Tahoe ski resorts ramping up for a ‘different’ season

Yes, the Sierra resorts are gearing up for winter, but like everything else associated with 2020, things are going to look a bit different and all those concerned are asking for patience and understanding.

“We want to be clear — things are going to be different in a lot of ways,” said Liesl Hepburn, public relations director for Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, located in the Truckee area. “We’re asking our guests to be flexible.”

Guests can expect all the resorts to be implementing increased safety protocol in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows spent $1 million in safety and sanitation equipment and systems and face masks are mandatory everywhere but while actually going down the slopes. Riding chair lifts will be different as well, capacity could be limited to half in many instances.

As for amenities, expect on the mountain what is happening down the hill — namely, limited access. Most resorts will have limited indoor seating and expect bar service only for those indoor restaurant dining, and don’t expect to hang out for hours after your done with the slopes.

Resorts will expand outdoor seating in many places and in a nod to the old-school, guests are encouraged to bring their own food and beverage and picnic or tailgate in the parking lot.

The biggest changes guests can expect will be in lift ticket availability. Heavenly Valley, which is located on the boarder of California and Nevada in South Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood (south of Heavenly) and Northstar at Tahoe (Truckee), all owned by the Vail Resorts, will be implementing a reservation system, while SVAM will use an advanced-purchase system and will eliminate walk-up and day-of ticket sales, which is something resorts have been trying to move away from for years.

“[Ticket access] will be very limited, but that may change throughout the season,” Hepburn said. “It’s on a first-come, first-serve basis. The sooner you book, the better because there is a limited number of tickets.”

Hepburn suggests the best way to give skiers and boarders the best chance of access is to buy a one of several types of season passes.

“A season pass is the No. 1 way (to ensure access),” Hepburn said. “It pays for itself after only a handful of days.”

Finding the right gear

Phil Bedrossian, snow sports and hardgoods manager at Sports Basement sporting goods store in Redwood City, said he has Sundays and Mondays off, so he’s just going to try and get tickets or passes for those days — somewhere in the Tahoe area.

“I’m going to ping those days and see what I get,” Bedrossian said. “The bummer about this is, a lot of the fun of snow sports is being able to accommodate your schedule; clearing your schedule to follow those storms (that bring fresh powder).”

But Bedrossian, who also works as a boot fitter for Sports Basement, said he’s definitely seen excitement about the upcoming season. While the pandemic hit about a week before a scheduled store demo day — an opportunity for riders at a local resort to test-ride boards and skis as they search for a new equipment — Bedrossian said it hasn’t stopped customers from buying as the store is nearly sold out of some of its premium-level gear. In fact, Bedrossian said the store decided to invest even more in the ski and snowboard department of the store for this season.

“We’ve increased by almost 40% on all hard goods,” Bedrossian said. “We’ve doubled down on having a good season. We have a good, vast selection (of skis, boards and accessories).”

And if you want the best, fitted equipment, visiting your local ski shop is the best way to do it. Online shopping may provide cheaper prices, but they don’t offer the expertise of precisely fitting equipment to the individual.

“We still identify ourselves as experts in the field,” Bedrossian said of many ski and board shop employees. “The internet can’t fit your boot. [People] see a good deal online … but it doesn’t fit.

“We correct a lot of mistakes from the internet.”

If buying new gear is not in the budget, renting what you need is also an option. Bedrossian said Sports Basement offers different rental packages, based on experience. Most ski shops have rental programs, as do the resorts themselves.

Getting on the mountain

Once you have your equipment dialed in, it’s time to hit the slopes — as long as you planned ahead. The best way to gain access to any resort in through a pass of some kind. Passes can be as elaborate as full season, while the resorts at Heavenly Valley, Kirkwood and Northstar at Tahoe also offer day passes that can be bought for a chosen number of days and will allow some of the same perks as a full-season member. It will be the only way to get on those properties if you’re looking to get in some early-season turns. Because while Heavenly and Northstar have targeted Nov. 20 as opening day, only pass holders will be allowed to reserve skiing and boarding days at that time. The general public will have to wait until Dec. 8 to begin using the mountain.

“We will be managing access and limiting lift ticket sales in order to prioritize our season pass holders,” said Joanna McWilliams, communications manager for the Tahoe Region of Vail Resorts. “Right now, the best way to gain access is to buy a pass.”

McWilliams said the best plan of action is if you know, for sure, you want to ski x-number of days this season, the best bet is to simply buy a pass for that number of days. It then makes users eligible to make advanced reservations throughout the season for the number of days bought.

If you want to avoid the lines altogether, Bedrossian said there has been an increase over the last several seasons of customers buying back-country equipment. Gear that allows skiers and boarder to hike up into the mountains on their own and ride outside the restrictions of resorts.

“We’ve seen an uptick the last couple of years, (people) getting a lot more into back-country (riding),” Bedrossian said.

This type of riding is for experienced riders only and requires a certain amount of expertise. Bedrossian suggests taking an avalanche training class before heading out.

Keeping health and safety in mind

Like SVAM, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood will not have walk-up lift ticket sales this season. All tickets will have to be reserved on the resorts’ websites. Just know that those looking for individual tickets on a given day will be given lowest priority as McWilliams said there will be a finite number every day to best maintain proper safety protocol.

“We want to be open all season long,” McWilliams said.

That sentiment was echoed by SVAM’s Hepburn, who said the focus is on keeping safe those guests who do make it on the mountain.

“The only way to be successful this season is to work together and be responsible,” Hepburn said. “It’s on us, as a resort (to make it possible), but also on the guests.

“We’ll be able to stay open if everybody plays by the rules.”

For more details about each of the resorts, along with ticket and pass information, go to Squawalpine.com and skiheavenly.com, kirkwood.com and northstarcalifornia.com.