Sugar Bowl Resort and Royal Gorge Cross Country open November 27

Sugar Bowl Resort and Royal Gorge Cross Country will open for the 2020/21 winter season on Friday, November 27, 2020 with new safety procedures.

“We are eager to welcome our guests back to the mountain and are thrilled that opening day is just a week away,” said Greg Dallas, President and CEO of Sugar Bowl/Royal Gorge. “Our team has worked tirelessly on a reopening plan that keeps the safety of our guests and staff as the top priority.”

Conditions permitting, Sugar Bowl is planning to open with six lifts – Nob Hill, Mt. Lincoln Express, Christmas Tree Express, Jerome Hill Express, White Pine and the Flume surface lift – offering top-tobottom skiing and snowboarding from the 8,383’ summit of Mt. Lincoln. Lift operating hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sugar Bowl’s sister resort, Royal Gorge Cross Country, also plans to open Friday, but for season passholders only due to the shallow snowpack. Nearly 10 km of Nordic ski trails and 3 km of snowshoe trails from Summit Station Lodge will groomed for Friday’s limited opening. Passholder-only operations are expected through the holiday weekend, with operations beyond Sunday, November 29 to be
announced later, pending evaluation of the snow depth and weather forecast.

Guests planning to visit should arrive with in-depth knowledge of the policies and procedures the resort has detailed in its Winter Guide, available online at sugarbowl.com/covid and royalgorge.com/covid.

The most significant policy change this winter: guests must have a season pass or evidence of a pre-purchased ticket/pass in order to be granted entry into the resort’s parking areas. With limited quantities available, guests are encouraged to purchase tickets as far in advance as possible. There will be no walk-up, day-of purchases for lift tickets, rentals or lessons this season at Sugar Bowl and Royal Gorge. Tickets have already sold out for the first two dates of the season at Sugar Bowl.

“Our guiding philosophy is to provide memorable outdoor experiences while embracing our shared responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Dallas added. “We need everyone’s commitment to wear a face covering, stay home if you’re sick, avoid close contact and not gather in large groups. That’s the message we’ll be broadcasting loudly and frequently this winter to our guests and staff.”

The resort is taking extraordinary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition to following the guidance provided by county and state officials, the resort has invested in new informative signs, sanitization stands, touchless RFID ticket and pass scanning technology, automated self-service lift ticket pick-up stations and staff training.

New public health and safety policies in effect at Sugar Bowl | Royal Gorge this winter include:

• No walk-up, day-of purchases. Similar to lift tickets, guests must also reserve rentals and lessons in advance. Rentals must be pre-purchased with a reservation for a specific pick-up time slot. Lessons will be private-only, and both services require at least a three-day advance purchase. Lift tickets must be purchased online at least one day in advance, subject to availability.
• Face coverings. All guests and staff must wear a face covering at all times – inside and outside. Face coverings may only be removed when skiing/snowboarding downhill or eating/drinking outdoors.
• No congregation. Guests should not congregate when visiting and remain at least six feet away from other unrelated guests and staff. On the chairlifts, those who arrive together may ride together. Chairs will be loaded with up to four people in a related party. Otherwise, quad chairs will be loaded with two guests per chair, each on the outside edge. Guests will not be forced to load the chair with someone they do not know.
• Limited indoor access. Guests should be prepared for an outdoor experience during their visit, as indoor access will be limited to using the restroom, taking a 15-minute warming break in a monitored warming zone or purchasing grab & go food items to eat outdoors.
• Credit/debit/gift card payments only. Both Sugar Bowl and Royal Gorge will be cashless this winter for all in-resort purchases, including food, beverages and retail items.
• Health screenings. All Sugar Bowl and Royal Gorge staff members will participate in daily health screenings at the start of their shift. Staff and guests should stay home if feeling sick.

“We hope everyone takes the time to understand what to expect before they visit,” Dallas said. “If we all make smart decisions and abide by the policies, then we can enjoy a safe and fun season of skiing and snowboarding.”

Once open, Sugar Bowl and Royal Gorge plan to operate daily throughout the winter season – weather and conditions permitting. For more information, visit sugarbowl.com and royalgorge.com.