STAYING SAFE ON AND OFF THE SLOPES
Ski areas focusing on distancing in lodges and cafeterias
The first significant snowfall likely is at least a month or two away in Connecticut, but ski areas across New England already have made preparations concerning how to strike the delicate balance between the perfect day on the slopes and keeping with social distancing mandates.
Representatives of Connecticut’s four ski areas have been working closely with each other and state officials since July to make sure they achieve that balance.
“Things should be pretty similar at all of our ski areas,” said Cassie Schoenknecht, director of operations at Mowhawk Mountain in Cornwall. All of the areas will be operating at 50 percent capacity, she said.
The other three main ski areas in the state are Powder Ridge in Middlefield, Ski Sundown in New Hartford and Mount Southington in Hartford County.
Schoenknecht and Jay Dougherty, Mount Southington’s general manager, said keeping people at least six feet apart as they come skiing or snowboarding along trails isn’t the challenge. It’s what happens when customers arrive at the ski areas and what they do between the runs and at the
end of the day that’s difficult.
“On the hill, you are already spread out,” Schoenknecht said. “People need to plan ahead so that they can use their car as their base.”
“We’re hoping people will put on their boots and their gear in the parking lot so that when approach the lift line all they will have to do is put their skis on,” Dougherty said.
He said Mount Southington’s staff has developed plans to keep those waiting in lift lines to go up the mountain from getting too close to one another.
“The setup of the chairlift
lines, we are adding six-foot spacing between people,” Dougherty said. “And we are requiring people to wear masks any place where they are not able to maintain that distance. More than anything else, it’s an operational challenge.”
Part of that challenge is keeping track of the number of people during the day. Dougherty said once that number reaches 50 percent of an individual ski area’s normal capacity, customers won’t be able to buy passes for the day.
“Many of the bigger areas are already set up for online sales,” he said. “Our primary business has been the walkup, the day tripper.”
Schoenknecht said skiers should check Mount Mohawk’s website before coming to the ski area.
“We don’t want to take away that last-minute opportunity,” she said. “If we have capacity, we won’t turn people away.”
Some of the companies that operate larger ski resorts are requiring potential patrons to make reservations in advance of their arrival every day this winter so the facilities can manage how many people are on site.
Vail Resorts, which operates 34 ski resorts in North America, is offering incentives to encourage skiers to comply with that rule. Vail operates Hunter Mountain in New York as well as Mount Snow, Okemo and Stowe in Vermont. The ski resort operator is urging its guests to purchase what it calls an Epic Pass.
Those who purchase the pass will receive priority access in terms of when they can sign up for reservations to ski, according to officials of the Colorado-based company.
Starting Nov. 6 and running through Dec. 7, Epic Pass holders will be able to sign up for reservations to ski. Pass
holders will get up to 7 seasonlong priority days, as well as 7 more days when they can reserve their time at the mountain during the same week they plan to ski.
Being an Epic Pass holder also provides the assurance of refunds in the event of certain personal issues including illness, job loss and injury. It also expands coverage to protect priority reservation days on the mountain this season and covers certain resort closures, such as any due to COVID-19.
If an Epic Pass issued for this ski season is refunded, any credits used toward that purchase can be transferred to next season.
The cost of an Epic Pass at any of the 13 ski areas that Vail Resorts operates in the Northeast ranges from $449 for a midweek pass to $979.
Dougherty said if skiers sign up for a Mount Southington season pass, they will be given priority to ski on any day without having to make a reservation in advance. Group pass sales that focus on weekend programs for children and include time with a ski instructor “are seeing some growth,” he said.
“Our Wild Things and Little Tykes programs allow kids to come to the mountain and spend time with the same cohort every week,” he said.
In addition, Powder Ridge, Mowhawk Mountain and Mount Southington all have made changes to their cafeteria, snack bar and lounge operations.
“We have done some construction to the to lodge to create more space and to improve entry and egress from restrooms,” Schoenknecht said. “We also have implemented a food order system where you can order from your (cell) phone and have it brought to you without going into the lodge.”
Laura Loffredo, director of sales and marketing at Powder Ridge,
said ski area officials will open the upstairs portion of their restaurant during the day to provide more space for guests when they are not skiing. Powder Ridge also has a lodge with a cafeteria where indoor seating capacity has been expanded.
“Skiing and snowboarding are inherently sports that people do alone,” Loffredo said. “It’s perfect for people to come out an feel fairly safe.”
In a letter sent out to Powder
Ridge season pass holders, Sean Hayes, president and chief executive officer of the ski area, said officials at the ski area have added heated outdoor seating and relocated the resorts retail store in order to create more social distancing space in the base lodge, and expanded its equipment rental space to improve crowd flow. The owners of Powder Ridge also operate the Brownstone Park water sports facility in nearby Portland.
“We are extremely fortunate to love a sport with wide-open spaces, not to mention goggles and face coverings,” Hayes wrote in his letter. “We learned a lot this summer as we successfully opened Powder Ridge and Brownstone Park. We have lots of room for you and your family to come out, spread out and safely enjoy winter sports.”
Officials with Ski Sundown did not respond to requests for comment regarding that facility’s plans for protecting guests from COVID-19