Anyone else going to sit this one out?

[Philpug]

I just reread the title of the thread, it seems like a simple yes or no question.

 

[Michael R.]

Yup I'm sitting it out. Might have something to do with my 10 broken bones that are healing more than worrying about covid though

If my body can tolerate it I will tour in late winter or spring. Not gonna ski inbounds though since I didn't buy a pass

 

[Blue Streak]

I just reread the title of the thread, it seems like a simple yes or no question.

How about, maybe?”

 

[Rudi Riet]

Q: Are you sitting this one out?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Maybe
4. It's complicated

I think all four answers are seeing traction here.

 

[David Chaus]

Yep- I read that also. So what happens if you don't have a parking reservation? How do you get to the mountain, yadda, yadda, yadda?

Well, how hard is it to make a parking reservation, especially if one is planning a trip in advance? I realize for the locals it might be hard, especially on a powder day.

I made a parking reservation or two for Copper Mt, just in case I actually do go to CO for the Gathering. If and when I know I won’t go, I’ll cancel the parking reservation.

 

[eok]

FWIW, to my understanding, Montana beds are full. Patients are being transported to OR and WA. Montana and ID might get the entire PNW shut down. Don't book there. Please.

Here in Bend Oregon... a couple days ago it was reported our hospital was the only one in the state with open ICU beds. No idea if this is still the case. Concerning nonetheless.

 

[Tricia]

Q: Are you sitting this one out?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Maybe
4. It's complicated

I think all four answers are seeing traction here.

I was considering adding a poll and locking the thread a few days ago.
Maybe I'll add a poll anyway.

 

[Chip]

Well, how hard is it to make a parking reservation, especially if one is planning a trip in advance? I realize for the locals it might be hard, especially on a powder day.

I made a parking reservation or two for Copper Mt, just in case I actually do go to CO for the Gathering. If and when I know I won’t go, I’ll cancel the parking reservation.

Well it's a little more complicated than we are just going for a week and having everything planned out ahead of time. This will be a 3 week trip with both my wife and son working during this time. So at this point with not really knowing their meeting schedules and such it is hard to plan where and what days we will all be skiing. I'll try to ski everyday if possible, but it would be nice that I don't have to worry about parking. That being said, it seems that a few of the resorts, at least at this time, seem a little easier for this.

 

[Sibhusky]

FWIW, to my understanding, Montana beds are full. Patients are being transported to OR and WA. Montana and ID might get the entire PNW shut down. Don't book there. Please.

Not quite full, but in desperate straits.
This is the regional hospital up here:

Nearly 100 KRH workers test positive for COVID-19, 73 quarantined

Kalispell Regional Healthcare says 99 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, and another 73 are quarantined. Currently, they are down more than 100 workers. We’re told 28 medical staff members from the state have stepped in to help with staffing. KRH says as they lose staff to...

nbcmontana.com

And the state is importing help:

Contract health workers arrive in Montana to aid virus fight

More than 100 contracted medical staff have arrived in Montana to assist hospitals in responding to the spike in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Steve Bullock announced Monday.

billingsgazette.com

 

[Daniel]

I thought Alta/Snowbird were requiring parking reservations (per your other point)... so even if Ikon isn't requiring reservations, you might still have to make them for parking.

Snowbird is requiring parking reservations this season but Alta is not; however, Alta will be restricting parking to limit the number of skiers on the mountain. Parking restrictions could potentially vary on a daily basis as determined by numerous factors. That is the current state of the parking situation at the LCC resorts but, of course, could change at some point due to the status of the pandemic.

 

[DanoT]

Snowbird is requiring parking reservations this season but Alta is not; however, Alta will be restricting parking to limit the number of skiers on the mountain. Parking restrictions could potentially vary on a daily basis as determined by numerous factors. That is the current state of the parking situation at the LCC resorts but, of course, could change at some point due to the status of the pandemic.

How does Alta expect to restrict parking without going to a reservation system? Do they expect people to arrive, only to find out that there is no more parking and so they have to turn around and go home???

 

[Blue Streak]

How does Alta expect to restrict parking without going to a reservation system? Do they expect people to arrive, only to find out that there is no more parking and so they have to turn around and go home???

Ask @Ron about that.

 

[crgildart]

How does Alta expect to restrict parking without going to a reservation system? Do they expect people to arrive, only to find out that there is no more parking and so they have to turn around and go home???

Powder day people will be lined up down the access road at 3am waiting for the gate to drop to the parking lot.

 

[Rudi Riet]

How does Alta expect to restrict parking without going to a reservation system? Do they expect people to arrive, only to find out that there is no more parking and so they have to turn around and go home???

Not quite sure how Alta is doing it, but Brighton has partnered with UDOT to post parking lot capacity stats at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon this season. I'd imagine Alta may do something similar - it's not too difficult to relay this info to UDOT.

Like Alta, Brighton is limiting ticket sales to parking lot capacity. They're also reducing capacity with greater spacing between cars. Not sure how UTA riders will factor in, but I'm thinking fewer people will ride the ski bus during the pandemic given its sweaty, packed confines.

Also, to @crgildart's point: on a powder day UDOT usually won't allow queueing on the canyon road due to avalanche control. The typical situation is to queue at the mouth of the canyon and wait for it to open.

 

[Daniel]

How does Alta expect to restrict parking without going to a reservation system? Do they expect people to arrive, only to find out that there is no more parking and so they have to turn around and go home???

From Alta's website:

PARKING CAPACITY AND TRAFFIC UPDATES.
The 2020-21 season will see some changes at Alta Ski Area and Little Cottonwood Canyon. Alta Ski Area is not requiring parking or skiing reservations, capacity will be monitored closely and parking will be adjusted daily to match conditions and lift capacity. Much like a snow report or weather conditions, it is highly recommended to check Parking and Road status before leaving the house. We anticipate reduced carpooling, limited capacity on the UTA Ski Bus and an increase in backcountry skiing. All of these variables will make parking and getting to Alta more complicated than what we've grown accustomed to.

From UDOT via KSL:

UDOT introduces new plans to control ski traffic in Salt Lake's Cottonwood canyons

With ski season fast approaching, new strategies will be implemented to control traffic in Little Cottonwood and Big Cottonwood canyons this winter.

www.ksl.com

 

[jseeski]

I'm going skiing, and I won't be changing much about the way I do it. Since retirement I've skied almost exclusively on weekdays at places with no crowds (except on a powder day) that are within day trip distance of home or my cabin. I usually find myself alone on the chair anyway. I've booted up in the lodge some of the time, but I'll just do it in the car every time this season. I've always brought my own lunch, and often eaten it in the car anyway, so I'll just do it all the time now. Mt. Baker will have outdoor-access restrooms installed, so I won't have to enter the lodge at all.

We're looking to have a La Nina year and I don't want to miss it, but I'll follow all the rules and be careful. Life is short and I don't want to make it shorter.

I will boot up in the lodge because 1) I get there early, when very few people are present, and 2) I find it impossible to put my boots on in the passenger-side footwell of the truck. I need adequate space and leverage.

Otherwise, I will avoid the lodge. I start early, ski straight through, do not eat lunch, and go home mid-afternoon. Many days, the place where I ski is not crowded. If you have to be stuck somewhere, British Columbia is not too bad!

 

[Daniel]

Powder day people will be lined up down the access road at 3am waiting for the gate to drop to the parking lot.

With 64 avalanche slide paths lining the LCC road and the great majority of them capable of reaching the highway before or during control work, there is no way UDOT ever allows vehicles to transit the canyon or line up on the canyon road until control work is complete and all avalanche debris is cleared from the road surface. Snowboarders and skiers do begin lining up on powder days (some as early as midnight) at the various access points below the mouth of the canyon on Salt Lake Valley's east bench. It's a long-standing tradition but became a major problem, congestion-wise, about a decade ago. In recent years, the city of Sandy no longer allows it and the problem has been shifted to Cottonwood Heights (and its residents) on big snow days when the line of vehicles can stretch for many miles in multiple directions, especially when complicated by the same thing happening with BCC.

 

[slowrider]

Saturday starts our season at the mom & pop resort I work at. Pass holders only. Employees only in the lodge for now. So will see how it plays out. Nordic is always a possibility.

 

[nemesis256]

Nordic is always a possibility.

Is it though? If it's uncrowded, yes. But nordic is such a huge cardio workout that constantly breathing hard is normal. That's a lot of other people's breath to be inhaling in crowded areas of touring centers.

 

[Wendy]

Is it though? If it's uncrowded, yes. But nordic is such a huge cardio workout that constantly breathing hard is normal. That's a lot of other people's breath to be inhaling in crowded areas of touring centers.

I’ve skied at a lot of XC centers in the NE, and I’ve never experienced it crowded enough to worry about contracting an infectious disease, even on trails closer to the lodge. It’s also a lot easier to don XC boots at the car and walk to the trails; XC skis are way lighter than alpine skis.