HELLO, SNOW!

IT’S (ALMOST) BACK TO NORMAL AT SKI RESORTS THIS WINTER. BUT BEFORE YOU HEAD TO THE SLOPES, BUY LIFT TICKETS ONLINE AND CHECK MASK RULES.

Pandemic. Drought. Wildfire. Smoke. Bad news all around. And then: SNOW! And lots of it. Last month’s 3-foot-plus accumulation rattled and invigorated Tahoe resorts, which weren’t prepared to staff up and open weeks early. Among the first to click into his boards: Austin Metz, 28, of Olympic Valley, who hiked up and skied down right after the storm, days before the lifts even started running at Palisades Tahoe (the resort formerly known as Squaw/Alpine). His one-word summary: “Deep!”

Both Palisades and Boreal Mountain Resort promptly opened, Palisades with seven lifts turning, Boreal with two. Both attracted costumed skiers and riders with earto-ear grins and sometimes outrageous garb. It was the first year for Halloween skiing at Tahoe since 2004, and for Palisades, only the third time for an October opening in its 72-year-history.

Whether cold temperatures will persist and the white stuff will hold is anyone’s guess, but the outlook has snowsports lovers jazzed. Full opening at most resorts is scheduled between now and early December.

And there’s more reason to celebrate: The third winter of the COVID-19 pandemic brings a rolling back of restrictions on masking, food service, lift loading and other operations. You’ll still have to purchase tickets in advance to ski or ride at most resorts, and masks will be required indoors almost everywhere. And at Vail resorts, you’ll need advance reservations and proof of vaccination to purchase food to eat indoors.

But things are looking a lot more like pre-pandemic normal than in the last two years. “For the most part, the mask police will be gone,” says Mike Reitzell, president of the Ski California Industry Association, referencing last year’s strict social distancing rules that had resorts creating “ghost lanes” to spread people apart, loading lifts at partial capacity and engaging mountain hosts to implore skiers and riders to get “masks up — over the nose!”

“That was challenging both for the guests and the people enforcing it,” Reitzell says.

“This year,” he adds, “we’ve again worked really hard as an industry to offer a consistent message about what to do when you go to a resort. What’s important is that people need to check with the resorts on their social media and websites. There may be some places where indoor dining is extremely limited or very basic grab-and-go. Bars may or may not be open. Everything is fluid; much can change as the season goes on.”

There’s sad news mixed with the optimism. Sierra-atTahoe, the Highway 50 resort closest to Sacramento and the Bay Area, suffered substantial infrastructure damage during the Caldor Fire, which burned in the area for almost three months. Assessment and mitigation efforts are ongoing, with season pass holders offered a “recess” until next season. Stay tuned to sierraatahoe.com and social media channels for updates.