Industry News
Following the trend of keeping their communities informed, here is another open letter from a resort chief setting expectations for winter 20/21. Sky Foulkes, President and COO at Winter Park, CO gives us the lowdown.
To Our Community of Mountain Adventurers,
I want to start by saying thank you for your loyalty, patience and continued support of Winter Park. It has been a challenging, yet invigorating few months, and we appreciate your support. That unique annual excitement and giddiness is beginning as all mountain enthusiasts look towards winter. Unlike any winter before, however, this year we’re anticipating those first signs of snow with feelings that are hard to describe, with new questions and several unknowns.
What we do know is that Winter Park Resort is built on the transformative nature of venturing out: the power of nature, movement, and mountains to help us restore, recharge and reset. And now more than ever, it feels like that is what we all need. We’re excited to venture out this winter with our favorite people: YOU, skiers and riders, adventurers and mountain enthusiasts.
Winter Park plans to open for the 2020/21 winter season as we usually do in mid-November, following all appropriate guidelines. Our priority remains the health and well-being of our guests, employees and community, and we will pivot operations based on the latest information from health officials. Our operations will be modified and your experience as a guest will likely feel a bit different, but we’ve been working diligently to create a memorable 2020/21 winter season.
Here’s what we know now:
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- Winter will come, and our mountains will soon be covered with snow!
- We will adjust indoor spaces to reduce the number of people able to gather in a space, and this may mean more time outdoors for our guests.
- With more than 3,000 acres to spread out on, our guests have plenty of room to enjoy the fresh mountain air.
- We plan to provide new contactless dining and lodging check-in options.
- We will continue to implement enhanced cleaning procedures.
- We plan to offer modified versions of ski and ride lessons, tours, tubing and rentals that will allow for smaller group interactions, social distancing and a greater focus on outdoor spaces.
- We plan to shift to a pre-booking method of purchasing to limit lines and in-person contact.
- To help us keep our resort healthy and open for adventurers of all types, we will ask our guests to commit to our health code of conduct, and continue to take measures such as wearing a face mask, frequent hand washing and maintaining at least six feet of distance from others.
The Winter Park team is the best in business, and we’ve worked hard to plan and open modified summer activities, including our famed Trestle Bike Park. Since June 27, we have successfully and efficiently moved guests up and on the mountain for summer adventures. Based on our successful summer, we’re reflecting and learning how to modify our winter operations to give our guests a place to venture out.
More than 80 years ago, it took a hell-bent army of tunnel builders to bore through the Continental Divide, a stubborn ski die-hard to invent grooming, and a town of tenacious adventure seekers to create Colorado’s original ski community. That essence of trailblazing still permeates every trail, stream and slope in Winter Park. And that same pioneering spirit will help us plan and open Winter Park Resort for an unforgettable 20/21 winter season.
We invite you to join us as we venture out this winter.
Sky Foulkes
President and COO
Winter Park Resort
