Anyone else going to sit this one out?

[crgildart]

Widespread testing.
Contact tracing for folks who have COVID-19.
Quarantining people who have it.
Not sharing indoor air for extended periods of time with people who may have it.
Wearing a mask or face covering when within 6 feet of other people.
Putting time and money into building an adequate PPE supply and treatment facilities.

Get a COVID test and make sure you are negative BEFORE you travel..
Isolate for an appropriate period when you arrive at the destination and get tested again to be sure you are negative before going out in the community.

Wear a decent mask at all times indoors and around other people for extended periods outdoors.

 

[David Chaus]

Here's today's webcam from where we have our weekend passes. Not skiing anytime soon, either.

View attachment 115674

That is...so sad

 

[Wendy]

Here's today's webcam from where we have our weekend passes. Not skiing anytime soon, either.

View attachment 115674

That looks like here, as well. I’m not bothering to look at the weather forecast. I also don’t want to ski on opening days...I’d rather wait until the season is going, the kinks are worked out, and people have more room to spread out.

 

[Ogg]

That looks like here, as well. I’m not bothering to look at the weather forecast. I also don’t want to ski on opening days...I’d rather wait until the season is going, the kinks are worked out, and people have more room to spread out.

Two seasons ago was the first time in many years that I actually skied before the new year. Early season in the East is just not worth it, IMO, unless you live up North and can catch it when it falls.

 

[Jenny]

Two seasons ago was the first time in many years that I actually skied before the new year. Early season in the East is just not worth it, IMO, unless you live up North and can catch it when it falls.

Last year we skied three days in December and thought we were getting the season off to a great start. We usually don’t go until January, either.

 

[pchewn]

Definitely not sitting this one out. I have midweek pass to Mt Hood Meadows and a Fusion Pass (Timberline Lodge and Mt Hood Skibowl). Just prepared the car for winter: Put on snow tires, new wipers, Snow-Park permit, ski pod and rack... We have snow and the areas are opening either just before or just after Thanksgiving.

 

[crgildart]

I'm also always ready to roll too when the opportunity presents.. in state or Wintergreen, VA (if VA allows) are each doable day trips, 3 hours each way requires a solid commitment. I'll be surprised if it doesn't happen at all this season, but it won't be many days, just a couple most likely..

 

[Steve]

I got two days in, Friday and Saturday, very nice. Now I sit and wait for the reopening.

Haven't put the snow tires on yet, but should.

 

[Andy Mink]

Very few people were sitting out at Mt. Rose today. Pass holders only. When I took this we not at the end of the line and it kept getting longer. Groups in the middle, singles in the side, alternate through the gates. It moved fairly fast but I'm not used to lines of more than a minute or two.

 

[jmills115]

I may have forgotten a jacket more than once last season but I’ll be good on masks until at least day 4.
Opening day at Alta tomorrow.

 

[Olesya C]

I really don't think we have to sit it out if we're smart about how we do it.

We have been booting up in the parking lot, taking picnic lunches and keeping our distance from others.
The only lodge visits have been to use the bathroom and the lodges are deserted.
Mammoth's lodges are at 25% capacity.
Mt Rose isn't doing any inside dining yet and are looking at minimal capacity when they do open.
No one is getting on a lift with a stranger.
Lift mazes are spread apart so that you don't have lines next to each other.

The only real mask issue I saw was a group of Karens who kept pulling their masks down to talk to each other in the line, but the maze masters were diligent in telling them to keep their mouth and nose covered at all times in the lift maze.

Tricia, thank you for saying that and sharing your experiences. I completely agree!

 

[mdf]

I'm taking more precautions, and I feel that you guys are talking yourselves into thinking that the answer is what you want it to be. Beware the cognitive biases!

 

[raytseng]

The best analogy i can find for this situation is like a park or hiking trail where dogs are allowed and expecting it to be poop free. Despite you doing your part, and signs to pick up after your dog, and even huge efforts by volunteers and organized dog groups to fund and place free bags and drop boxes and regular cleanups to keep that park open for dogs, theres still going to be an absurd amount of dog poop on this trail. And not only that there will be poopbags scattered all over the trail, as if its better to preserve the poop in plastic for 100 years, And not only that, you'll even find poopbags hanging from branches and trees and fence posts and places even worse than if the dog just pooped on the ground.

So that's my thoughts that despite most people following the rules and considerable best efforts, its not going to be enough to counter the level of typical laziness, and having resorts open at all is still going to be a draw for bad behavior so expect the resorts to get pooped on.

 

[gilligan]

I'm taking Covid seriously but there's no reason give up on skiing this year. I work from home and rarely go out because I don't want to be exposed. But skiing is a low risk activity. We're outdoors, we're moving and we're distanced from each other. Yeah, maybe if you're flying to ski, the risks are higher, but a lot of us don't have to. Like others who have posted here, I drive to my destination, I boot-up at the car, walk to the lifts, I bypass the the enclosed lifts, I wear a mask, I eat a sack lunch outside and I pee in the trees. Pretty much zero risk.

 

[Pdub]

Skied yesterday locally in Western Mass, and it felt very safe. Very few skiers, empty lodges, everyone wearing masks and following protocol. Lifties were on top of it and signage was everywhere. Seemed to be an entirely local crowd.

Confirms my suspicion that smaller hills fed by local day skiers will have a big advantage this year. No need to deal with hotels, restaurants, airports, base lodges etc... And can't hurt that New Englanders are probably above average on the rule-follower spectrum.

So I will not be sitting this one out, though I suspect I will be skiing a lot less out of state than I normally do. March is a long ways off so you never know.

 

[jimtransition]

With no tourists allowed into Japan, I think I am sitting this one out instructing wise, but I will just ski a lot instead! Thinking of it like a sabbatical, time to improve my skiing and film and shoot lots.

 

[pushgears]

With mid-week local day trips planned, and by taking common-sense precautions, I fully plan to ski. Consider an approach similar to Eskimos in sub-zero conditions:

Tasks are extremely well organized and there is economy of motion.

For me, that translates to:
-Extensive prepping the night before
-Early start/arrival to make first chair
-Driving in ski clothes (not my favorite)
-Packing pocket foods for skiing and lunch for the drive home after

Not everyone can do this though. Some skiers don't live within driving distance, can't go mid-week, and can't go alone.

 

[skix]

I'm taking Covid seriously but there's no reason give up on skiing this year. I work from home and rarely go out because I don't want to be exposed. But skiing is a low risk activity. We're outdoors, we're moving and we're distanced from each other. Yeah, maybe if you're flying to ski, the risks are higher, but a lot of us don't have to. Like others who have posted here, I drive to my destination, I boot-up at the car, walk to the lifts, I bypass the the enclosed lifts, I wear a mask, I eat a sack lunch outside and I pee in the trees. Pretty much zero risk.

True as far as it goes but don't forget that because skiers are on the hill so are patrollers, lifties, parking-attendants, office-workers, food and office workers, and others. All those moving people have their own spider-web of interactions so just by having any activity on the mountain risk is increased. Yes, locals can ski relatively safely but not at zero risk of spreading the virus.

 

[Wendy]

With mid-week local day trips planned, and by taking common-sense precautions, I fully plan to ski. Consider an approach similar to Eskimos in sub-zero conditions:

Tasks are extremely well organized and there is economy of motion.

For me, that translates to:
-Extensive prepping the night before
-Early start/arrival to make first chair
-Driving in ski clothes (not my favorite)
-Packing pocket foods for skiing and lunch for the drive home after

Not everyone can do this though. Some skiers don't live within driving distance, can't go mid-week, and can't go alone.

My exact same plan. Unless the hospitals here start to reach capacity. Then my bike gets more mileage.And I’m aware that I may be suffering from cognitive bias. Good thing is, since I”m skiing locally, if I drive up and don’t like what I see, it’s no big deal to turn around and go home. I’ve done it before.

 

[RobSN]

I'm taking Covid seriously but there's no reason give up on skiing this year. I work from home and rarely go out because I don't want to be exposed. But skiing is a low risk activity. We're outdoors, we're moving and we're distanced from each other. Yeah, maybe if you're flying to ski, the risks are higher, but a lot of us don't have to. Like others who have posted here, I drive to my destination, I boot-up at the car, walk to the lifts, I bypass the the enclosed lifts, I wear a mask, I eat a sack lunch outside and I pee in the trees. Pretty much zero risk.

This is my starting position too - the issue for me isn't "sitting this one out" or "not sitting this one out", it's whether I will be allowed to ski later in the season. I can WROD over the next couple of days perhaps at my local hill, but whether it will be allowed to stay open with sky-rocketing cases is the pachyderm in the room.