The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Ski resorts enjoy a busy season
Sport proves compatible with pandemic restrictions
The old saying in the ski industry is that if people see snow in their backyard, they are more likely to head for the slopes.
With this year’s snowfall, coupled with people’s need to get outdoors amid pandemic restrictions, it’s been a busy time for ski area operators.
“The season at Ski
Sundown has gone very well,” said Ulla Jacobs, marketing director of the New Hartford facility. “There has been a huge amount of interest in outdoor recreation because of the pandemic, and we have seen many first-time skiers and snowboarders eager to try this experience.
“We are still
currently at 50 percent business capacity, so the surge of interest from new and lapsed skiers, coupled with our existing customers, has caused us to be sold out quickly on weekends and holidays,” Jacobs said
Carol Lugar, president of Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Cornwall, said her staff has had to turn away “hundreds” of customers on the weekends as demand has been so great for available ski passes.
“I could probably sell double the amount of tickets we have to sell,” she said.
“It’s been crazy times for us,” Lugar said. “Never in my business career did I ever think that I would have to be tell people they couldn’t come and ski when we were open. We are seeing new skiers, youngsters and families, all looking to get outside and enjoy an activity safely after being inside and distanced from others for so long.”
Ski Sundown has 16 trails open, while Mohawk Mountain had 25 as of Monday, with a snow base of almost three feet at the two areas. Both also offer night skiing.
In many ways, skiing, similar to golf in 2020, has offered people a break from the pandemic, which resulted in strict guidelines on indoor and even some outdoor activities and shut down a number of other sports. Local ski areas were ordered closed in the middle of March last year, and then were allowed to reopen with safety modifications in November, when weather conditions warranted.
Connecticut ski areas took information from the industry’s organizations including the Connecticut Ski Areas Association’s COVID response team, and the National Ski Areas Association’s “Ski Well, Be Well — Ski
Area Operations Best Practices” to form comprehensive policies and procedures, on which Gov. Ned Lamont and other state officials signed off.
Mohawk Mountain opened in November, then shut down because of weather conditions, and opened for the season on Dec 11. Skiing and snowboarding are mostly self-distancing, chairlift chairs are well spaced, longer equipment keeps people apart while preparing to load lifts, and usually there is plenty of open space around each skier on the slopes, said Lugar.
Right now, all tickets, lessons and rentals at Mohawk Mountain are purchased online although
“we may consider walk-in sales if restrictions ease and as the season winds down,” said Lugar. In the lodge, bathrooms were reconfigured to allow for one-way entrances and exits. There are restrictions on building use and occupancy, and extra staff members are monitoring use as well as cleaning. Operating hours were adjusted to reflect the time staff members needed for extra cleaning.
Ski Sundown also implemented an advance online ticket sale system this season, which has allowed the facility to cap how many lift tickets it sells on a given day.
“This has made it possible to regulate our capacity and keep it at the
state requirement of 50 percent,” said Jacobs.
The online system also can be used to purchase lessons and rental equipment.
“We have also restricted our building capacities to 50 percent, using lodge monitors to regulate the number of guests inside at one time,” said Jacobs. “To maintain physical distancing on our chairlifts and surface lifts, we are seating related parties together, or two singles on opposite sides of a three-person lift. We also accommodate any guest who prefers to use a lift alone. And finally, our most important rule is our ‘No Mask-No Ski’ policy.”
Jacobs reported “excellent” cooperation from guests regarding COVID-19 policies and procedures.
“They have been great about using their cars as their ‘personal chalets’ to boot up, change or eat lunch, and have kept visits inside our lodge to a minimum. They have also been very good about masking up with a very few exceptions. On cold days, our customers naturally tend to wear a face covering anyways, but when the temperatures get warmer, guests tend to forget, so our staff is asked to remind them.”
“Conditions are amazing” at Ski Sundown, said Jacobs. The area opened Dec. 19.
“Between our early snowmaking efforts and the natural snowfall that we have enjoyed this season, we now have a 30to 40-inch base on all of our trails. It really is the best of times to hit the slopes,” she said.
Like Lugar, Jacobs said she has seen more new skiers, youngsters and families on the slopes.
“The pandemic has pushed everyone to look for new and safe forms of recreation,” she said. “Our advantage is that we are an outdoor sport that tends towards individual enjoyment. We pick our own line down the mountain, and naturally enjoy skiing or riding at a distance from others. Also, cold winter temperatures encourage participants to cover their faces and hands for protection, so this sport really is very adaptable to the pandemic climate we are in.”
Guests are using the restaurant and indoor facilities at Ski Sundown to a limited degree.
“Because we are at 50 percent capacity indoors, we are encouraging customers to limit their time inside in order to share the space with others,” said Jacobs. “To that end, we have expanded our outdoor barbecue menu so that guests are offered a large variety of food options outside as well as inside. Our food courts and bar remain open and available for guests who prefer to eat indoors. Restrooms are open and we also have porta-potties outside.”
Officials at both Ski Sundown and Mohawk Mountain hope to remain open through March, but winter temperatures ultimately will make that decision.
“Actually, March is my favorite time to ski,” said Lugar. “The days are longer, the temperatures comfortable, and the snow is great. I figured out that last year we could have gone into early April if we had not had to shut down. If the weather cooperates, we will be open.”