What To Expect Over The Holidays
Tue Dec 22 2020 •
Snowbasin Resort
Dear Valued Pass Holders and Guests,
Thank you. Thank you for the kindness to our employees and each other. Thank you for your patience in these trying times with new policies and procedures. Thank you for wearing a mask and respecting the health and safety rules. There is a lot to be thankful for this holiday season and I'm very thankful to be open and creating a much-needed ski experience for you and your families.
I want to send a note to you as we enter our busiest time of the year so you can be prepared when visiting. December 23 - January 3 is a busy time in the ski industry while many of you take time off to enjoy the holidays. Here are a few things to expect while visiting us:
- Masks are a mandatory requirement at the resort. The far majority of our guests wear a mask properly and don't need to be reminded. We are consistently communicating how critical this is, but it's important for you to have ownership in this requirement all season at the resort. We don't want to suspend guests for not wearing a mask, but we have done it and will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure a safe environment for all.
- Social distancing measures and adjustments to how we load lifts have been implemented to keep you safe. Please keep in mind the lines appear long because of this, but they are moving fast. During the holiday periods, we urge you to be patient and use a variety of lifts to explore the mountain. We are working on opening John Paul Express this week, which will help alleviate base area traffic.
- The holidays are a time of gathering with loved ones and eating great food. We're proud here to have been ranked No. 3 by Ski Magazine for on-mountain eats. With reduced capacity in the lodges, there may be times when getting a table takes a little longer, but we have created multiple options to help. People have loved our new grab-and-go menus at the outdoor slopeside dining restaurants and we encourage you to give them a try. For those not dining, we created new areas to rest and warm-up. These include the Old Day Lodge, Earl's Lodge Basement and a new Yurt Village at the base of Middle Bowl, slated to open this week.
- We have greatly reduced the number of lift tickets sold at Snowbasin and will be making further restrictions during the holidays. There will be times when your friends or family cannot buy a day ticket at the resort. We anticipate the limited inventory remaining over the holiday period will be gone very fast. If loved ones plan to ski with you, we encourage them to buy online in advance. Also, we are now allowing our Premier Pass Holders to redeem their buddy vouchers in advance for future dates by visiting the Meadow Yurt.
- Last season we expanded our parking with a new Overflow Lot and better management of the space. All parking lots are open, but there could be times these fill-up. We encourage carpooling safely with your known groups. We continue to partner with UTA on public transportation and strongly encourage using the Ski Bus service. They have reduced seating and require masks for rider safety.
- We've invested heavily into snowmaking and feature one of the best systems in the ski industry. Our team continues to operate our system to its full capability to open terrain as fast as possible. We are currently lacking snow to open Strawberry Gondola but will do so as soon as we can. We're grateful for the amount of terrain we've been able to open and encourage you to stay safe on marked open trails during these early season conditions.
- We have doubled our efforts in enforcing speed control on the mountain. As I say to many guests who have had their passes pulled for excessive fast skiing, this is not a statement on your great skiing ability. You can probably ski in control. It's that you are skiing too fast around many guests who are NOT of your vast experience. This is not something we take lightly and owe it to everyone around us to slow down and be safe. We urge you to please think of others and know the code of skiing and riding.
Thank you for making Snowbasin your home mountain. I know for so many of you, getting outdoors during this time of crisis is critical. We understand that and want to make sure we stay open for the whole season. This takes all of us to have a personal responsibility for our own safety and others. Please wear a mask at all times and create space for yourself in lines.
Lastly, I want to thank my team. This has been a heck of a year for them. The uncertainty in work, the innovation in operations, the health protocols and changes in job roles to the fact that they just want to have a great day like everyone else. This has made it challenging for them. I support and thank them for their work in creating this experience and opportunity to ski.
The holidays are a time for joy and giving. As we enter this very busy time, I express my joy in you, our guests, for coming to Snowbasin and giving us an opportunity to serve you.
Sincerely,
Davy Ratchford
Snowbasin Resort General Manager
