Industry News
Alyeska Resort, AK outlined some of the operational changes skiers and riders can expect at the resort next season. The normal health and safety procedures will be enforced; social distancing, hand-washing, and a strict ‘no mask, no service’ policy.
The resort is not planning on being a ‘reservations only ski resort’.
More details below:
During the winter 20/21 ski season, some things will look different on our mountain from previous years. These measures are put in place to ensure we keep everyone safe and our community healthy.
While visiting the mountain, the hotel, and restaurant facilities, we ask you remember three main principles:
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- You must have a face mask on at all times while in all lift lines while riding the chairlifts and in all public spaces. NO MASK, NO SERVICE;
- Keep at least six feet distance from people you don’t know or didn’t arrive with;
- Please practice good hygiene, stay home if you feel unwell, wash your hands, and sneeze or cough into your elbow.
Below we’ve outlined what you can expect while enjoying the slopes this winter. Thank you for your patience while we get into the swing of things!
What to Expect
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- We will be following government guidelines and recommendations throughout the entirety of the winter.
- You must have a facemask on at all times while in lift lines, riding the chairlifts, and in all public areas. NO MASK NO SERVICE
- Please obey all posted signage and be respectful of our staff.
- Please stay home if you are feeling unwell or have been in close contact with someone who is feeling unwell.
- We have increased cleaning within our common areas especially in high-traffic areas and high touch-point surfaces
- Please be patient and keep your distance from others on the mountain
- We will continually review guidelines and update our procedures to ensure we can provide you with a safe environment and the best resort experience possible.
- At this time, Alyeska does not plan to be a reservations only ski resort for tickets and passes.
- We will create a customer for each lift ticket sale to aid in contact tracing if needed. Lift ticket transactions may take slightly longer than before. Consider a Choice Pass which is direct to lift allowing you to skip the ticket office window and receive a discount as well.
- There will be parking attendants to organize traffic coming in and out of the day lodge parking lot. This is new this year and will help guests “know before you go” to help increase communication and awareness about these changes.
A Letter to Our Community and the Skiing and Riding Community of Alaska
Since we had to make the hard decision of suspending our operations in March, we have collectively faced many challenges, big and small, professional, and personal. We have also not had the athletic and expressive outlet of skiing and riding that allows us a much-needed escape added to the difficulties brought by the global pandemic. Collectively, however, Alaskans have prevailed in the face of adversity before, and we will again. we will ride again, and we are committed to skiing and riding for the 2020/21 winter ski season.
As a business that relies closely on the community it serves, we have to make changes to preserve the health, wellness, and safety of our guests, staff, and community. The changes made are calculated, well-thought-out ideas to ensure our resort survives the temporary downturn of the economy and reduces the potential spread of coronavirus by limiting human to human contact points and gatherings. Unfortunately, some of the familiar aspects of skiing and riding experience are forced to change this season.
The spirit of skiing and riding will not change this winter; it will be present every day we operate. We will still get excited about snowstorms and powder days, rope drops into new zones, groomers, top to bottom laps, and the return of those sunny spring conditions that feel “oh so good.” While the core of skiing and riding will remain unchanged, some of our peripheral favorites will have to be put on pause or altered to improve our collective health and safety. aspects like aprés ski and sitzmark concerts, how the mountain learning center and rentals take bookings, hotel operations with a new pool reservations system, restaurant capacities, and our beloved aerial tramway will all look different.
While we know this will be a challenging reality to accept this winter, we remain honored and humbled to be the ones who get to operate the ski area, the hotel, and our restaurants. This responsibility is a source of pride, and the passion for winter sports behind every goggle lens and the smile behind every face mask is why we’re doing this. It’s why we will persevere in the face of this adversity.
Over the summer season, we were able to implement some of these changes and saw a great deal of success with some and also remained dynamic enough to change or alter others while safely operating the hotel, aerial tram, restaurants, and the bike park. This was done by working with and listening to our employees, public officials, and our community. In doing so, we were able to look at problems and implement solutions to enjoy the mountains under the midnight sun.
As we move away from summer, looking at winter operations, our teams have evaluated new safety procedures for skiing and riding.
We will be encouraging as much midweek skiing and riding as possible and are excited by how many pass holders have chosen to purchase mid-week passes leading into this season. Having some skiers and riders shift to mid-week days will help alleviate congestion resort-wide, and while we know this is not a solution for all, we are encouraged by the enthusiasm for mid-week skiing and riding.
We understand that these changes are a lot to process and think about, and we know it will take more logistical planning on your end to come skiing. The theme this winter will be ‘ski well, be well’ and in the coming weeks and months, we will be sharing more details as you plan your skiing and riding time with us.
As we’re starting to see the “anticipation” dust on the surrounding peaks, the northern lights shining above Girdwood, and that feeling of the days getting shorter; we look forward to that first big storm, the powder days to come, and getting back to doing the thing we love. We’re excited to welcome you back and escape to the one thing that makes us all feel normal. We respectfully ask that all of our guests come to Alyeska with an open mind. Please be kind, courteous, and patient with our staff and with each other and most of all, please keep the winter stoke high.
Please reach out with any questions or concerns so we can keep you informed on all options for a great winter.
Thinking snowy thoughts and fully committed,
Brian Burnett, ski area general manager
Mandy Hawes, Alyeska Resort general manager
