Tahoe resorts were just as crowded as ever even with reservations. I avoid weekends and holidays but with so many people WFH, the resorts were no different than usual. Maybe even more crowded.And no reservations.. yikes..
Oh dear! The only place I’ve experienced mid-week crowding was at the premier “local” Los Angeles ski areas in Big Bear Lake, CA. Even before the pandemic started I often wondered, “Why aren’t these children in school?”Yes, we had weekday crowding here in the East. Whole families, since the kids weren’t physically in school. I’m losing the perks of retirement!
You, me, and a whole lot of people who are either retired or have arranged their lives to accommodate weekday skiing.Skiing mid-week was always my secret weapons… crowded slopes make me nervous.
Tahoe resorts were just as crowded as ever even with reservations. I avoid weekends and holidays but with so many people WFH, the resorts were no different than usual. Maybe even more crowded.
I ended up having dinner with some friends of friends a few months ago, one of whom was some kind of VP at Vail Resorts. I was initially very excited to actually talk to her about the ski industry, but it was pretty disappointing. She basically just parroted talking points from press releases, but also said that if you're a weekend skier at a VR owned resort this year, expect a complete sh*tshow. She must have already known that sales were up this much.
Good question. I actually think it might have been the sheer number of visitors from the Bay Area. Not necessarily travelers. Capacity restrictions on lifts definitely slowed things down, but usually at large Tahoe resorts the crowds spread out once up on the mountain, and I didn't notice that happening.Was this due to capacity restrictions on lifts, or just sheer number of visitors
It was honestly such a disappointing interaction. I really do think that in an increasingly chaotic climate, the mega corps that can spread out geographic risk and supplement the skiing with lots of other assets / income streams are probably a huge part of keeping skiing viable for the rest of my lifetime. But there are OBVIOUSLY also downsides, which was she was completely unwilling to engage at all. It was like talking to a VR marketing robot, when it would have been SO INTERESTING to talk to her about this stuff for real.
I almost wonder if VR has super strict policies around talking about any of this outside of work, because there is no way the level of discourse she was giving me is indicative of the level of analytical sophistication they use to run their business.
I almost wonder if VR has super strict policies around talking about any of this outside of work, because there is no way the level of discourse she was giving me is indicative of the level of analytical sophistication they use to run their business.
How does everyone feel about the no vaccination requirement for gondolas? It's freaking me out!
I pretty sure you're still going to see mask mandates in BC, Ontario and Quebec. Right now, Alberta has gone back to masks. So that might stay for the winter too.How does everyone feel about the no vaccination requirement for gondolas? It's freaking me out!
It was honestly such a disappointing interaction. I really do think that in an increasingly chaotic climate, the mega corps that can spread out geographic risk and supplement the skiing with lots of other assets / income streams are probably a huge part of keeping skiing viable for the rest of my lifetime. And there are upsides to cheap multi-mountain passes! But there are OBVIOUSLY also downsides, which was she was completely unwilling to engage at all. It was like talking to a VR marketing robot, when it would have been SO INTERESTING to talk to her about this stuff for real.
I almost wonder if VR has super strict policies around talking about any of this outside of work, because there is no way the level of discourse she was giving me is indicative of the level of sophistication they use to run their business.