Planning for Winter at Ski Areas During the Pandemic

By Mark Okrant

Photos courtesy Ski New Hampshire

It is well known that residents and visitors to New Hampshire love to ski. The industry provides a big boost to the state’s economy, with ski areas around the state offering downhill and cross-country skiing. A typical snowy winter’s day sees thousands of ski enthusiasts on the slopes, and dining and socializing at ski lodges after a few good runs is part of the fun.

This year, however, it is a very different situation, as we are all aware. Although COVID-19 has been with us for more than six months, its impact has been felt across the entire travel and hospitality industry. Nationwide, the 460 ski areas situated in 37 states have suffered losses estimated at more than two billion dollars.

Recently, the “Reopening Guidance for NH Ski Areas” was released by the Office of Governor Sununu, and ski areas around the state are looking forward to developing operating plans around the guidance provided. 

“The draft guidance we submitted and presented to the Governor’s Reopening Task Force was put together with input and consensus across our ski area members. It’s been a real team effort and I’m very proud of the work that our re-opening committee and ski area members have been able to accomplish together,” said Jessyca Keeler, president of Ski New Hampshire. “The approved guidance takes the health and safety of our guests and staff seriously, and with additional input from the Department of Public Health, we’re confident that we have a guidance document that will lead us through this very different upcoming ski season.”

With the guidance directive now released, area ski areas are optimistic about the season. According to Stacie Sullivan, Communications Manager at Waterville Valley Resort, it is expected people will be out on skis in good numbers, although events will be modified to accommodate the need for social distancing. 

Christine Collins, the director of Wolfeboro’s parks and recreation department, which oversees the Abenaki Ski Area, expects there to be a good deal of social distancing, with Abenaki’s buildings being accessible only to use the restrooms. Many skiers will “boot up” in their cars in parking lots. (Note: some resorts may apply a “drop and go” policy to ski bags.) Food and beverages will be available at Abenaki only at pickup windows. 

The “COVID-19 Reopening Guidance for NH Ski Areas” will be implemented statewide and includes guidance for staff and guests alike to wear face coverings inside buildings (except when eating or drinking), in lift lines and mazes, as well as when loading, riding, and unloading from lifts. The face mask policy applies to other places where six feet of physical distancing cannot be achieved. 

Resorts will implement enhanced cleaning regimens, and apply employee protocols (many of which have been in place since summer operations began. Chairlift rides will only group families and those who have traveled together. Ski areas will shift to more online ticket sales to avoid lines and in-person transactions at ticket windows, and there will be physical distancing requirements and capacity controls within lodges and other indoor facilities. These adaptations and others will be common across the state’s ski areas and should provide a baseline of what guests can expect at any given area.

In addition to topics within the guidance directive that address ski-area specific operations such as chairlifts and lodges, other references must be followed, including the NH Universal Guidance and Guidance for the Food Service Industry, Child Care, Retail Stores, Amateur & Youth Sports, NH Performing Arts Venues, and various CDC Guidance.

Resorts will be responsible for implementing operating plans designed to reduce the risk of infection from COVID-19. Guests will be responsible for following these procedures prior to and when they arrive at the ski area. Skier services will vary by resort, as each area will decide which parts of its operation will be available to its guests. Guests should check each ski area’s website for the status of its offerings and policies before arriving. 

“These guidelines will help our guests to have the confidence to get out to ski and ride. Now’s the time to get pumped for the ski season—the rest is up to Mother Nature,” said Tom Day, Gunstock Mountain Resort president and general manager. 

Looking back at the previous ski season, when COVID started, Ski New Hampshire Inc.’s (Ski NH) 15-member ski resorts and 15-member touring centers were impacted by the directive to self-quarantine immediately last March. The shutdown could not have come at a worse time, as only December exceeds March in importance to the state’s ski industry. Early estimates indicated the cost to ski areas was more than a million dollars during that single month.

According to Ski New Hampshire’s Keeler, “People throughout the country were caught flat-footed. We had to wait until someone told us how to react. Ultimately, they were instructed to shut down operations during March 2020, while not knowing when, or if, they would be able to reopen.”

Keeler adds, “We’re all looking forward to this ski season. It’s almost as if we have some unfinished business after having our season come to an abrupt end in mid-March. That said, the key to opening and staying open this year will be for ski areas to do their part, and guests to do theirs. It’s up to all of us to observe and respect the new protocols being put in place that are designed to keep staff and guests safe and healthy.”

During the 2019-20 season, Ski NH’s 15 alpine areas had a count of 1,961,072 skier visits. The prior (2018-19) season, that count was 2,142,668. This means that member alpine ski areas experienced a decrease in visitation of eight percent, year-to-year. The damage was even greater than these numbers show, however, as there were significant financial losses that would have come in the form of existing season ticket, food and beverage, retail, and other sales, plus vital advance purchases of 2020-21 season passes. 

Among those interviewed, opinions about the forthcoming ski season varied from optimistic to “wait-and-see.” A majority of operators agree with Sullivan’s assessment that more people will be on the slopes and the trails. The logic is obvious: most people feel cooped up; therefore, they will see this winter as an opportunity to escape the doldrums of house sitting and channel surfing. 

The question all ski area operators are facing is how to handle ski passes. Hoping to avoid the necessity to facilitate on-site ticket purchases, lift ticket purchases are likely to be made online. Skiers would order and purchase their tickets using a website, then have them printed at kiosks on the mountain sides, with passes checked using portable electronic devices.

So, how will ticket purchases at the Lakes Region’s three downhill (Abenaki, Gunstock, and Ragged Mountain) and three cross-country (Gunstock, Nordic Skier, and Purity Spring) ski areas look this coming season? One of the most effective recent practices by ski areas is still under consideration. During a typical season, discounts are offered for early purchases of seasonal ski passes. Meanwhile single day passes purchased at ticket windows are offered at a significantly higher daily rate. Under present circumstances, it makes sense to keep this system in place, as it’s also an effective way of keeping people out of the ski lodges. 

Many food and drink services will remain outdoors, as food trucks, tented dining places in parking lots, and outdoor deck spaces are added. Masks and disinfection protocols will be de rigueur, and Plexiglass dividers will be in place to protect the health of staff and guests. 

One positive footnote has resulted from the pandemic and the uncertainty that has followed. Keeler reports that the sense of community among its constituencies—individual resorts, state associations, and the National Ski Areas Association’s membership—has never been stronger. This can only bode well for the future of the nation’s ski industry. 

(Additional information for this story provided by Ski New Hampshire.)

For more information on ski areas, trail conditions, vacation planning, and updated winter events at Ski New Hampshire resorts, visit SkiNH.com. For statewide travel information, go to VisitNH.gov.)