Adventure

What to Expect at U.S. Ski Resorts This Winter

Here’s how mountains across the country are getting creative and keeping you safe.
Whitefish Mountain Resort
Courtesy Whitefish Mountain Resort

Ski towns were among the first U.S. destinations affected by the coronavirus as the 2019-2020 season hit its stride. Now, as this year's ski season fast approaches, resorts are working hard to ensure that skiers, snowboarders, instructors, and everyone else can stay safe on and off the slopes. Ski resorts across the U.S. recently began unveiling their operating plans and we took a closer look to see just how different they will be. From planning ahead and making reservations for just about everything to big changes to the après scene as we know it, here’s what to expect at U.S. ski resorts this season.

Don’t expect day-of lift tickets

It’ll come as no surprise that ski resorts are restricting capacity this year—some by as much as 50 percent. Generally speaking, resorts are doing away with undated or day-of tickets this year. Instead they are releasing a limited number of lift tickets in advance that must be purchased online or via the resort’s app. The few resorts that are selling day-of lift tickets plan to shut those sales down first if their slopes reach capacity. Walk-up ticket sales are also going to be largely eliminated, including at all 15 Alterra Mountain Company resorts (Deer Valley, Big Bear Mountain, and Winter Park among them). All that is to say, gone are the days of the impromptu ski trip and occasional skiers will no longer be able to roll up and buy tickets on arrival.

Even those who still have valid undated lift tickets saved from last year’s shortened season will need to plan ahead. Many resorts are requiring mountain access reservations, a new system that will help resorts keep tabs on capacity while giving skiers and snowboarders a confirmed space on the mountain. While new 2020-2021 lift tickets will come with mountain access included, those with undated tickets will need to contact their resort to make a reservation. Securing advance lift tickets (and mountain access if necessary) will be the only way to lock in not just your preferred dates, but really any day on the slopes.

Season passes are the golden ticket

Season pass holders get the biggest benefits all around, including unprecedented refund options, priority reservation days, and even unlimited skiing. Grand Targhee in Wyoming is guaranteeing pass holders 100 days of skiing, while Arapahoe Basin (Ikon Pass) can promise unlimited skiing because it’s cutting down slope competition by selling a very limited number of season passes.

Season pass products also offer the most flexibility this winter—important in light of constantly changing COVID-19 surges and travel restrictions. Ikon will roll the purchase price paid for an unused pass to the 2021–22 ski season, while Epic will extend a full or prorated refund depending on the reason for cancellation. At Aspen Snowmass, all passes are fully refundable through November 20. Some individual resorts, like Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana, are offering full refunds.

But that doesn’t mean you can roll up to any lift as a season pass holder to take on the slopes. Just like with lift tickets, many season pass holders will need to book mountain access reservations in advance in order to hit the slopes.

Buying lift tickets in advance will be a must at resorts like Sugarloaf in Maine.

Courtesy Sugarloaf Mountain/Jamie Walter

It will be important for you to check with individual resorts though, because not everyone is requiring reservations if you have a season pass. The main disparity is between Vail Resorts' destinations, which are on the Epic Pass, and Alterra's Ikon Pass resorts. This season, all 33 of Vail's owned and operated U.S. resorts—including Breckenridge, Stowe—will require mountain access reservations. The thinking is that the new system will deliver consistency across its own destinations while also making it easier for skiers to plan. "For the vast majority of days during the season, we believe everyone who wants to get on our mountains will be able to,” said Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz in a letter to guests. "However, we are not planning for the majority of days, we are planning for every day of the season.” Epic season pass holders get an added bonus with the chance to lock in seven priority mountain access reservation dates during a passholder-only booking window (November 6–December 7). Independently operated Epic Pass partner resorts don't have to require reservations and a few are already opting out, including Telluride, Snow Basin, and Sun Valley.

Alterra Mountain Company, which operates 15 U.S. resorts with the Ikon Pass, will not require reservations across all of them. Instead, Alterra is leaving the decision to each of its mountains to decide based on the local environment. (You can find an updated list of what resorts are requiring Ikon pass reservations here.) Right now, most Ikon partner ski areas are not planning to require reservations, including Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado; Snowbird, Solitude Mountain, and Deer Valley in Utah, and Montana's Big Sky Mountain Resort. A spokesperson for Big Sky says they’ll be playing it by ear, but generally don’t plan to restrict access given the resort’s uniquely vast terrain. “With 5,850 acres and 38 lifts, we offer more than an acre per skier on average and feel confident we can handle our normal volume of skiers.”

Regardless of the season pass you buy, be sure to check your preferred resort’s site to find out when you can start booking your 2020-2021 dates, if required. Anyone hoping for a ski trip over traditionally popular ski holidays like Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend or President's Day should be reserving those trips as soon as possible, because resorts say they’re likely to book up fast.

Count on reservations for everything else, too

Advanced reservations don’t stop at lift tickets or mountain access, and you’ll want to do additional homework on the nuances of the resort you plan to visit. For example, parking will now need to be reserved in places like Copper Mountain Resort and Eldora Mountain Resort in Colorado. Rental gear may also require online reservations in advance of pick up, like it will at Aspen Snowmass—and you may not have the same access to lockers as usual. Several resorts on the East Coast—including New York's Windham Mountain, and Vermont's Killington and Pico and Sugarloaf—are recommending “booting up” in your car, with lockers largely not available this season. Speaking of cars, many shuttles are either suspended or offering limited service, again, such as at Windham Mountain and Sugarloaf, so you’ll likely need to look into car rentals in advance.

Steamboat won't be requiring mountain access reservations for now.

Courtesy Steamboat Resort

Get your phone ready for digital transactions

The push for advanced reservations and the need to minimize contact means skiers and snowboarders can expect an abundance of cashless, contactless interactions that span everything from reserving lessons to prepaying for meals. Expect to see brand-new apps at old-school resorts as well as enhancements to the apps you already know. Killington and Pico will unveil its new app with real-time lift status and a friend-tracking feature. Vail’s already robust EpicMix app will add real-time lift and terrain closure alerts, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s JH Insider app will add QR codes for hands-free info and mobile payments, and Aspen Snowmass’ updated app will feature a new account portal to add additional ski days, complete ski school waivers, and order food. At minimum, expect to pay with credit cards, as many resorts, including Park City, are going entirely cashless.

Masks required at lifts, in lines, and in town

Pro-tip: pack several face masks because you’re going to need them everywhere. Facial coverings will be required while queuing for, loading, and riding lifts at every resort we spoke with. Windows will remain open on larger trams and gondolas to keep fresh air circulating, such as in Big Sky. Resorts are doing away with the singles line, won’t be enforcing max capacity on lifts, and are letting guests have a say in who they want to share the lift with. “For lifts and gondolas, the rule of thumb is to ride with who you came with,” says a spokesperson for Idaho ski resorts. Some destinations, like Breckenridge and Aspen Snowmass, are also taking added precautions with mandatory mask zones in their downtowns that require masks to be worn at all times, both indoors and out, while in town.

Montana's Big Sky Resort is making changes to slope access and its après offerings.

Courtesy Big Sky Resort/Patrick Conroy

The bonus of new access

In addition to reducing capacity, resorts are working to create more space on the mountain. Operating plans for virtually every resort detailed additional lifts they’ll be keeping open to create space across all available terrain. A few resorts will do this by opening earlier, such as Jackson Hole, which will open several lifts at 8:30 a.m. Big Sky will also offer a new unguided first tracks program that will, for a charge, give skiers and snowboarders access to the mountain at 8 a.m., one hour before public access.

Expert skiers also get an extra nod with newly designated routes and offerings. The quietly emerging cardio-buster activity known as “uphilling”—which involves walking uphill on skis or a split snowboard outfitted with specialized “skins” for the reward of a singular run down—is getting proper attention at Aspen Snowmass with a newly designated route that will be available during resort operating hours (uphillers typically have to pave their own path). As a solution to limited tram capacity, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is also allowing uphill traffic and hiking on the East Ridge of the extreme 10,450-foot Rendezvous Bowl for the first time.

Aprés now translates to “get your group outside”

The once-wonderfully packed après ski scenes, delightfully loud bars, and cozy restaurants we love from seasons past will not look the same this winter. The saving grace is that these things are not entirely going away, but shifting towards more socially distant, outdoors options. Take full advantage of Colorado’s famously abundant bluebird days at Breck’s newly domed Grand Colorado rooftop bar overlooking the mountains on Peak 8 and at Aspen Snowmass, where tented patios and distanced picnic tables will offer extra on-mountain dining space. Sugarbush in Vermont is also creating a new base camp area with a handful of heated cabanas that groups can rent for the day, much like you would at a beach resort. Too bougie for you? Check out the new 10-person dining igloos to come outside of the Forty Acres Tavern at Michigan’s Boyne Mountain Resort.

Breakfast buffets will be a thing of the past, while new food trucks will make appearances, such as at Tamarack Resort and Killington and Pico. At Big Sky, Vista Hall and Westward Social (among the new additions at the resort last season ) will stay open with reduced capacity. Slopeside favorite Everett’s will close for dinner, and the resort’s 8,000-foot Yellowstone Conference Center will offer additional space for dining and warming up. In line with another growing trend, Big Sky is also launching a new takeout delivery service, with a Thai and pan-Asian menu (sorry, no booze) and delivery to the resort’s properties and common areas.

Sadly, the days of saddling up at the bar for a drink are over, at least for now at most resorts. You’ll still be able to hit the bar to pick up beer or wine (many bars at resorts we spoke to won’t be selling cocktails), but you’ll have to keep your party moving, either to a reserved table outside or back home to your rental condo or mountain home.

With many ski resorts only just unveiling these initial plans, expect more detailed intel on dining and lodging options to follow soon. Check your favorite ski resort’s site for more updates.