Industry News
Vail Resorts yesterday announced its operating plan for the upcoming winter 21/22 season, and how the pandemic will impact its guests and employees.
The company will not have a reservation system this winter. They will be running all lifts at normal capacity and will not require face masks in lift lines, on chairlifts, or in gondolas.
“Face coverings will not be required outdoors, in lift lines, or on chairlifts or gondolas, unless required by local public health.”
Face coverings will be required at all indoor settings, as will proof of vaccination to dine at indoor, on-mountain quick-service (cafeteria-style) restaurants. The company did not reveal how they intend to enforce this requirement.
“Guests will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to dine at indoor, on-mountain quick-service (cafeteria-style) restaurants. Proof of vaccination will be required for guests ages 12 and over at those locations.”
Following in the footsteps of a number of other resorts (Aspen Snowmass, CO, Mount Rose Ski Tahoe, NV, and Arapahoe Basin, CO), all Vail Resorts employees will be required to have covid-19 vaccinations.
“All Vail Resorts employees will be required to have COVID-19 vaccinations for their safety and protection as well as the safety and protection of guests and resort communities…”
The full operating plan is below:
Vail Resorts today announced its Winter Operating Plan for the 2021-22 ski and ride season across its 34 North American resorts, centered on its commitment to safety and the guest experience. The protocols were shared in a letter to guests Monday, and focus on the spaces most prone to transmission – those located indoors.
“We are fortunate that the core of our experience takes place outdoors in vast mountain settings,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “However, as we welcome guests from around the world to the indoor experience at our resorts, we feel it’s important to do our part to combat the spread of COVID-19. We all need the opportunity to enjoy and experience the great outdoors, and we could not be more excited to welcome guests back to our resorts for the 2021-22 ski and ride season.”
All safety protocols outlined in Vail Resorts 2021-22 Winter Operating Plan are subject to change based on the evolving nature of the pandemic as well as federal, state, and local public health guidelines. Key details include:
-
- Mountain Access: Vail Resorts will not have a mountain reservation system this season and will load lifts and gondolas at normal capacity, optimizing guest movement around its resorts.
- Face Coverings: Face coverings will be required in indoor settings, including in restaurants, lodging properties, restrooms, retail and rental locations, and on buses. Face coverings will not be required outdoors, in lift lines, or on chairlifts or gondolas, unless required by local public health. (For example, Whistler Blackcomb requires face coverings on gondolas due to orders from the Provincial Health Authority of British Columbia).
- Dining – Reservations: Like last season, guests will be required to book a reservation to eat at many on-mountain restaurants. However, based on current regulations, the company is expecting significantly more seating and dining capacity than last season, and intends to open reservations one day prior, versus the day-of last season.
- Dining – Vaccinations: Guests will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to dine at indoor, on-mountain quick-service (cafeteria-style) restaurants. Proof of vaccination will be required for guests ages 12 and over at those locations. This requirement includes those guests 12 and over in ski and ride school programs that include lunch. More details on the verification process will be released ahead of the season on resort websites. Consistent with many other large-scale indoor activities and venues, Vail Resorts believes the vaccine requirement is important for the protection of its guests and employees, given the number of people using these facilities and the fact that guests will not be wearing face coverings while eating and drinking. This is currently the only part of the resort experience that will require proof of vaccination, unless required by local public health. (For example, Whistler Blackcomb requires proof of COVID-19 vaccinations in all indoor restaurants, restaurant patios and bars due to orders from the Provincial Health Authority of British Columbia).
- Employee Safety: All Vail Resorts employees will be required to have COVID-19 vaccinations for their safety and protection as well as the safety and protection of guests and resort communities, and in compliance with the recent rules announced under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Indoor face coverings, enhanced hygiene practices, daily employee health screenings, and other health and safety measures will also continue.
With cooler weather on the way and winter around the corner, the season will kick off at Keystone this October, with the resort set to open as early as possible in the month thanks to recent investments in a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient snowmaking system. Breckenridge and Vail will open on Nov. 12, followed by eight more resorts from the West Coast to the East on Nov. 19. All resort opening dates can be found HERE.
Epic Pass products are currently still available to purchase for the 2021-22 season, with prices reduced by 20 percent as compared to last year’s prices during the same purchase period. Offering the best deal in skiing and riding, the price reset applies to the entire portfolio of the Vail Resorts’ North American pass lineup, including Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass and Epic Day Pass; Whistler Blackcomb Unlimited, Whistler Blackcomb Day Pass and EDGE Cards; Summit Value Pass, Tahoe Local and Value Pass, and Northeast Value and Midweek Pass; Military Epic Pass and Adaptive Pass; and many more. More details can be found at EpicPass.com.
Vail feels vaxxing the employees protects the guests. I’m a ski instructor. I work outside. They don’t require face masks outside, on lifelines, etc.. Vail says I can’t work for them because I’m not vaccinated. I worked for Vail through the Covid pandemic .. winter 2020 and 2021… no covid incidents in my department. I was part of their front line, keeping lessons going out and keeping people happy, which wasn’t always easy. This year I’m person non-gratis. They offered me 3 jobs that did not require being in contact with people… Snow maker, Groomer, Remote travel agent. The first two were, “what are you crazy” and the third requires a financial investment in technology. My husband, who is in management got the same offer. Seems like Vail just wants anyone asking for religious exemptions to not be able to qualify or want something they offer so the company can be off the hook. Go figure.
G: Come back when you have data to support your reposting of information found only on conspiracy or antivax websites.
Funny how you don’t have to wear facemasks at NFL Games, Emmy’s or whatever fartsniffing contest AOC wore her stupid dress to.
Masks are for peasants. Elites and Dem’s get to choose when and where they enforce their rules.
If you only visit anti-vcxx sites you will only get information supporting anti-vcxx views. Your statements are mostly not supported by data. Yes, delta variant is prevalent; yes, the vaccinated can have breakthrough cases; yes, there is currently a surge of cases going through the world. Those statements you made are valid. I will address only one issue of your mostly false rant because most of what you say is easily proven false by a simple fact check. When you state, “Published studies such as those from Vietnam…” you spread the misinformation and you are part of the problem. The referenced Vietnam study was not published, it was a preprint shared so that researchers could have early access to the study. The report did not undergo the peer review and revision process that precedes publication. The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (the study authors) released a statement saying that the study was “…completely misinterpreted and misquoted by an anti-vaxx website.” The study compared the vaccine load of CLINICIANS currently (with the delta variant) with CLINICIANS prior to the delta variant.
Quickly:
Vaccinated individuals can get COVID but have less severe cases, are rarely hospitalized, and yes, they can spread the virus–that is why face masks and social distancing continue to be a valuable tools in fighting the spread of the pandemic.
Vaccine effectiveness quoted is non-sensical–not supported by scientific any study. You say that now the Pfizer vaccine is less effective? There have been studies that 24 weeks after the administration of the second dose the vaccine effectiveness may decreased to 84% effective. Realize that the 84% effective number comes from evaluating individuals who are actively exposed to the virus…not normal folks who may be exposed in normal life. There are no numbers reported in the range you mention above, but I did not check the fantasy portion of the internet.
It is interesting that some of the points you state as fact are exactly opposite to clinical studies–peer-reviewed and published–and the reports of hospital doctors and nurses throughout the world. Also note that many of those who encourage a revolt against vaccine mandates are themselves vaccinated.
Please try to do a simple fact check prior to stalling the KoolAid. It is so simple. When doing so, avoid the far left and far right sites, the sites with an agenda, and the scare sites.
Vail is clueless about medical reality. In my opinion, they are now part of the problem rather than the solution.
1. The covid 19 vaccines were targeted at the wuhan strain and no other mutations. That strain disappeared long ago. The vaccines are worthless against mutations other than the original Wuhan mutation.
2. The dominant strain in the US is now the delta variant. The vaccines do not work against this variant. They only work against the original variant which disappeared long ago.
3. The US vaccine and medical data is chaotic and totally unreliable. But Israel and Britain have much better data. Israel, with almost 100 percent of Jewish adults being vaccinated, is having a massive outbreak of corona virus and 90 percent of those cases are among the vaccinated! Britain is having similar results right now.
4. Published studies such as those from Vietnam, have shown that vaccinated people have as much as 251 times the amount of corona virus vaccine in their noses compared to non vaccinated people. Vaccinated people are actually super spreaders now.
5. The vaccines have failed in efficacy (e.g. Pfizer is now between 42% and 17% effective, which is considered a failed vaccine) and they are unsafe (see the VAERS data base). A number of scientists, doctors, and virologists not associated with the government have called for an immediate cessation of all covid vaccine programs
6. Vaccinated people are very susceptible to covid-19 delta variant. And they get much sicker compared to non vaccinated people. This is called the Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) response.
7. Vaccinated people can easily pass on the delta variant to other vaccinated people and the unvaccinated.
8. Only those with natural immunity are safe. According to a variety of studies natural immunity is long standing and significantly more effective than vaccine immunity. A recent Israeli study with several hundred thousand people found natural immunity is 27 times more effective than vaccine immunity. Studies have shown natural immunity covers all of the variants rather than just the Wuhan variant.
In my opinion Vail’s policy will concentrate super spreaders (i.e. the vaccinated) in closed spaces which will increase the spread of covid-19.
Vail will be directly responsible for many people getting extremely ill and for the deaths of some people, in my opinion.
Remember all the politicians and news outlets that condemned the vaccines when it was Trump’s Operation Warp Speed?
I wonder if all that misinformation and bias from the media had anything to do with everyone’s current hesitancy?
How can anyone justify patronizing a resort that implements measures that favor employee health and safety over guest convenience?
Red- Maybe you should boycott these places you aren’t allowed in lol
Absolutely disgusting mandates, they should be ashamed of themselves.