The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
CHANGES ON THE SLOPES
Alpine Valley ski resort adjusts amid pandemic, and is still a great place for novices, marketing manager says
On crisp winter days after a snowfall in Northeast Ohio, the slopes at Alpine Valley ski resort in Munson Township are busy with people toting snowboards uphill for their next run, skiing down one of the many trails, or taking a tumble into the powdery snow.
Marketing Manager Thomas Conti says Alpine Valley, located just outside of Chester Township, is a particularly good place for beginners to be introduced to skiing or snowboarding because of the starter
hills, which are designed to keep patrons sliding at a safe and manageable pace.
Conti said that while Alpine Valley has something for all skill levels, they have the easiest beginner hills of any resort in the area, and many novices come just for that reason.
One coronavirus guideline the resort was prepared for was the implementation of masks — which most guests were already wearing to shield themselves from the wind on the slopes.
“There’s not that fear factor, like a lot of resorts, even at the beginner’s hill you’re like, ‘oh gosh, this is a little bit sketchy,’” he said. “Here it’s a very comfortable first time experience. That’s really kind of what we pride ourselves on.
“We really do introduce a lot of people to the sport and they fall in love with it, and then they might head out to the larger resorts from here, but it’s a great beginning resort that has very progressive terrain.”
Conti added that because Alpine Valley is many locals’ first experience with the slopes, they often do not have their own equipment — but skis, snowboards, boots and helmets are all available to rent on a first-come-first-served basis.
He said it’s a good way for newcomers to find out if they want to invest in their own equipment.
“A lot of people will rent equipment and end up saying ‘wow, this is my favorite sport’ — and they go and buy their own and they end up bringing their own in the future,” Conti said.
He explained that this winter is a different one for Alpine Valley, as they had to implement several changes to the resort to ensure it would still be a safe place for winter sport enthusiasts despite the coronavirus pandemic.
“As we approached this winter season, we basically had to re-imagine the resort experience — everything from the first touch point of the guests, which is buying a lift ticket, to actually being on the slopes,” he said.
“The first thing we did to kind of facilitate with COVID this year is we’re doing online lift ticket sales, which we have never done in the past.”
The lift tickets, which are valid for the day, allow resort staff to prepare for and limit the guest capacity on any given day to ensure
there are not too many people at one time.
Conti said they do usually hit capacity on the weekends, so he recommends buying lift tickets as early in advance as possible to save a spot.
In addition to changing the way lift tickets are purchased, they also reconfigured lines for the lifts to improve social distancing, and now only allow parties that came together to ride in a lift with each other.
“When you’re on the lift itself, we have kind of like a slogan — if you arrive together, you can ride together,” Conti said.
One coronavirus guideline the resort was prepared for was the implementation of masks — which most guests were already wearing to shield themselves from the wind on the slopes.
“One of the greatest things about face masks is it’s already naturally part of the experience,” Conti said. “So, you know, it keeps your face warm in the winter time and it also helps protect from COVID, too.”