Coronavirus and Skiing

[MarzNC]

Anyone care to wade thru the newly released rules for VT ski areas?

Vermont Ski Resort COVID- 19 Winter Operations Guidance - released Nov. 3, 2020

https://accd.vermont.gov/sites/accdnew/files/documents/Vermont%20Ski%20Resort%20COVID-19%20Winter%20Operations%20Guidance%20-%202020-11-03.pdf

 

[Brownski]

Short version: Either out -of -staters break the rules and lie or the resorts lose tons of money.

 

[riverc0il]

Contact Tracing / Travel Policy Attestation

• Resorts must collect the name, phone number, and email address in an electronic format of all people using the resort each day, and retain the list for 30 days for the purposes of contact tracing. This list must include all guests using the resort, including season pass holders. Whenever possible, the resort should include the guest’s physical address.

• Resorts must require guests to attest that the guest will be in compliance with the state’s travel and quarantine policies when they use the resort either at the point of sale of a ticket or season pass OR when collecting contact tracing information. Resorts must be able to demonstrate to state authorities that each guest completed an attestation. Attestations must include a warning that failure to comply with the state’s travel and quarantine policy may result in the loss of future skiing and riding privileges.

• Whenever possible, a resort should collect the name, phone number, address and email address in an electronic format of all people using any indoor space, such as a lodge or cafeteria, including the time, date and where they sat, and retain the list for 30 days.

That seems to be the most important part, IMO. This means that resorts are responsible for tracking and certifying their guests are in compliance with the travel restrictions (whether staying at the resort, off the resort, or day tripping, is I read it). That is going to quite challenging to execute, especially considering that this "mandatory guidance" (that is a contradiction) is coming out weeks before resorts are planning to open.

 

[marcski]

These are basically the same as what has been discussed here in this thread. Nothing really new in these guidelines.

 

[MarzNC]

These are basically the same as what has been discussed here in this thread. Nothing really new in these guidelines.

Including having the detailed contact info about everyone, every ski day in electronic format? Normally even when an electronic Liability Waiver is required it only needs to be filled out once and then it's good for a year. Have done that at climbing gyms and ski resorts. But for a resort that doesn't have that in place, setting it up in less than a month . . . I wouldn't want to be the GM having to deal with the process and the unexpected cost.

I've heard about having people provide contact info as they enter a restaurant. But that's was a paper list, which wouldn't really require much effort to keep for a short length of time.

The much cleaner approach is what New Zealand set up months ago. Every public building was given a QR code. People with a smart phone could scan it on entering and that provided info that could be used in the event contact tracing became necessary.

 

[marcski]

Including having the detailed contact info about everyone, every ski day in electronic format? Normally even when an electronic Liability Waiver is required it only needs to be filled out once and then it's good for a year. Have done that at climbing gyms and ski resorts. But for a resort that doesn't have that in place, setting it up in less than a month . . . I wouldn't want to be the GM having to deal with the process and the unexpected cost.

I've heard about having people provide contact info as they enter a restaurant. But that's was a paper list, which wouldn't really require much effort to keep for a short length of time.

The much cleaner approach is what New Zealand set up months ago. Every public building was given a QR code. People with a smart phone could scan it on entering and that provided info that could be used in the event contact tracing became necessary.

I agree. But using K-mart as an example, I believe one of the reasons they (and other VT ski areas) set up a parking reservation system is to have you "check the box" upon making your reso. All ticket sales (at almost every area I've seen) are online only this year, so you chdck the box And, if you are a passholder they already have your info when your pass is scanned at the lift so they can track you. I'd think if you are a passholder, you stilI have direct to lift access.

 

[MarzNC]

I agree. But using K-mart as an example, I believe one of the reasons they (and other VT ski areas) set up a parking reservation system is to have you "check the box" upon making your reso. All ticket sales (at almost every area I've seen) are online only this year, so you chdck the box And, if you are a passholder they already have your info when your pass is scanned at the lift so they can track you. I'd think if you are a passholder, you stilI have direct to lift access.

What other VT ski area is going to use parking reservations? I'd only heard about Powdr resorts for parking reservations.

No question that ski resorts using RFID shouldn't have too much trouble getting data for everyone who shows up into a database even a daily basis. But the situation is still tricky for resorts that don't have their own IT staff who can make needed changes to be able to pull out info for contact tracing if needed. If a resort is using third-party software then that adds another level of complexity.

I gather from the SAM article about the VT guidelines that the requirement for an electronic database for contact tracing purposes was added relatively recently. So the timeframe is quite short for ski resorts to make needed adjustments.

I can think of ways of using a paper list and data entry for a small ski area like Suicide Six, but even coming up with that sort of manual process takes time. My professional background was directly related to design and support of data entry systems for research purposes. For contact tracing, if someone's name was spelled wrong because of a typo that wasn't caught by some checking process then that would be a potential problem.

 

[Benny Profane]

Two things. Thanksgiving will be a super spreader macro event in this country, bleeding well into December, and then, Xmas will be the spike in that, er, coffin. We ain't seen nothing yet. If I may inject a little politics into this, after yesterday's results, no matter who eventually wins, we know that America will be hell bent on a herd immunity solution. At least half of us. Good luck to you all.

And the whole lack of lodges will deter most of the market from skiing. I mean, by the nature of people who hang in ski forums, most of us here will put up with sheltering in their cars, somewhat, but the New Jersey family will reject that outright after the first cold, windy day. Just get there early so it isn't too much of a walk, and congratulate yourself for having a remote starter.

 

[Campgottagopee]

I'm staying home

I'm skiing Greek Peak

Or riding my sled

Or hunting

Or all three

Or just two of the three

 

[JTG]

My daughter passed her pre-departure COVID test (CVS drive thru) and is headed back from CA now. For you NY/TriState region folks, when she gets back and out of the airport I’ll find out at which points (if any) anybody might have checked her papers, so you all have an idea of what flying into NY entails these days.