How is the ski industry going to handle social distancing?
Ski season 2020-2021: Face coverings, adherence to local health regs, and sanitization will obviously be the norm. What about social distancing?
America’s ski scene is dominated by two large ski conglomerates. This coming season, each is taking a different approach: Vail Resorts will institute a reservation system, and Alterra will not.
For those not in the know, the last decade has been something of a land grab between these two companies as they added resorts to their portfolio at breakneck speed. Highlights of Vail Resorts include Vail Ski Resort, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Heavenly, Park City, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, Okemo, Crested Butte, Mount Snow, and Hunter Mountain. Alterra’s lineup includes Deer Valley, Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, Steamboat, Stratton, and Mont Tremblant.
While some bemoan the demise of the local ski resort, this corporate consolidation has been a boon to the average ski customer. Why? Both Vail Resorts and Alterra sell multi-resort ski passes on a pre-commitment model—by paying for an Epic Pass (Vail Resorts) or Ikon Pass (Alterra) in some instances as early as a year in advance, consumers are able to ski each of the respective companies’ entire portfolio of resorts on a single pass product, for the same price it traditionally would have cost to purchase a season pass to one mountain.
Each pass extends beyond the portfolio of each company’s owned-and-operated resorts, as well, and includes a number of independently owned partner resorts. The Epic Pass includes access to Telluride, Sun Valley, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, and Hakuba and Rusutsu in Japan. Ikon Pass includes access to Copper Mountain, Aspen Snowmass, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resorts.
Of course, these pre-commitment, multi-resort pass products are a win for the resorts as well, which get their share of the cash earlier than if they were selling their own season passes. That means regardless of how the 2021 ski season unfolds, both companies have already received a significant chunk of their revenue.
Vail Resorts’ reservation model gives an advantage to season pass holders over single-day lift ticket purchasers. The reservation system requires all pass holders to make a reservation before arriving at the mountain. Throughout the season, pass holders will be able to make as many week-of reservations as their pass type and availability allow. The early season will be reserved for pass holders only, and no individual lift tickets will be sold until December 8th. Epic Pass holders will have the opportunity to book up to seven core season “Priority Reservation Days” in advance; beyond those seven guaranteed days, pass holders will be able to make week-of reservations. To both manage lift ticket sales and minimize physical contact, no lift tickets will be sold at ticket windows at any Vail Resorts—they have to be pre-purchased online and picked up on the premises.
While the reservation system may be an efficient way to control the amount of people on any given Vail Resorts property on any given day, it may also be just complicated enough to deter those who usually purchase single-day lift tickets. Furthermore, the average skier may only plan a handful of days each year—and if you’re late to the reservation system for the same school vacation week for which everyone else is vying, you might be out of luck for 2021. (Vail says they expect to be able to accommodate everyone who wants to ski on most days.)
Alterra, on the other hand, appears to be trying to retain the spontaneous nature of the sport—any skier will tell you that the best days are the unplanned ones. Season pass holders will not be required to reserve days in advance (rules may differ at partner resorts; Jackson Hole will require reservations, for example); however, there will be a cap on single-day lift ticket sales.
For the 2020-2021 season, the Epic Pass will cost $999 for adults for unlimited access to 37 different resorts plus up to seven days each at other Colorado, Idaho, Canadian, and Japanese venues. (Discounted passes are available for locals, kids, and active military; there are also regional passes available.) The Ikon Pass will cost $1,049 for adults for unlimited access to 15 resorts, as well as up to seven days each at 28 different mountains. (Regional and limited-days passes are also available.) Expect lots of hand sanitizer stations, expanded mazes at chairlifts, and spraying down of gondolas at all locations.
And for those skiers who want to take social-distancing to the extreme, there’s another segment of the ski industry that expects a relatively prosperous fiscal year, all things considered: heli-skiing. Several of the bigger companies in the U.S. and Canada report weeks are already sold out.
Twist’s Take: Ski season 2020-2021: expect face coverings, sanitization, and if you’re a Vail Resorts fan, a lift ticket reservation system.
