Socially Distanced Ski Season May Mean Long Lines Online
(CBS4) - Opening weekend for ski resorts usually means long lines getting into parking lots and in lift lines. But the pandemic has changed all that. Now skiers and riders will have to wait in lines at home to reserve a spot either on the mountain or even in the parking lot.
This weekend is opening weekend at Keystone Resort. And already spaces on the mountain are all taken for nearly the next two weeks. They went fast. Even for Epic Pass holders, "Priority Reservation Days" meant long wait times online with few opportunities to reserve except for the lucky few. One skier, Cameron Springer said, "Looks like we missed out."
By 10 a.m. Friday morning, reservations for at least a week were marked as "unavailable."
In a statement Sara Lococo said, "we are taking safety and physical distancing seriously, and doing what we can to help ensure a successful winter season for skiers and riders, which is a good sign for the Colorado ski season."
Keystone does not require passes to park.
But recently Copper Mountain and Eldora announced they will implement a parking reservation system to manage the number of people at their ski resorts. Copper says parking spaces must be reserved before guests arrive to ensure availability.
"At Copper, we're doing everything we can to keep everyone safe and have fun while visiting the resort this winter season. Part of that commitment is our ability to manage the number of people visiting Copper at any given time," Dustin Lyman, president and general manager of Copper Mountain told CBS4 last week.
"The parking management system means guests can count on knowing they will have a spot to park and plenty of room to spread out on the mountain."
If it sounds confusing for skiers and riders, it may very well be.
But as Sara Lococo said from Keystone, "This is a unique year and while things will certainly look different, we are excited that we are able to have a ski season."
