Less skiing for as much money?

Mike Kaplan, President and CEO of Aspen Skiing Company and Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts recently addressed the public to provide an update of their thinking – if not their specific plans – in view of the continuing pandemic.

Katz said he remained optimistic that Vail Resorts will have a great ski season. He said “We are actively preparing our resorts to ensure our employees and guests have a safe and enjoyable experience this winter amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic...” and added: “For the sake of winter, we must stay vigilant with safety as our number one priority – now and through the entire winter season...”

He also said: “We must assume the virus will reemerge. We cannot relax restrictions or protocols. We cannot get caught trying to play catch up to the virus during the ski season. Exacerbating that reality is the fact that each one of our communities is a destination for visitors from countless other cities. This is our greatest strength, but it can also be a weakness.”

Kaplan waxed a bit more lyrical and was more intent on “preparing the patient”, in other words the anxious skiers and snowboarders. He said something to the effect that like everything in people’s lives pre-COVID, skiing and snowboarding had become somewhat frantic. “Many of us were caught up in the conquests—tracking our bowl laps and vertical—rather than fully appreciating the moments. I’m looking forward to refocusing on the core of what this sport is all about, what this place enables: a chance to connect deeply—with nature, with our physical selves and movements, and even with our sense of purpose and our roles in society...”

These comments hit me at the core, being the vertical-obsessed skier and record seeking animal I am. I'd better scale down my expectation and be prepared to ski a lot less than usual, this winter, according to Kaplan’s stern warning.

This also leaves a huge, unanswered and ambivalent question: What’s going to happen to the value offered to winter guests if the pass prices stay where they are now, and if huge lines and certain lift closures stand in the way of a reasonably quick and widespread access?