VR Winter Operating Plan

[Saintsman]

Anywhere official and most businesses, I'd expect you need to present your actual ID, not just a photo of it.

Maybe I've just heard too many horror stories about stolen passports, but when I'm out and about in another country, my passport stays on me. A lot of ski gear has big pockets, or an around-the-neck passport holder is pretty unobtrusive.

My passport goes in the hotel safe - I have other gov issued photo ID I can carry far more easily. If I carry my passport inside my jacket on mountain for 6 weeks it's going to disintegrate with all the moisture

 

[Saintsman]

Currently for restaurants and bars in B.C. you have to show proof of vax and ID. I suspect it will vary from establishment to establishment on how strict they are re: ID.

Try emailing actual restaurants or bars in Whistler vs dealing with useless government bureaucrats.

BC regs say ID used to enter the country --which would be my passport. Restaurants, including on mountain, will be following BC regs, surely, so they'll be in the same position as me. My driver's license uses exactly the same photo (the two gov departments share data in the UK) but that's not considered valid by the regs I have seen published.

 

[Posaune]

If I carry my passport inside my jacket on mountain for 6 weeks it's going to disintegrate with all the moisture

My guess is that, regardless of the regulations, the businesses will only want ID, not a passport necessarily. However, if you think you should carry your passport, keep it inside a zip-loc sandwich baggie to keep out the moisture.

Those of us from just south of the border can get an "enhanced" driver license which works like a passport to pass into Canada, but when we used to need a passport I kept mine in a baggie. It worked just fine.

 

[Saintsman]

My guess is that, regardless of the regulations, the businesses will only want ID, not a passport necessarily. However, if you think you should carry your passport, keep it inside a zip-loc sandwich baggie to keep out the moisture.

Those of us from just south of the border can get an "enhanced" driver license which works like a passport to pass into Canada, but when we used to need a passport I kept mine in a baggie. It worked just fine.

I'd already thought of the ziploc type thing- but how often did you actually have to take it out? I'd need to do that every time I entered an on mountain bar/restaurant/cafe.

Also, I'm somewhat dubious that WB on mountain are going to ignore the legally mandated requirements wrt required ID, regardless that it's bonkers. I mean, how else does the BC gov reckon I'll have got into the country? It's not like anyone listening to me could mistake me as a local

 

[Bill Talbot]

Well it looks like I won't be skiing again this year. No problem, I've got many other hobbies that will be happy to take my now freed up funds! Plus there's still the Thunderbolt Trail and of course Tuckerman!!!

Mod edit: Political

 

[noncrazycanuck]

I'd already thought of the ziploc type thing- but how often did you actually have to take it out? I'd need to do that every time I entered an on mountain bar/restaurant/cafe.

Also, I'm somewhat dubious that WB on mountain are going to ignore the legally mandated requirements wrt required ID, regardless that it's bonkers. I mean, how else does the BC gov reckon I'll have got into the country? It's not like anyone listening to me could mistake me as a local

just having your drivers license along with your vaccine info will be ok if you don't want to pack your passport. That totally acceptable every where I've been in BC that asked has for it. (and almost all are asking now) the only reason for id is just to match your vaccine record with who's presenting it.

I highly doubt it will be needed at lifts on hill.
Do expect to comply at ticket counters and for entry into any enclosed facilities, it's not a slow process, does seem to be helping, and a huge majority of us are on board with the program.

An accent around here just means your likely a new Canadian (and frequently have a dialect similar to the asker)

 

[James]

Well it looks like I won't be skiing again this year. No problem, I've got many other hobbies that will be happy to take my now freed up funds! Plus there's still the Thunderbolt Trail and of course Tuckerman!!!

Mod Edit: political

So why aren’t you skiing?
The vaccine is not on EUA anymore.

 

[DanoT]

I am considering a 5 or 6 week trip from B.C. to Aspen my concerns are:
-will Aspen institute a reservation system?
-will masks or other face covering be needed riding lifts?
-will I be able to ride chair/gondola by myself if I chose?
-will travel/health insurance be a bit pricey or has Covid caused the cost to skyrocket?
-will there be any hassle returning to Canada such as neg. test or quarantine plan?
-NOT concerned whether I need to carry my passport or not.

 

[Saintsman]

just having your drivers license along with your vaccine info will be ok if you don't want to pack your passport. That totally acceptable every where I've been in BC that asked has for it. (and almost all are asking now) the only reason for id is just to match your vaccine record with who's presenting it.

I highly doubt it will be needed at lifts on hill.
Do expect to comply at ticket counters and for entry into any enclosed facilities, it's not a slow process, does seem to be helping, and a huge majority of us are on board with the program.

An accent around here just means your likely a new Canadian (and frequently have a dialect similar to the asker)

I'm not expecting it for lifts - the rules explicitly say that's not required. But I will need it for on mountain restaurants

They also explicitly say that international visitors MUST use the ID they used to enter the country. That won't be my drivers license. If you're saying that everywhere will ignore that part of the regs once internationals start showing up in volume then fine, that makes life easier snd will be much quicker, but I find it unlikely that'll be the case - that would mean the restaurant and possibly myself would be breaking the law?

 

[DanoT]

Currently when entering a bar or restaurant in B.C., for B.C. residents they scan your Vax Passport(not a real passport) QR (I think that is what it is called) and this gives the bar all the contact info they need should there be a Covid outbreak linked to their bar. It takes seconds.

Showing a International Passport will confirm that you are double vaccinated but the bar will likely still need to manually record your name, date of birth, vax info and dates, email address, phone number, hotel name etc. This would be time consuming and might prompt someone to write all the info down in advance and just hand it to the bar receptionist.

I have 3 or 4 months before I need to make a final decision about travel to the USA to ski. If I had to decide today I would cancel, so hopefully a lot more Americans get vaccinated between now and mid winter. Right now in B.C. over 83% 12+y.o. are fully vaxxed and 89%+ have had one shot, so we should be at 90% fully vaxxed soon.

The greatest number of unvaxxed in B.C. are in the far north and in Nelson, B.C. (nearest town to Whitewater Resort). Nelson is the hippie/health nut capital of Canada, both young and old hippies and it is the ultra health conscious who feel that because they are so fit and healthy, they don't need a vaccination, so vax rates are low.

It turns out that although Whitewater and Red Mtn. (near Rossland) are not far apart, pass holders from Whitewater don't ski Red and visa versa. So based on vax rates, Red is a go, Whitewater a no, with little fear of cross contamination.

 

[Saintsman]

Currently when entering a bar or restaurant in B.C., for B.C. residents they scan your Vax Passport(not a real passport) QR (I think that is what it is called) and this gives the bar all the contact info they need should there be a Covid outbreak linked to their bar. It takes seconds.

Showing a International Passport will confirm that you are double vaccinated but the bar will likely still need to manually record your name, date of birth, vax info and dates, email address, phone number, hotel name etc. This would be time consuming and might prompt someone to write all the info down in advance and just hand it to the bar receptionist.

I have 3 or 4 months before I need to make a final decision about travel to the USA to ski. If I had to decide today I would cancel, so hopefully a lot more Americans get vaccinated between now and mid winter. Right now in B.C. over 80% 12+y.o. are fully vaxxed and 89%+ have had one shot, so we should be at 90% fully vaxxed soon.

The greatest number of unvaxxed in B.C. are in the far north and in Nelson, B.C. (nearest town to Whitewater Resort). Nelson is the hippie/health nut capital of Canada, both young and old hippies and it is the ultra health conscious who feel that because they are so fit and healthy, they don't need a vaccination, so vax rates are low.

It turns out that although Whitewater and Red Mtn. (near Rossland) are not far apart, pass holders from Whitewater don't ski Red and visa versa. So based on vax rates, Red is a go, Whitewater a no, with little fear of cross contamination.

Confused. BC.gov.ca says BC residents just show QR code, and that it contains your name, but not your address or any contact details -- they verify the QR code against ID but don't make a record. It also doesn't say that businesses need to record contact details......

Obviously for an international visitor they can't scan my QR code without the correct UK/EU app, and that wouldn't contain any contact info either -- nor would any form of ID I carry (my driver's license has my home address, but that would be fairly pointless)

For travel to the US, I would have thought your risk is lack of Vax as you say, and your return to Canada, which would be the same as me entering Canada -- negative PCR 72 hours prior to return, and a theoretical 14 day quarantine plan should you return a positI've random test once you've crossed the bordet

 

[DanoT]

Confused. BC.gov.ca says BC residents just show QR code, and that it contains your name, but not your address or any contact details -- they verify the QR code against ID but don't make a record.

The QR code that you show just shows your name but the code is linked to info about you. To get the app I had to enter name, dob, email, and date that I got either 1st or 2nd vax. I'm pretty sure they have a phone #as well on file.
Now that I think about it I have been to places that have scanned the QR and some that haven't, so

 

[Saintsman]

The QR code that you show just shows your name but the code is linked to info about you. To get the app I had to enter name, dob, email, and date that I got either 1st or 2nd vax. I'm pretty sure they have a phone #as well on file.

Wow. Think it would take a court order in the UK to get to contact details from my QR code

 

[DanoT]

Wow. Think it would take a court order in the UK to get to contact details from my QR code

Last winter, before we had a vaccine in Canada, if you entered a restaurant the staff manually recorded contact info details from each guest, now its all electronic for the most part.

 

[Saintsman]

Last winter, before we had a vaccine in Canada, if you entered a restaurant the staff manually recorded contact info details from each guest, now its all electronic for the most part.

We had an option for manual recording, but for most people it was the Google/Apple track and trace. Anonymised data and notification. All discontinued now in the UK

 

[ADKmel]

Don’t think Killington did.
Is that the same horrible gondola Stratton had 15 years ago? Butt perches too high as I remember. Strange.

lol butt perches- perfect description! i haven't been back to stratton (home of lift roulette too) since! i had sciatica every ride up from those horrible high seats.

 

[ADKmel]

Too high? Perhaps your hind quarters are over sized. I had no issues with it.

Stratton got rid of the sardine can few seasons back. The original name for that can was Starship 12. Skis inside. 7 around the butt perch ledge and 5 in the middle. Dump a 5 gal can of EVOO inside and we can rename it to Cuisinart 12 if it falls off the cable.

The new cabins are 8 seaters. Actually 6 plus two (very) small children. The bench is quite narrow. Won't fit 4 standard sized American hind quarters comfortably. On top of that, the lower door hinges are placed perfectly to amputate the legs at boot top of the unsuspecting dude sitting by the door. Never seen anything like that in all my travels.

The first season they installed the new cabins, we had to take the skis & boards inside. Seems the racked skis/boards expressed a general predilection of bailing out part way up the ride. Guess they bought the new cabins off ebay rather than from a reputable dealer.
When I spoke with customer service and suggest they can use a bungee cord to secure the skis/boards. From the look of horror on their faces, I took that as a "HELL NO." My parting comment to them was "If it's good enough for Jackson. It's good enough for Stratton."
They eventually got around to fixing the racks the following season.

The old gondola was very sensitive to the wind. The new gondola cabin supposed to remedy that deficiency. Unfortunately, no.
They will often shut down or not run the gondola if Bromley has sold more than couple burritos across the way.

New Stratton gondola cabin.

View attachment 142882

glad they got new gondi's but sad to hear they still play lift roulette.

 

[James]

I have 3 or 4 months before I need to make a final decision about travel to the USA to ski. If I had to decide today I would cancel, so hopefully a lot more Americans get vaccinated between now and mid winter. Right now in B.C. over 80% 12+y.o. are fully vaxxed and 89%+ have had one shot, so we should be at 90% fully vaxxed soon.

I doubt it’s going to change that much. But ski areas will generally be much higher % I would think. You could avoid certain low compliance areas, prob Utah.

As to entering and travelling in Canada, couldn’t one just use their ArriveCan app as proof of vaccination for restaurants? Plus it has contact info, no?

 

[Saintsman]

I doubt it’s going to change that much. But ski areas will generally be much higher % I would think. You could avoid certain low compliance areas, prob Utah.

As to entering and travelling in Canada, couldn’t one just use their ArriveCan app as proof of vaccination for restaurants? Plus it has contact info, no?

That's what I had thought, but I believe all a restaurant/bar could see is a receipt, with no way of authenticating anything. If it could be that simple I'd be a very happy bunny

 

[dovski]

I doubt it’s going to change that much. But ski areas will generally be much higher % I would think. You could avoid certain low compliance areas, prob Utah.

As to entering and travelling in Canada, couldn’t one just use their ArriveCan app as proof of vaccination for restaurants? Plus it has contact info, no?

I think it all depends on the province as rules and requirements vary across Canada. On a plus side though, Alberta which is the Canadian equivalent of Texas has indicated that they will institute a vaccine passport and have started to roll out mask mandates and work from home mandates so they can get Covid under control. There previous approach was way too lax and nearly caused the health care system to collapse. Hopefully they have things on the right track shortly. We are still planning on a week in Banff in April.