by Armand Gutierrez, NSC President

September is upon us, and I’ve been receiving the usual advertisements from various ski resorts as a reminder for purchasing their season pass and the new safety protocols for a pandemic ski season. Yes, it will be a different experience on and off the slopes for this season, and I’m looking forward to testing the waters. I’ve been skiing since ’75 and have encountered a variety of situations and conditions, but this year will definitely be a new one. 

Proposed Safety Protocols on the Slopes

While the majority of the resorts in the US are examining their safety protocols for this season, resorts in New Zealand and Australia are already open for business. What can you expect for this year? Here is a list of possible scenarios that are already in place in the land down under:

  • Reservations for those popular days (most likely on weekends and holidays)
  • Limited number of ticket sales
  • Reduced seating for indoor dining
  • No outdoor seating for picnic lunches
  • Contact tracing
  • Wearing a mask when needed
  • Social distance in the lift line
  • Reduced lift seating (e.g. 2 people on a 4-seater).

Perhaps there is a silver lining to the safety protocols. For example, limited ticket sales would translate to uncrowded conditions. And wearing a mask is a no-brainer when it’s snowing.

2021 NSC Ski Week to Breckenridge, CO – CANCELLED

 The Breckenridge trip has been officially cancelled due to lack of sign-ups. Yes, hard to put together a trip when there are only four people signed-up. The last time an NSC trip was cancelled was right after 9/11 and the 2002 Chamonix trip was cancelled. 

If anyone is still interested in going to Breckenridge then please contact me before the end of the month (president@niseiskiclub.org). Air and lodging reservations have been partially released and a few air seats and condo units are being retained in case a small group is still interested in skiing Breckenridge. I can still coordinate with Sports America on air/lodging/ground arrangements/lift tickets, but payment will be direct to Sports America and your trip will not be an NSC-sponsored trip. Cost will be slightly higher since there will be no group rates on ground transportation or lift tickets, and group air rates only apply if there are 10+ sign-ups. You will also have to find your own condo mates.

2021 FWSA Ski Week Trips

Although the Breckenridge trip has been cancelled, there are other ski-week trips available through FWSA. There are two trips scheduled:

  • Sun Valley, 30 Jan-6 Feb. Presently there are 64 signups.
  • Zermatt, Utah, a mini ski-week, 21-26 March, and signups are being accepted. Ikon pass accepted.

All NSC members are eligible to participate in FWSA events. Details for the trips can be found here: 

https://fwsa.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=623165&module_id=334799

If you have any questions contact me at president@niseiskiclub.org.