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So what's going to happen next season?

bsskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Friends of mine, put their SUV on the train and themselves from Florida to DC. Loved not having to drive. Except the transport cars derailed outside of Washington...
That’s the AutoTrain. It has derailed more than once. I used to put my car on the train when I’d go back and forth to college from Florida. Derailments were common back in the day, you’d think they would’ve fixed that all those years later!
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Well, they got a new one out it. But people were not too happy to see a US plate in Ontario the end of March....
 

bsskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Seems to be noticeable differences between how airlines are dealing with COVID-19.

July 21, NY Times
Worried About Crowded Planes? Know Where Your Airline Stands
Whether your flight will be jammed with passengers, or have enough empty seats to soothe virus-fearing travelers, really depends on the airline.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/travel/crowded-flights-coronavirus.html
Steamboat is the first week of December and Telluride (my favorite mountain) is Martin Luther King week; I'm not holding my breath on either. At least I've been to both multiple times before....
Sigh...
I also have air booked for 3 ski trips next year. Telluride is a trip I’m also looking to book - but am patiently watching for signs of their ladies ski clinic. I think specialty clinic announcements, if any, will be a good sign. I hope.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
A friend and I were talking last about anything and everything. She didn't mention the time share she has booked for Banff in January. I have a feeling we're not going. Which right now is not an issue for me.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The way things are going I assume that skiing for most of next season will have to be of the "earn your turns" variety. (That's not to say that resorts won't open, but I don't have the money to buy day tickets on a lottery system). I have a very bottom-shelf alpine touring set-up that I'm looking forward to using. I also started learning to snowboard last season, just a bit here and there. It was fun, it's easy to walk uphill and I don't need much elevation to be challenged. I'm trying to think of this season as an opportunity to try new ways to be active outside in the winter and to get to know my own backyard. Maybe it will be like when we were kids: we couldn't travel outside our neighborhood by ourselves, so we made our own fun and adventure where we could!
 

NewEnglandSkier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm 90% sure I'm not going on my Steamboat trip for late Jan/early Feb. I just don't want to fly under the current/foreseeable conditions. I briefly considered driving but I think it would be 3 full days there and 3 full days back and I'd still have to stay over and eat some place while driving--unless I packed a cooler with sandwiches, brought a bucket and used a sleeping bag in the car--which just seems really extreme to me. Getting gas doesn't bother me, as I just use latex gloves when filling up and then throw them out. I'm also not keen on staying in a hotel anywhere right now, as I'm not confident of their HVAC systems not recycling air through the vents that came from other rooms etc--I just don't know enough about it to be comfortable. Plus there is the inside dining issue---I can't be eating dinner outside in the middle of winter. For me any trip worth taking includes dining in restaurants---I don't enjoy cooking and it's not a vacation if I had to cook and eat in a condo somewhere.
Same thing for my March/April Alta/Bird trip---unless something really changes between now and then--not going to happen this season.

I'm thinking this season is going to consist of Mount Wachusett and even that may not be possible if they insist on reservations weeks in advance to secure a spot. All my day trips are weather dependent, so I generally decide the day before if I'm going or not.
Oh well, if I can't ski I'll just find something else to do--that's how I got into skiing to begin with so I'm sure I can find something else to fill my time this season if I try.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I'm 90% sure I'm not going on my Steamboat trip for late Jan/early Feb. I just don't want to fly under the current/foreseeable conditions. I briefly considered driving but I think it would be 3 full days there and 3 full days back and I'd still have to stay over and eat some place while driving--unless I packed a cooler with sandwiches, brought a bucket and used a sleeping bag in the car--which just seems really extreme to me. Getting gas doesn't bother me, as I just use latex gloves when filling up and then throw them out. I'm also not keen on staying in a hotel anywhere right now, as I'm not confident of their HVAC systems not recycling air through the vents that came from other rooms etc--I just don't know enough about it to be comfortable. Plus there is the inside dining issue---I can't be eating dinner outside in the middle of winter. For me any trip worth taking includes dining in restaurants---I don't enjoy cooking and it's not a vacation if I had to cook and eat in a condo somewhere.
Same thing for my March/April Alta/Bird trip---unless something really changes between now and then--not going to happen this season.

I'm thinking this season is going to consist of Mount Wachusett and even that may not be possible if they insist on reservations weeks in advance to secure a spot. All my day trips are weather dependent, so I generally decide the day before if I'm going or not.
Oh well, if I can't ski I'll just find something else to do--that's how I got into skiing to begin with so I'm sure I can find something else to fill my time this season if I try.

Weekdays and weeknights probably wouldn't be as big of an issue at Wachusett. Weekends are another story since they are usually slammed, I'd think that's when the biggest chance for restrictions would be. Weeknights only ever seem busy for the first couple of hours with the school ski clubs, and who knows if those will actually run this year with them having to take buses to the mountain etc. At least that's what I'm hoping since I want to be at Sunday River on the weekends and then supplement with Wachusett in between sometimes. Maybe we could meet up sometime, in a socially distanced responsible manner of course. :wink:
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Steamboat is the first week of December and Telluride (my favorite mountain) is Martin Luther King week; I'm not holding my breath on either. At least I've been to both multiple times before....
Sigh...

Oh wow, so those are pretty early in the season. Do you know yet what criteria you will use to determine if you are willing to actually travel at that point? Are you okay with the idea of plane travel pre-vaccine/treatment etc.?
 

bsskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm 90% sure I'm not going on my Steamboat trip for late Jan/early Feb. I just don't want to fly under the current/foreseeable conditions. I briefly considered driving but I think it would be 3 full days there and 3 full days back and I'd still have to stay over and eat some place while driving--unless I packed a cooler with sandwiches, brought a bucket and used a sleeping bag in the car--which just seems really extreme to me. Getting gas doesn't bother me, as I just use latex gloves when filling up and then throw them out. I'm also not keen on staying in a hotel anywhere right now, as I'm not confident of their HVAC systems not recycling air through the vents that came from other rooms etc--I just don't know enough about it to be comfortable. Plus there is the inside dining issue---I can't be eating dinner outside in the middle of winter. For me any trip worth taking includes dining in restaurants---I don't enjoy cooking and it's not a vacation if I had to cook and eat in a condo somewhere.
Same thing for my March/April Alta/Bird trip---unless something really changes between now and then--not going to happen this season.

I'm thinking this season is going to consist of Mount Wachusett and even that may not be possible if they insist on reservations weeks in advance to secure a spot. All my day trips are weather dependent, so I generally decide the day before if I'm going or not.
Oh well, if I can't ski I'll just find something else to do--that's how I got into skiing to begin with so I'm sure I can find something else to fill my time this season if I try.
I’ve flown for pleasure as late as last month. I’m more partial to those airlines which keep middle seats open, not all do this. It looks like the airlines re-evaluate this setup around the 30th of every other month. I have a large SUV rental on standby should I need to drive out west due to (insert reason here), but agree, driving is inconvenient and the lodging piece can be scary. I remain optimistic. I have to in order to keep my sanity.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I'm not counting on any ski trips next year. LOL I remember when I thought, surely my September vacation won't be canceled! Everything will be fine by then. And my October trip with my friends to volunteer at Best Friends animal sanctuary – – well of course that will happen! October is so far away.

Sigh. Not feeling very inspired to book anything else.

At this point I don't see taking a true ski vacation next year. When I think about our Sun Valley trips, so much of the fun is the indoor parts-- hanging out in the historic Roundhouse, having drinks at the lodge bar and watching the ice skaters, going to the spa, going to our favorite restaurants in Ketchum (like the Pioneer which is always packed, and half the fun is taking to people in the bar), seeing a movie at the little opera house. I can ski locally and so for me it wouldn't be worth the money to get in a plane and travel to ski and then just go back to a condo. Maybe we'll play it by ear and see if we can go a few places around PNW that we can drive to where there's no expectation of doing anything besides skiing. We used to do that when we'd go with our big sweet old dog to Whistler.
 

NewEnglandSkier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Like @Christy I couldn't believe back in March that my fall travels would be canceled. Ha! I even thought I might me able to do my July NYC weekend trip (possibly). It never even entered my mind that I shouldn't go ahead and reserve lodging for Steamboat for 2021--because surely everything would be back in order by then! The only thing I have booked currently is my Steamboat lodging and that can be canceled with 30 days notice. Not being able to plan trips (skiing or otherwise) is a major bummer for me, as travel is basically my favorite hobby in life--it's what I do! I can't even use all my vacation days this year, as I have nothing "worth" using them on.
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Not being able to plan trips (skiing or otherwise) is a major bummer for me, as travel is basically my favorite hobby in life--it's what I do! I can't even use all my vacation days this year, as I have nothing "worth" using them on.

I am with you, @NewEnglandSkier! As much as I LOVE to travel, I am also missing the joy and anticipation involved in planning a trip! In the meantime, I’m making it a project to hike the High Peaks of the Adirondacks to have something novel to look forward to.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I am with you, @NewEnglandSkier! As much as I LOVE to travel, I am also missing the joy and anticipation involved in planning a trip! In the meantime, I’m making it a project to hike the High Peaks of the Adirondacks to have something novel to look forward to.
Once Labor Day rolls around and folks stop driving up to the Adirondacks from NYC, hiking will be good fun. I'm hearing from friends who live in Lake Placid that the more popular trails have been pretty busy on weekends. Locals are finding the easier trails that are less well known are busy then too because more locals are trying to avoid the more accessible trails.

I've driven to Asheville (4 hour drive) for a couple weekend trips this summer. Daughter's BF is working there and we needed to do things related to her going back to college in August. We stayed in Best Western motels that are older so each room has an exterior door and it's own AC/heat unit. BW has been my motel of choice for quite a while. Finding good take out food or restaurants with outdoor seating is not an issue. Thoroughly enjoying Biltmore Estate and Park because for members it's a huge private park, meaning a few thousand acres with plenty of well maintained trails for hiking or biking.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I too love to travel and plan, but I'd be fine with it if I was just able to use the outdoors here as I expected I would be. But EVERYONE is out hiking and camping. Everything is mobbed, and there are so many newbies and clueless people out there causing problems (record number of SARs, people leaving litter, feeding wildlife, parking illegally and blocking roads, etc etc). It's really depressing. And tons of people from all over the country are still coming here to visit national parks! Those are more crowded than ever. Hopefully it will slow down after Labor Day, but given all of us that live here, high unemployment, and the fact that kids here won't be back in school buildings in fall, it will likely still be very busy.
 

SkiBam

Angel Diva
I was golfing with a ski buddy yesterday and she says she and her husband are quite willing to take up cross-country if downhill seems too problematic. I already x-c so this sounds good to me. And with good snow, we have all the x-c we want - backcountry or track set - very nearby.

The ski group I often travel with was planning Val d'Isère next March but I have my doubts about that, that's for sure.

As for Tremblant, who knows. I have no condo to lunch at, and when it's minus 15 C, booting up in the car is not an appealing prospect. Plus we car pool, which might not be possible. So, who knows. Might end up more at the smaller local hills where I can pretty much avoid going indoors at all (well, there's still the booting-up issue.... we'll see... ).

Anyway, I have very little desire to get on a plane to go anywhere and am SO happy I live where I do, with the outdoors readily available.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
. . . But EVERYONE is out hiking and camping. Everything is mobbed, and there are so many newbies and clueless people out there causing problems (record number of SARs, people leaving litter, feeding wildlife, parking illegally and blocking roads, etc etc). It's really depressing. And tons of people from all over the country are still coming here to visit national parks!

The tourists are a concern here, too. I can't fully blame them - I would want to get away from the high-viral places south of here, too. But I drive by the parking spots for a little swimming hole near here, and it's crowded with mostly out-of-state cars. I imagine these are second-home owners (it seems a little unlikely that people less familiar with the area could find this swimming hole). But Vermont has worked so hard to keep everyone well, and it's been going so well; people from out of state who don't wear masks feel like quite a threat.

It seems like the prevalence of infection that is currently sweeping the south and west may be heading back up the East coast. I told Mr. Blizzard that we need to work on our backcountry gear and stamina!
 

SkiBabyMD

Certified Ski Diva
We have a girls ski race camp at Loveland thanksgiving week for my DD11 and DD13 with Keely’s and our annual family trip to see @snoWYmonkey at Jackson Hole for Presidents week all set up.

We will definitely have a very different season this year. Long socially distant lift and gondola lines, limited capacity (lottery system like A-basin and timberline had?), grab and go food only, no restrooms, etc.

What I fear most is that history repeats itself and this winter will be like the second wave of Spanish Flu which was much worse than the first. Also, if we have a bad flu season on top of covid, then I expect resorts to close early again. Please, please get your flu shot ASAP this season.

Our resort hasn’t even started ski team registrations because things are so uncertain. They typically start in April!!

Fingers crossed that we have a season!
 
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vickie

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We will definitely have a very different season this year. Long socially distant lift and gondola lines, limited capacity (lottery system like A-basin and timberline had?), grab and go food only, no restrooms, etc.
Have you seen an announcement from Loveland regarding the plans for the upcoming season? I didn't find anything on their site.
 

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