This piece was originally included in a post on New Years Day 2021, 39 days after the ski season started. The intention of this piece is not to complain or criticize. It’s here to help us all be better citizens when it comes to keeping our favorite mountains open during the COVID-19 pandemic. We can all work together to make it work. It would only take one outbreak amongst guests or employees to bring our lift served ski season to a screeching halt. This page includes additions to the original article and will be updated as people make suggestions.
Updated 2/9/21: We’ve made it through half of the ski season and most of the major holidays. We’ve also saw a huge influx of visitors after we had that first super storm of the season. But we’re not done yet. Less than 10% of California’s population has received even one dose of the COVID vaccination. We can’t let our guard down now. We don’t want a repeat of last spring, where suddenly we were left with no options for lift served skiing.
It is a huge privilege to be able to get out and get on a chairlift to ski and ride during a pandemic. I am so grateful that the management team at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has been able to pivot to make it all work for us. There is absolutely not a doubt in my mind that they are taking a beating when it comes to revenue from food and beverage sales, lessons and day ticket sales. They’ve invested in not just equipment and supplies, but also manpower to meet the state guidelines for operation of outdoor recreation facilities, dining and beverage services and other areas. They have constantly adjusted and fine tuned operations to make sure that both guests and staff can have a safe experience.
As guests, we have a responsibility to help make it work too. I’ve been at Alpine Meadows every day since opening day, and I see where management is struggling to make it work. So we’ve got some tips about “How to Alpine”:
ON THE HILL
- You need to wear an appropriate mask, just about the entire time you’re at Alpine Meadows. Find one that works for you, even when skiing and riding or walking up to the lift. Then you won’t need reminders.
- Your single layer buff, fleece neck warmer, knitted scarf, Serius facemask or bandito bandanna are not good enough. You need a double layer buff, N95 mask without a vent or a surgical mask. Surgical masks are available for free from mountain hosts in the breezeway or the COVID squad at lifts. After 77 days of skiing, the surgical mask continues to be my favored choice for working all day, hot or cold, wet or dry.
- Keep your goggles just a bit tighter than what you have done in the past. This is critical to preventing fogging.
- Give people space. Six feet is actually a bit more than your tips plus the tails in front of you. If another group is going through the gate, give them time to get through, rather than sliding up next to them in the gate.
- Stay away from the corral until your party is organized. Don’t bunch up at the entrance while you wait, forcing other people to ski through your group. Don’t ski into the corral and then expect others to pass by you while you wait.
- If you’re having a snack or a beverage, find a spot off the trail to stop, rather than taking your mask off in a lift line or on a shared chairlift.
- If you are riding a chair with people you do not know, keep your masks on during the entire chair ride. While you may be comfortable, others may not, and they have almost no options for getting off the chair early.
- If a member of the general public asks you to “mask up” or give more space, these responses are NOT appropriate: “You don’t work here”, “Go tell your Mommy”, or general name calling.
- Be nice to the staff. They’re just doing their job if they ask you to mask up, give people space, or give up your table. If you really want to make their day, thank them for doing the job.
IN THE LODGE
- The interior areas of the lodge are not open for hanging out or getting warm. This includes the day locker area, the ticket office area or the main lodge upstairs. It’s not up for discussion.
- The seasonal locker rooms are only for those people that currently have a season lease. Limit your time to 15 minutes. Food and beverages are not allowed in the locker rooms…and yes, I got busted for that, as I should have been.
- The breezeway at Alpine Meadows is being treated as an “indoor space”. Tables and seating have been minimized so people don’t eat or hang out in that area. While I can appreciate the creativity of using the ski racks for a standup table, that can’t fly either.
- The best place to warm up and dry out is in your personal vehicle. Yes, that is difficult if you are a late arrival and are parked far away. It’s even more difficult if you have arrived via a shuttle from Squaw Valley or a remote parking lot. Plan accordingly.
- If you’re planning a big parking lot BBQ luncheon, keep it to your household and select a parking space along the edge of the lot where you won’t block traffic.
THE SUN DECK, THE CHALET, AND “SNOW BEACH” CHAIRS
- There’s nowhere near enough tables to meet the needs of all of the people that want to sit down on a busy day. This is a problem even in a normal season. It’s not okay to assume that a table is yours for the day because you park your stuff, or grandma, at a table. Eat your food and move on, because someone else is looking for a spot to eat.
- It’s definitely not okay to use a table to get some work done for the office, watch a movie, or catch a football game while the kids are out skiing. Your car has seats that are much more comfortable, and heat, as a bonus. Leave tables for eating.
- This is also not the year to bring your cooler and leftovers from home for lunch. Finding food is fast and easy at the Meadows Cafe, down at Treats, or Mogrog. Support your mountain, because they are here offering us the best experience they can, which is far better than a shutdown.
- Bringing your own alcoholic beverages to consume on the Sun Deck or Chalet is not okay. It’s a licensing issue. Try that at your local bar and see how they feel.
- The snow beach chairs at the Lodge and Chalet are limited in numbers. They start the day spaced out. Putting them into large groups is not okay. Parking yourself in one for hours at a time prevents other guests from having a spot to rest for a bit, or have a drink or snack.
HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
It’s no secret that the mountain is working with a more minimal staff than usual this year. You see evidence of that just about every day. Managers of various departments are out on the hill filling in just about every day, right on up to SVAM COO Ron Cohen. Why are things so short?
- Due to the ongoing pandemic, travel restrictions mean that resorts are not able to use international workers at the same level as previous years.
- The local housing market is tighter than it has ever been. Houses that previously were rentals were bought by recent transplants from all over and are no longer rented. The increased demand for housing also has caused an increase in rents. The same is true for the Reno area. Rents have skyrocketed there too, so that it no longer a great commute option for workers.
- Also noteworthy is that the Sierra, as well as Colorado, is saddled with some instability in the snow pack. Colorado has already seen multiple avalanche deaths. Over the last week, there were several avalanche incidents in the greater Tahoe area. The cause is several weak layers in the snow pack, due to faceting between storms, rain crusts, or in this case, both. While resort areas do avalanche control, some areas are still going to be touchy as we build more snowpack on top of those weaker layers. Patrol will need to spend some time really assessing the situation and doing whatever control work they feel is necessary to mitigate the risk.
There’s a lot to think here. In general, the readership at Unofficial Alpine are veterans of the mountain, and already “get it”. What’s important is that we help other people “get it” too. Again, It will only take one outbreak to bring the whole season to a screeching halt.
