With Covid, the surges that are taking place and all the uncertainty what makes most sense, to get a season pass or pass on a pass this year?
My Initial Thoughts:
Here it is November 30th and I have not yet totally made up my mind, but with recent news, I am leaning towards not making a pass purchase this season. Why? The 2 big players Vail Resorts (Epic) and Alterra (IKON) have provided some degree of assurance. BUT, major questions remain, if the resort is open how long is the line going to be with substantially reduced uphill capacity?? The flip side of this coin, with the reduced capacity on a great mid-week powder day, you might get lucky and ski freshies all day long!
If it’s cold out, where do you retreat to get warmed up if the lodges are at capacity? And do you really want to be indoors at all? Some areas are promoting “parking lot / use your car”…well that only works at resorts with large amounts of parking an ez walk to the lifts.
The big $$ answer? Ski In, ski out accommodations!! If I am at the Ritz in Beaver Creek or at Aspen Highlands or another resort where I can get to my room easily without finding lots of people in small places it might be ok. But again on a cold day running into the lobby and taking that elevator???
Who knows how many ski seasons I have in me, but I am leaning to play it safe and look forward to next season. By all appearances we will have vaccine choices by fall next year, so is sitting out a season worth the risk? Beyond the risk of contracting Covid, if you do get a few days in and the state your in goes into some time of lock-down, then while you may get some of your $$ as credit for next season you’re locked into the resort company you purchased from meaning either Epic or Ikon. Me? I like to switch it up from season to season now.
In summary:
So, there’s no easy answer. Reach out and let me know your thoughts!
