putting yourself out there so others can find you!

Thanks, I am mostly laughing at myself.

I was able to get up the hill in the morning, the road was pretty clear, but going down at night was terrifying. It got warm in the afternoon, enough to melt some snow, then the melt got frozen later on when I drove down, so it was like ice skating downhill.

So, I joined the chorus of people advising the OP to get appropriate tires, especially if he's going to Bolton!

Ha! No worries man. I don’t think I was one of those angry locals stuck behind you that day!

Mom and pop shops can't build jet planes or run fiber optic across the ocean, big companies can. But do corporations need to take over everything? Look at airbnb, every day people got to make money off their extra space then big companies started buying houses and renting them on the same platform and pushing everyone else out of the way.

Put some homemade bucket traps with antifreeze underneath the trailer. Use peanut butter for bait. Hella easier than effing with snap or sticky traps.

>Don't be that guy with out of states plates who's holding up traffic because you can't get up the hill.

LOL, that was me maybe 6 years ago, see my other comment that I wrote before reading yours.

I am very very sorry.

If I’m not mistaken: “AH-hee AH-hee HA-HEEEEEEeeee.”

Just want to say, one of the scariest moments in my life was driving down the Bolton access road on an icy day in the dark with my minivan that had regular tires on it. I was probably taking it 5 mph at points, and I'm sure the line of Vermonters behind me were cursing this Flatlander. This is the windy road that leads from the main road up to the Bolton ski resort. This was when I was living in Virginia (ironically) and visiting my relatives in Vermont and took a day to go snowboarding at Bolton.

Now that I live in Vermont, like many others I have two sets of tires, one for the several months of summer and one for the half-year long winters. The winter tires also have studs. And I have an AWD vehicle now.

So, I would encourage you to get studded snow tires. Think of it as an insurance policy. It will cost you $500 but that's cheaper than your insurance deductible. And good luck getting your car repaired in Vermont. You know the old joke about being able to pick 2 things out of "good, cheap and fast"? If you want auto body work in Vermont in winter, you'll can probably get "good" but don't expect cheap or fast.

BTW, I suspect your Matrix is front-wheel drive, not rear wheel drive, but I could be wrong.

The first one I saw up close was caught in a have a heart trap while we were trying to relocate some skunks... moving the cage with a very upset Fischer was about 1000 times more frightening than the stink bomb alternative we were aiming for.

That is some funny shit! Thank you.