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First Day Reports, 2020

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Ski resorts are starting to open! So who's been out and where? How were conditions? Crowds? Covid policies? Post about it here. Don't forget pics, if you have 'em.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I was at Wachusett today for their opening. I work half days on Fridays, so I left home at 12:30pm and was walking in by 1:30pm. I was able to easily find a spot in the 3rd row of the parking lot and had my season pass printed at the outdoor ticket window.

There were no lift lines, I consistently skied right onto the lift every run with not more than a couple of people in front of me. Still the issue of people standing around outside of the lift gates.. I was there alone and rode the lift alone every time. That was somewhat sad because I do love random lift encounters with strangers. Most people were riding solo and no one tried to get on with someone outside of their party. I wore a face covering when arriving at and getting on/off the lift and would pull it down to ski and while riding the lift. Most others were doing the same. It was 60 degrees out, so quite warm otherwise I would have left it on more. When I arrived at my car at the end of the day my hair was soaking wet with sweat, I missed my vented helmet that’s in my bootbag in Maine..dislike my backup helmet now lol! With so few people you were never near anyone so I felt comfortable with how things went outside, and it followed Wachusett’s specific guidance on their website for face coverings. There were many patio heaters and spaced tables outside at the base area, along with new heated benches which are cool! They are really long so you can definitely sit on opposite ends with others, I wanted to try it but it was so warm I couldn’t stay seated long, it’ll be really nice when it gets colder. I didn’t go inside at all and didn’t need the bathroom. There were porta potties outside and food was being served outside too.

I had a great day, the snow was lovely! It was spring skiing, without the sticky snow and no ice. Really nice conditions for opening day. There were 3 high speed quads open with one way down from each and you had to walk between lifts at the base because they are not connected with snow yet, but that’s nice to spread things out. The surface lift for the bunny hill was open as well. Right around sunset I went to the summit and hiked the short distance to the observation deck above, it was gorgeous and a few other skiers had the same idea. Good thing I had my grip walk hybrid boots on haha. At that point the lights were starting to come on and I decided it was my last run. This was because the teenaged boy groups started coming out and were skiing as a pack jumping off of everything they could on the trail. That was my queue to exit, and typical of the start of night skiing. There were still no lift lines even though the trails started seeming a little more cluttered. People were lined up picking up tickets at the outdoor window on my way out, but everyone was masked and distanced.

We don’t know how this season is going to go, or how long it’ll last.. So my current feeling is to go as soon and as often as you can if you plan to ski, just in case! It was 100% worth it, felt so good to get out on snow.

E0684954-7B07-4C8C-A7CB-8D690CFA11B9.jpeg4E7E942A-80DB-49D8-A66F-FCD120B8F4F7.jpegCBB147E1-7658-4F9B-9FCC-8FC33514E2C2.jpeg28AD365D-9C9A-40CE-A117-1C02207EF8A3.jpeg40C0342F-5085-4AB6-A3C5-BFCB1E4DB5C7.jpegEB332299-E4AA-4C69-9FF3-13BC07239FBD.jpeg
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Silly question but what time does it get dark there? I laughed when you said you didn't use the bathroom but left your house at 12:30 and stayed until dark !
Sounds like a fun ski day !
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Silly question but what time does it get dark there? I laughed when you said you didn't use the bathroom but left your house at 12:30 and stayed until dark !
Sounds like a fun ski day !

Sunset there today was at 4:21pm, so I skied around 3 hours and was away from my house for around 5 total. Once I left my house I only had a small amount of water and a snack in my car until on my way home because I was hoping not to have to use a restroom there. I would have if necessary though :smile:
 
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skibum4ever

Angel Diva
Mammoth opened last weekend but weekend skiing is not for me especially this season. We skied yesterday and today.

They basically have three long high speed quads running with one or more wide runs off each one. There is also a shorter park chair and a very short beginner chair. The gondola is open to mid-station but it didn't look very busy.

The snow on the groomers is quite good. In 2 days of skiing I didn't hit a single rock. The slopes and the lifts are not crowded.

They are truly enforcing the wearing of masks in lift lines. They remind you that it needs to cover your nose. I have been pulling it down when skiing and up when I approach the lift line. Then down again on the chairlift. I experimented with a couple of configurations and have more to try out. Still need to determine what's most comfortable and resolve some minor fogging issues.

They had an open lift line and the next line was roped off and closed. So instead of 6-8 lines they only had 3-4. The lines were well regulated with no one cutting ahead or attempting to ride with a stranger. I did have one person ask if I was "single" but I was just a bit behind DH. I guess 2 singles are allowed at opposite ends of a HSQ.

We spent about 1/2 hour in the lodge. It was well spaced and felt safe.


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ski_hat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I went to opening day at Heavenly! Only the California side is open, with a couple of runs (Ridge Run, Maggie’s and Patsy, if you’re familiar) available. Lines were easy (as in no more than a 2-3 minute wait), and I can’t speak to restrooms/food, because I avoided them all. Folks were okay at masks; most were good about having them on the lift lines, but I’m still assessing my own personal comfort level with lack of face covering while on the move.

For those curious about the reservation system: I checked and it does seem possible to do same-day reservations on the app (which I know locals were worried about). I wouldn’t make a trip and try one’s luck, but I live in South Lake Tahoe this season, so it’s a good note for me

The snow itself was mostly machine-made, though there have been a couple of storms that have provided a nice base. It was good to get the sticks and boots on again!
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Ridge Run nice groomer with fantastic Lake views! So entry only from CA side? Not gondola?
Interesting you can get same day reservation. Hope to see you there. I have two timeshare weeks reserved!
 

Scribble

Angel Diva
I went to Brighton on Thursday. Crowds weren't bad, but it was passholders only. Everyone was great about staying distanced, wearing masks, and staff were on top of reminding folks who forgot. The conditions were crunchy and overgroomed in a lot of places but they did a great job getting terrain open so they could spread everyone out.
I ended up wearing a KF94 under my goggles, with a thin balaclava over top. No problems with goggles steaming up and everything stayed in place, woohoo!
Unfortunately, I had to cut my day short after the fourth run. I hit a very small rock right as I was transitioning into a new turn. It stopped me dead in my tracks and double ejected me right onto my face. I heard the click of my bindings and had just enough time-in-air to really think about my recent choices. Lol, I know how to get it done!
I'm going to be sore for a few more days but I'm hoping to get back out there tomorrow morning. I ended up with whiplash, a bloody lip, swollen eye and bruises across the right side of my face and nose. I'm pretty sure my mask and goggles saved me from a nasty case of "piste rash."
The rock ripped a small chunk out of the base of my ski and I spent my evening watching videos about ptex repair. I think I did an ok job, but I didnt have any metal grip to help it adhere to the edge and my first attempt was embarasingly rough. Second attempt was better...Hopefully this patch will stay put until I can redo it with what I hope will be my mad ptex skilz!
All in all, a pretty typical start for me, the first day never really goes according to plan :-)
 

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Jenny

Angel Diva
I went to Brighton on Thursday. Crowds weren't bad, but it was passholders only. Everyone was great about staying distanced, wearing masks, and staff were on top of reminding folks who forgot. The conditions were crunchy and overgroomed in a lot of places but they did a great job getting terrain open so they could spread everyone out.
I ended up wearing a KF94 under my goggles, with a thin balaclava over top. No problems with goggles steaming up and everything stayed in place, woohoo!
Unfortunately, I had to cut my day short after the fourth run. I hit a very small rock right as I was transitioning into a new turn. It stopped me dead in my tracks and double ejected me right onto my face. I heard the click of my bindings and had just enough time-in-air to really think about my recent choices. Lol, I know how to get it done!
I'm going to be sore for a few more days but I'm hoping to get back out there tomorrow morning. I ended up with whiplash, a bloody lip, swollen eye and bruises across the right side of my face and nose. I'm pretty sure my mask and goggles saved me from a nasty case of "piste rash."
The rock ripped a small chunk out of the base of my ski and I spent my evening watching videos about ptex repair. I think I did an ok job, but I didnt have any metal grip to help it adhere to the edge and my first attempt was embarasingly rough. Second attempt was better...Hopefully this patch will stay put until I can redo it with what I hope will be my mad ptex skilz!
All in all, a pretty typical start for me, the first day never really goes according to plan :-)
Ouch! I remember a couple of falls where we also described the air time as “long enough to think about it”.
 

ski_hat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ridge Run nice groomer with fantastic Lake views! So entry only from CA side? Not gondola?
Interesting you can get same day reservation. Hope to see you there. I have two timeshare weeks reserved!

At the moment, entry is only on California; gondola is open for sightseeing only.
 

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