Creating a safe experience on Lake Tahoe slopes

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The pictures have told a story for weeks - resorts have been busy with skiers and snowboarders since they opened. The highways have been full of vehicles headed to the slopes and ski towns have had to absorb the crowds while operating under COVID-19 restrictions.

Due to the pandemic, resort operators have had to create rules to meet a long list of safety requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on top of other tasks required of operating a ski resort. While many don't see it from photos, countless hours and dollars have been spent on both internal and guest policies and procedures.

"Given everything that has happened in our world in the last year, this is one activity that is still available and we see our role as providing a place of healing for our guests." said John Rice, general manager at Sierra-at-Tahoe. "When we closed the resort back in March of 2020, we started thinking about how we could reopen in the fall and get our staff back to work."

Rice and other ski industry leaders met with State Public Health Department officials on several occasions in 2020 and came up with safety protocols that eventually became guidance for outdoor recreation.

"In all my years in the ski industry I have never experienced the level of cooperation between our competitive resorts as I have seen during this time," said Rice. "Working with our National Ski Areas Association, we spent countless hours on zoom calls and group chats to share best practices from resorts who were open for summer biking and chairlift rides, as well as those who have operations in Australia and New Zealand."

Rice said they are continually adjusting their Pandemic Playbook to manage a safe outdoor recreational experience for all on the mountain. He meets with local health officials and has continual staff training on how to encourage guests to follow the guidelines to allow them to stay open.

The work has paid off in creating an environment where those who hit the hills can do so in the safest way possible. But, while the rules and regulations are created to have the safety factor at all levels of a resort, a small percentage of guests on the slope have become the problem, just as they have off the slopes. Reports of people refusing to wear masks and not behaving in a safe manner have been shared by staff.

"Our experience to date has been that most, if not 90+ percent, of our guests understand that we are allowed to be open under state guidance, and that to keep us open they must do their part," said Rice. "There is a minority of those who have chosen to not follow the guidance which has resulted in the need to enforce the policies, and is some cases invite those who refuse to follow the rules to ski elsewhere. We have an enforcement policy that starts with a warning, can lead to loss of day pass or season pass, in some rare cases loss of trespass rights and banned from the resort."

Kirkwood, Heavenly and Northstar Vail resorts in Lake Tahoe are also operating under the same California industry rules. Some staff members have been public in comments about visitors not following the COVID-19 guidance as well.

"An employee can request a manager's help at any point when interacting with guests," said Joanna McWilliams, a Vail Resorts spokesperson in Lake Tahoe. "Our staff is working hard to remind guests to pull up their masks. They are being as relentless as possible and trying their best at every turn. But they need help from everyone. We are seeing the majority of guests wear their face coverings, and those who are not are asked to do so."

"Most people are great," said Rice. "To stay open, we need all of our guests to help us by respecting our procedures and following the rules."

He said Sierra-at-Tahoe has an enforcement policy that starts with a warning, can lead to loss of day pass or season pass, in some rare cases loss of trespass rights and banned from the resort.

"We attempt to explain that regardless of their personal views, we take the pandemic very seriously and there are consequences for not following the Outdoor Recreation guidance we are currently operating under," added Rice. "We are trying to show guests what six feet distancing looks like between non-household members, and many of our staff are continuously asking guests to pull their mask up in the base area, saying “cover the nose so we don’t have to close” or “don’t be the reason we lose the season”."

It is that distancing that creates long lines at the lifts, especially the first ones used to get to further areas of resorts. People getting on the lift can share a chair with a family member, but not with those who are not.

"The reality of new lift loading policies means we’ll experience some lines," said McWilliams. "We have signage throughout lift lines and the resort to remind guests that face coverings and physical distancing are required."

Besides lifts, Heavenly also has the Gondola to give multiple access points to the mountain. Cleaning the cars adds another safety issue for the resort.

"Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting will take place daily in our gondola cabins," said McWilliams. "All high-touch surfaces will be frequently cleaned and disinfected with EPA-approved products that kill the COVID-19 virus. Also, we are only loading on the gondola."

"I think Heavenly did a really great job at Gunbarrel Chair making sure everybody was social distancing and wearing their masks," said Monica Sciuto, a skier from Monterey who skied at Heavenly last weekend. She took the photo in this story at 8:45 a.m. Sunday. "The line was very long but moved quickly."

She said the lines once up the mountain were like normal pre-COVID weekend lines.

The lines and full parking lots aren't a true reflection of the number of guests on the slopes. Lodges are closed, capacity is reduced and there have been changes to bus transportation to the mountains.

"Given the State Covid-19 guidelines for public transportation, we elected to discontinue bus service," said Rice. "Our mountain capacity follows a formula that gauges available trail acreage and uphill capacity to allow for distancing. The number of spaces changes daily, depending on the number of employee vehicles, person per vehicle averages and other criteria."

At Sierra-at-Tahoe, the parking lots have been full before the first spin of the lifts, just as they've been at Heavenly. Even on a Thursday morning the long chain of cars heading east on US50 to get to the resort near Echo Summit was miles long. Capacity is reduced on the mountain by limiting the amount of vehicles allowed into the resort (based on average persons per car), and relating that to the amount of skiable acreage and uphill capacity available.

"People are learning to get here earlier if they want to ensure a space, as it is purely first come first served," said Rice.

They do not have a reservation system like Vail uses as the logistics of Highway 50 would not allow for the ability to separate guests, Rice said.

Sierra has communicated with guests through website and social channels with educational messages and have “Know Before You Go” videos that detail changes they wat guests to understand (can bee seen here). Rice says these videos have been their all-time top watched media. They also have an aggressive signage program starting on the access road, in the base area, and at chair lift loading stations to encourage safe outdoor recreational practices.

These practices include social distancing, wearing masks in the base area and lift lines, serving takeout food only, closing of lodges, reduction of rental and retail to 25 percent capacity, changing of ski school and chair riding policies, and follow guidance for reduced skiers at one time capacity.

"It is change for certain, and most of our guests are adapting to it as they have had to adapt to daily life routines like shopping," said Rice. " We sell tickets online and encourage guests to purchase in advance, and season pass sales have been steady. If we do not reach capacity on a given day, guests may purchase onsite."

"Our visitation is significantly affected and is below average," said Rice. "The financial impact of Covid-19 has a huge negative affect. Any hospitality based business that has been dealing with increased costs in operations and decreased revenues during this time will tell you that it is challenging to say the least."

While Vail said they cannot share ticket sale figures due to being publicly traded, McWilliams said. Daily and season passes are sold online to control the number of people on the hill.

"This is a very dynamic time, and we find that staying close to the facts and over communicating to our employees and guests is the best way to stay ahead of the situation," said Rice.

"As an elected board member of our fire and ambulance service, I have been on weekly calls with the El Dorado County Health Department and Barton Hospital to stay current with case counts, preventative measures, enforcement issues and other relevant information that has allowed Sierra to understand the facts of Covid-19 activity in our community," said Rice. "We have developed a plan that we feel is as good as any out there, and we modify it as necessary to be able to provide a safe winter outdoor recreation environment."