by Armand Gutierrez, President

On June 29th I attended the NSCF monthly meeting as a rep for BAC. The purpose of the meeting was to present and discuss various topics regarding the 2021-2022 ski season, both domestic and overseas venues. Major speakers included:

  • Adam Feehan (Alterra Mountain, Ikon Pass))
  • Stephen Hall (Skigroup.net owner, travel agent)
  • Gloria Woods (ski.com, travel agent/resources)
  • Colin (Sun Peaks)
  • Larry Young (Steamboat)

Here are some of the major highlights from that discussion:

Resort Operations

  1. Resorts will be returning back to pre-COVID conditions, although masks may be required based on current conditions. 
  2. Online food ordering will remain for “to go” orders, and possibly no reservations in restaurants.
  3. Some resorts are limiting groups because there is more revenue on individual sales. 
  4. Staffing is becoming a challenge due to VISA requirements. There is also a housing shortage for employees.
  5. It is anticipated that American/Canadian borders will be open, possibly with COVID restrictions. 
  6. Airlines/Ski Resorts are imposing non-refundable deposits, same with Ikon/Epic passes.
  7. Big resorts may want smaller groups, small resorts want bigger groups. Some resorts are going to be more restrictive in limiting lift ticket sales.
  8. AirBNB/VRBO are becoming more predominate and this could result in a possible shrinking of lodging availability in the next 1-2 years.  Ski resorts rely on a variety of house availability for their staff. Any shortage in housing will impact hiring staff.

Lift Ticket Sales

  1. There will be a variety of lift ticket options, and online purchases will be non-refundable. 
  2. Dynamic ski lift pricing based on demand will continue.
  3. Reservation systems will continue to be used and the best prices will be from online purchasing. 

Trip Insurance

Trip Insurance is designed to reimburse you in the event that you have to cancel due to illness or bodily harm (e.g. broken arm, sprained ankle, etc.) prior to the trip. Most policies do not cover COVID. Specifically, policies will NOT cover if you cancel a trip because you think you might get COVID, only if you actually get COVID before the trip.  Bottom line: read the fine print on any insurance policy before purchasing.