santacruz skier
Angel Diva
Oh so if staying at Stateline one would need to take a shuttle to Cali side..... Interesting...At the moment, entry is only on California; gondola is open for sightseeing only.
Oh so if staying at Stateline one would need to take a shuttle to Cali side..... Interesting...At the moment, entry is only on California; gondola is open for sightseeing only.
... What I hadn't remembered, however, was to have my skis tuned. The season ended so abruptly - I think I kept hoping it might resume. Anyway, forgot about my skis.
I had a great first day at Northstar today! Stuff seems to be managed extremely well; they've shut down the satellite Castle Peak lot and are directing everyone to the Village View lots that don't need a shuttle.
I arrived around 9:30 and didn't have to wait in line to go up the gondola; I actually got a cabin to myself, so no COVID concerns there.
Lines looked longer than they were due to spacing; I don't think I spent more than 5 minutes waiting at any point. Lifties were directing singles to sit together at opposite ends of four-person chairs, which felt fine to me given that everyone was masked. I didn't see any pressure from other skiers to merge non-household groups.
I think I only saw one person the whole day who wasn't wearing a mask, and she was just in the parking lot. I did overhear one staff member direct a skier to put their mask on and backed it up with "we want a full season, not like last year, and masks are how we're going to make that happen," and I heard numerous instances of staff members thanking skiers for wearing masks.
The snow was fine. Most of it was standard humanmade; a bit of a crust earlier in the day and drifts of snow by mid to late afternoon. Coverage in some areas was sparse but manageable.
Lunch was managed really well. I think I spent 5 minutes total inside getting food before heading back out. Space on the patio mid mountain was definitely at a premium, though, but I didn't see anyone forced to eat on the snow. It honestly makes me wonder if Vail calibrated reservation capacity based on dining estimates.
Anyway, will post a separate thread with more about the actual skiing later, but a good first day, all-in-all! I feel a bit more confident that we can manage to have a safe ski season.
Edited to add: Northstar is not currently operating day lockers, so be aware of that. Bring yourself and what you need that'll fit comfortably in your pockets (or backpack if you like).
We had an attempted first day at Killington today, but the parking shuttle arrangement did not strike me as COVID-safe or at least within my personal comfort level.
We pulled in around 9:45 and the K-1 lot was full, so we had to park in a lot that requires a closed-air bus shuttle. The shuttle itself looked pretty full to my COVID-agoraphobic eyes... my guess was that it was probably half capacity, but even half capacity in a closed bus is too much for me. There was another Vermont truck in front of us that did the same thing — he turned right around when he saw the parking situation.
The lot had many non-Vermont plates and while it’s very possible that many of these were people who had quarantined prior to coming, the woman working at Darkside Snowboards said that she had a number of out-of-state customers say “See you next weekend!”
So, for now, no Killington for me unless I get there early enough to avoid the parking shuttle. I understand that this may strike some as xenophobic but the reality is that the ambient level of COVID is significantly higher outside of Vermont (even with our recent surge) and I didn’t feel the need to expose myself that situation.
I hear you on this -- I am also quite nervous about the parking shuttles here in Colorado. What we've been doing is showing up later in the day (around noon) -- so far, that has meant that we've been able to pull into parking slots quite close to the lifts that are left open when an early morning skier finishes up for the day. Might be an option for you?
That’s a good idea! I wonder how it would work - Killington does seem to be very on-point on the parking reservations, so it’s a shame that there is this weak link in their COVID precautions. Luckily, once Sugarbush is open, it’ll be a non-issue for me... I could roll out of bed at 7:15 in time for first chair.
So, for now, no Killington for me unless I get there early enough to avoid the parking shuttle. I understand that this may strike some as xenophobic but the reality is that the ambient level of COVID is significantly higher outside of Vermont (even with our recent surge) and I didn’t feel the need to expose myself that situation.
I think it’s everyone’s responsibility to be cautious. It is clear that no matter where people come from, plenty of them are still running around (or getting on lift lines) without a mask. Not to mention the folks wearing it under their nose.*)
Get there earlier girl!
tell that to Dr I Love to Sleep and Take Forever to Get Ready Pugs!
We had an attempted first day at Killington today, but the parking shuttle arrangement did not strike me as COVID-safe or at least within my personal comfort level.
We pulled in around 9:45 and the K-1 lot was full, so we had to park in a lot that requires a closed-air bus shuttle. The shuttle itself looked pretty full to my COVID-agoraphobic eyes... my guess was that it was probably half capacity, but even half capacity in a closed bus is too much for me. There was another Vermont truck in front of us that did the same thing — he turned right around when he saw the parking situation.
The lot had many non-Vermont plates and while it’s very possible that many of these were people who had quarantined prior to coming, the woman working at Darkside Snowboards said that she had a number of out-of-state customers say “See you next weekend!”
So, for now, no Killington for me unless I get there early enough to avoid the parking shuttle. I understand that this may strike some as xenophobic but the reality is that the ambient level of COVID is significantly higher outside of Vermont (even with our recent surge) and I didn’t feel the need to expose myself that situation.
thanks for the tip! I remember Bear being a bit more chill. I’ll plan on doing that.Once Bear opens, park over there, instead. It's a lot easier to walk to the lift from the lot, and it's not as busy.