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What will be different for 20/21 Ski Season?

skiur

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I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned Vail's announced opening/closing dates for this coming season. There's definitely a few resorts in the northeast that seem to have shorter seasons than usual. Whether it is a temporary COVID thing this year due to trying to simply minimize losses or whether it is their standard yearly plan remains to be seen...

Attitash | Friday, December 4, 2020 – Sunday, April 4, 2021
Crotched | Saturday, December 5, 2020 – Sunday, March 28, 2021
Hunter | Friday, November 20, 2020 – Sunday, April 11, 2021
Mount Snow | Saturday, November 14, 2020 – Sunday, April 11, 2021
Mt. Sunapee | Wednesday, November 25, 2020 – Sunday, April 4, 2021
Okemo | Saturday, November 21, 2020 – Sunday, April 4 2021
Stowe | Friday, November 20, 2020 – Sunday, April 18, 2021
Wildcat | Friday, November 13, 2020 – Sunday, April 11, 2021

Didn't wildcat normally stay open into May? Now Stowe will be open later than wildcat?
 

deadheadskier

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Wildcat has always marketed May 1st as closing, but in reality they've only made May twice in the past 15 years.

Average closing day has been more like 4/23. So, this plan really is only about a week shorter on closing day.

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snoseek

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I honestly would have been alot happier if they opened later and stayed open later but I'll take what I can get. November 8th seems pretty early and they usually try for lynx t2b so depending on the weather that may not even be realistic. Crotched season is ridiculously short also.
 

deadheadskier

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Kind of the same as Wildcat. Roughly the same on the front end for a typical season, about a week shorter on the back. First weekend in April has been average closing day for them. Only once in the past 15 years did they make the second.

https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/NewHampshire/

That website has pretty accurate data on historical opening and closing dates for most everywhere in New England

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Edd

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I’ll cross my fingers and hope Wildcat extends the closing date if conditions and demand allow.

I’m wondering if lodges will extend restaurant service to tables where you boot up. Using Wildcat as an example, instead of just serving in the confines of the pub, make the entire top floor a place where you can sit and be served.

Vail is saying no full service bar, but that doesn’t necessarily exclude cocktails and draft beers from being sold. You can get that at bars in N.H. today.


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snoseek

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I’ll cross my fingers and hope Wildcat extends the closing date if conditions and demand allow.

I’m wondering if lodges will extend restaurant service to tables where you boot up. Using Wildcat as an example, instead of just serving in the confines of the pub, make the entire top floor a place where you can sit and be served.

Vail is saying no full service bar, but that doesn’t necessarily exclude cocktails and draft beers from being sold. You can get that at bars in N.H. today.


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I'll see you up there. I'll bring the bar!
 

ski&soccermom

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Does anyone have insight into when Governor Scott might lift the travel restrictions from other states? I don't see how many of these resorts can open in Vermont if he doesn't since so many of their employees AND guests are coming from flatland states... This is especially true this year in light of the lack of foreign workers.
 

slatham

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Does anyone have insight into when Governor Scott might lift the travel restrictions from other states? I don't see how many of these resorts can open in Vermont if he doesn't since so many of their employees AND guests are coming from flatland states... This is especially true this year in light of the lack of foreign workers.

I heard and read chatter, implications, inuendo, etc. but nothing solid. Personally I think they are focusing on the relief package, which is slated to help ski areas, and getting college students on campus without a breakout. They have time too since its not even September, though I would expect/hope that whatever policy is in place for the winter is communicated well in advance (October?).
 

gittist

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Vail Resorts has gone to to a total reservation system and won't be selling lift tickets at the windows this season. Has anyone heard what Killington is doing?

Being an out-a-statah I hope I can legally ski in Vermont this coming season. It's so willy nilly I could be legal skiing on Thursday and have to quarantine on Friday...
 

machski

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How the hell will this work? Going to Steamboat for Christmas with my family and relatives. We have season passes... They don't. Is there a chance they can't ski? Is there a chance we can't ski?

I'm probably going to throw in the towel on February trip but December is already booked.
So far Alterra has not instituted a reservation system, so for now you are ok. But if they do put one in that mirrors Vail's, then yeah, you and your family could pre-reserve with your passes. But the rest of the relatives would have to wait til week of to try and snatch tickets.

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cdskier

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So far Alterra has not instituted a reservation system, so for now you are ok. But if they do put one in that mirrors Vail's, then yeah, you and your family could pre-reserve with your passes. But the rest of the relatives would have to wait til week of to try and snatch tickets.

I don't interpret Vail's plan that way. Season passholders have from Nov 6-Dec 7 to make their "priority reservations" for any 7 days they want. Starting Dec 8th though, day tickets go on sale. They go on sale for ANY date you want. Day ticket sales aren't limited to "week of" like the additional "standard" season passholder reservations are. Now if a non-season passholder wants to wait until the last minute to decide whether they want to buy a ticket, then yes, they could have a problem getting a ticket. And there's also a chance even as of December 8th that some days could already be fully booked with the priority access reservations.

It'll be interesting to see what Alterra does. I do expect some sort of reservation system from them.
 

BenedictGomez

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This might be a pipe dream, but it would be nice if resorts took a dated "proof of vaccine" for individuals, and then that person wouldn't count against their daily capacity tally. I strongly suspect, however, most wouldn't want to touch that with a 10-foot pole just to make some extra bucks.
 

ss20

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This might be a pipe dream, but it would be nice if resorts took a dated "proof of vaccine" for individuals, and then that person wouldn't count against their daily capacity tally. I strongly suspect, however, most wouldn't want to touch that with a 10-foot pole just to make some extra bucks.

HA you bring up a good point that I've thought of as well. The first people to get vaccinated and not have to wear masks are gonna be in for a beating from the "unwashed masses" as I'm sure this will take many many months to implement.
 

machski

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I don't interpret Vail's plan that way. Season passholders have from Nov 6-Dec 7 to make their "priority reservations" for any 7 days they want. Starting Dec 8th though, day tickets go on sale. They go on sale for ANY date you want. Day ticket sales aren't limited to "week of" like the additional "standard" season passholder reservations are. Now if a non-season passholder wants to wait until the last minute to decide whether they want to buy a ticket, then yes, they could have a problem getting a ticket. And there's also a chance even as of December 8th that some days could already be fully booked with the priority access reservations.

It'll be interesting to see what Alterra does. I do expect some sort of reservation system from them.
We'll, yeah, assuming the dates you want day tickets are available and passholders haven't reserved all slots at the resort you wanted. A bit of a gamble when locking lodging with non passholder companions this season prior to that Dec 8th ticket window opening.

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njdiver85

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Clearly the Vail system is in favor of day ticket purchasers and much less so for season passholders, especially for those passholders that tend to stay at a single mountain, possibly because they have a home there. If you are a passholder and only ski weekends and holidays at a single busy mountain, you are basically hosed. You can either preserve a single vacation week with your priority reservations and then compete with day ticket people for regular weekend reservations every single week, or forgo reserving that vacation week and use your priority days to book regular weekends two/three weeks ahead of time to try and beat the day ticker purchasers. Honestly, Vail has given a big f/u to its passholders. I think of Hunter and Mount Snow where these issues will be at play mostly, but probably others out there. Clearly Vail has decided that it is better financially to get more of those expensive day ticket buyers to come to their resorts and get rid of the 75+ day a year skiers at a given resort. I guess it makes sense from a business standpoint sadly.

On a separate note, the whole limitation on visitors for a sport that is/can be fully outdoors and limitations on how many unrelated parties can occupy the same chair seems completely asinine to anyone who has had to have gotten on an airplane in recent weeks. Planes are filling up with no spacing on many flights, and people may board with masks on as required, but as soon as the plane departs, masks are off, noses exposed, and little to no enforcement by flight attendants while you are locked in a metal tube for 3-4 hours with recirculating air. Happening on Spirit and United. Can't vouch for the others but there are similar stories coming out about this.
 

JimG.

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On a separate note, the whole limitation on visitors for a sport that is/can be fully outdoors and limitations on how many unrelated parties can occupy the same chair seems completely asinine to anyone who has had to have gotten on an airplane in recent weeks. Planes are filling up with no spacing on many flights, and people may board with masks on as required, but as soon as the plane departs, masks are off, noses exposed, and little to no enforcement by flight attendants while you are locked in a metal tube for 3-4 hours with recirculating air. Happening on Spirit and United. Can't vouch for the others but there are similar stories coming out about this.

I am fighting the urge to post in this thread but I thought this exact thing; hypocrisy at it's apogee.
 

deadheadskier

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cdskier

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Clearly the Vail system is in favor of day ticket purchasers and much less so for season passholders, especially for those passholders that tend to stay at a single mountain, possibly because they have a home there. If you are a passholder and only ski weekends and holidays at a single busy mountain, you are basically hosed. You can either preserve a single vacation week with your priority reservations and then compete with day ticket people for regular weekend reservations every single week, or forgo reserving that vacation week and use your priority days to book regular weekends two/three weeks ahead of time to try and beat the day ticker purchasers. Honestly, Vail has given a big f/u to its passholders. I think of Hunter and Mount Snow where these issues will be at play mostly, but probably others out there. Clearly Vail has decided that it is better financially to get more of those expensive day ticket buyers to come to their resorts and get rid of the 75+ day a year skiers at a given resort. I guess it makes sense from a business standpoint sadly.
.

People keep making this argument and I'm not really sure if it is true. I bet Vail crunched a lot of numbers to come up with what they did. If at the end of the season a lot of passholders were going to feel like they were screwed by not being able to get the days they wanted, then they could end up not renewing their Epic passes the following year. Vail isn't stupid. I doubt they would put themselves in a position where that was likely to happen. They want to sell more passes, not less.

Don't forget, not everyone that buys a day ticket is going to buy it on December 8th either. And with no idea exactly what will happen with COVID by that time, we have no idea what impact it will have on trip planning and ticket purchasing habits. Some people might very well wait until later in the season to book their trips once they see what happens.
 

tnt1234

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I don't interpret Vail's plan that way. Season passholders have from Nov 6-Dec 7 to make their "priority reservations" for any 7 days they want. Starting Dec 8th though, day tickets go on sale. They go on sale for ANY date you want. Day ticket sales aren't limited to "week of" like the additional "standard" season passholder reservations are. Now if a non-season passholder wants to wait until the last minute to decide whether they want to buy a ticket, then yes, they could have a problem getting a ticket. And there's also a chance even as of December 8th that some days could already be fully booked with the priority access reservations.

It'll be interesting to see what Alterra does. I do expect some sort of reservation system from them.

You will have to buy an epic day pass to reserve further out than 7 days. I believe that means actually paying for a lift ticket in advance, then selecting the day you will ski. You can cancel that day, and reschedule, but you are paying for a day in advance.

I think,
 
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