Dreaming About Skiing

I had my first ski dream last week, which is always my first sign of an approaching season. This time it was simply ripping those first turns down Kangaroo Run on manmade snow. It could have been triggered by the days already getting noticeably shorter. It also could have been triggered by the numerous articles about what skiing may look like for the 2020-2021 season. I’ve been voraciously reading those articles, and emails from other resorts and their plans for operating safely during a pandemic.

One thing is for sure. Nobody knows exactly what will happen. Things continue to change each week, and what we thought was possible last week might be impossible by tomorrow. Each announcement that has been made by US ski areas for next season always includes statements such as “More details will be released as we get closer to the season.” Remember when many of us thought ski areas might re-open last season? Guilty!

Alterra has made no specific announcements about operations at Alpine Meadows yet, but my sense is that they will need to send out something soon, as other Tahoe resorts are starting to reveal some of the cards in their hand. Below, I’ll offer some conjecture based on what’s been happening in the southern hemisphere, and what some north American resorts have already mentioned.

The season may be on again, off again

Southern hemisphere ski areas have not necessarily operated on a consistent schedule for their season. Many opened late. Some opened, only to close later, and are planning on reopening, if they figure out how to operate safely. Some resorts completely threw in the towel and ended operations for the season entirely.

Some ski areas in the northern hemisphere have responded by guaranteeing a certain number of ski days for the season. For many Ikon pass holders, it will be a difficult choice to decide whether they should take the gamble and hope for the best this season or under the terms of the Adventure Assurance program, push their pass into the 21-22 season. I’m a gambler because I love skiing too much.

On The Hill Operations

Again this is all conjecture, but most of these ideas are what many ski resorts are talking about:

• Face coverings are going to be required, obviously indoors, but likely outdoors as well. Reports this week are saying that neck gaiters and bandannas are not effective as face coverings, so it may be time to start looking at options that work for you…and your ski partners.
• Lifts will not be fully loaded. You will likely be advised to ride only with members of your household. Expect to see a lot of doubles loading on quad chairs. Some mountains suggest they could load two singles on the opposite ends of a quad or two couples on the opposite ends of a sixer. (You’re going to be very unpopular if you insist on riding single on Summit.) This will likely lead to some longer lines.
• Merging lift lines may not be a thing this year, as combining groups is something that will be discouraged. We could see the older form of separate lines all moving forward, and the front row being called out, as Alpine Meadows operated until Kate left.
• Lift corrals will need more space at the bottom of the hill in order to provide more space between people.
• Group lesson sizes may decrease. Resorts may need to focus more on family and very small group instruction.
• Rentals will likely require a reservation, with much of the paperwork being done online ahead of time. You will likely be asked to pick your equipment sizes and enter things that would affect adjustments ahead of time. This would allow most customers to simply walk up and pick up gear and go to the snow.
• It’s possible that the availability of day tickets could be limited as resorts are obligated to serve those who purchased passes.
• We could see some sort of reservation system to deal with overcrowding. Few resorts have attempted this as it brings up huge questions of fairness. Oh man, that would really suck.
• Operations could be limited due to limited staffing. Restrictions on international travel and work visas are going to impact the ski areas and surrounding communities in a big way this year. We may not see 100% lift operations, especially mid-week.
• Then again, if this summer is any indication, the difference between mid-week and weekends has been blurred quite a bit. More people are working from home, and many students are beginning the school year with distance learning. More people are also choosing to make Tahoe their permanent residence. I’m expecting to see many more weekday skiers than seasons past.

The Lodge & Food Services

This is where the real challenges are for the upcoming season. For a resort like Alpine Meadows, which doesn’t have lodging, food and beverage sales are a big chunk of revenue. For many people, it’s also a big part of the ski experience. Again, nothing has been announced, this is all conjecture based on what other areas have announced:

• Most areas of the lodge will have to be open to provide restrooms and provide protection from weather on stormy days.
• Seating will likely be reduced to provide for more spacing. A commonly heard number is that 50% of seating capacity will be removed. Cafeteria style seating may being eliminated and smaller 4 top and 6 top tables put in their place.
• Seating will focus on providing a space for eating and a respite from the cold. Some measures will need to be implemented to prevent table campers – the people that aren’t skiing at all, but come to hang out in the lodge while the kids or grand kids ski or board. Some resorts will go as far as removing televisions and curtailing free wifi to make staying in the lodge all day a bit less attractive.
• There will likely be more emphasis on ready made food and self service options to reduce the amount of queuing up to order and waiting for food.
• As much as possible, food service will be offered outdoors. Hopefully the deck expansion at the Chalet did happen. I haven’t hiked around Alpine Meadows to know if anything happened.
• Contactless payment options will become the norm at most resorts for everything.

The Locker Rooms

The thing is, not all ski resorts offer seasonal lockers. Those that do really don’t mention it as a part of their general press releases. So here, I am really just making some WAG’s at what could happen, with much less confidence.

• Several of my ski buddies have suggested that there was no way that locker rooms could open this year, as they have the potential to be a petri dish. But I am looking at this email, dated August 3rd, that indicates nothing of that sort. I love my locker. Booting up in the parking lot sucks.
• I would expect that anything that encourages hanging out in the locker room will be removed. Specifically, dining areas, microwaves, and extra seating will be removed. Lockers will be a place to gear up and then quickly move outdoors. Not that big of a deal if you’re in Locker Room 3…but if they take away the nice couch and TV in the fancier room, some people may need to adjust their mindset.
• It’s possible that some sort of schedule could be put in place. As an example, there could be a set time for early birds and another for ski team families.
• The day use lockers are another story. Keeping them sanitized would require a small army…or an industrial fogger.

The Weather Outlook

As of now, most weather forecasters are calling for La Niña conditions to be in place. What that means for our ski experience is not really clear. As weather science has progressed, there’s a whole lot more to forecasting the Sierra snowpack that just the ENSO oscillations of El Niño and La Niña. Simplistically, “many people are saying” that La Niña years tend to be drier years. Yeah, you see what I did there. It’s way too early to look at all of the factors that might affect weather for the upcoming season.

In my mind, having an average ski year, without endless powder days, is the best thing we could hope for in the upcoming season. We want enough storms to get the season started, maintain our snowpack and keep reservoirs full next spring. We don’t need huge powder days that cause lift lines that extend to the moon, or drive people indoors to the lodge.

That’s all I have got for now. I’m curious to hear you thoughts too. I’m guessing that some sort of hazy announcements will be forthcoming soon.