Covid skiing protocols at Blue Mountain requires that one use their car as the change and lunch room. You are required to wear a mask when in line and on the lift and in the chalet to warm up. Luckily we have climate change and with global warming so sitting outside your car and eating is not that cold. However, it becomes more difficult to recognize old friends when they are in the lift lines or sitting next to you on the lift. I could barely recognize my ski club members with their faces and mouths covered and could barely hear their distinguishing voices. Nonetheless it is great to be outdoors, seeing friends and making turns on artificial snow where there has been grooming.
Climate change has affected the ski resorts, and those with the best equipment, and locations are the ones that will survive. Unfortunately, it appears that Collingwood skiing is less covered than the locations near then snow belt of Barrie. The direction of the low pressure winds and the exposure of the slopes becomes the deciding factor when mother nature seems to be shrugging off her responsibilities. This harsh reality makes me wish I had brought my rock skis on my Blue Mountain day. There was moderate coverage and many brown spots and on some trails serious exposure to rocks. I will have to fix the bases of my nearly new skis before taking them out again. I will not expose them to that region until the snow flies properly. However, my positive message of the week is to bring a pair of rock skis (if you have) when skiing this winter. The east has not been blessed with the correct ingredients for mountain coverage of natural snow, so be prepared. We need to adapt to the changes in climate and the resorts are doing their best to keep us skiing.
The other interesting change is the push to online in advance purchase of ski day passes due to Covid protocols. However, the cost of day passes have increased dramatically with inflation and there is another subtle push to upgrade to seasons passes such as the 5x7 or Ikon pass. Alterra is the big international ski resort developer and owner of Blue Mountain, with many resorts under its management including Tremblant. Vail is the other major conglomerate. Ski resorts are working to get more steady cash flow from their regular ski customers in advance of the ski season to fund all the additional expenses required to make skiing fun during climate change. Therefore the cost of a day pass has increased ($104.00 + HST) for Blue, with partial coverage etc. If you can plan your winter look at buying the 5 x7 pass at your nearest mountain or the Ikon pass which is good for Blue and Tremblant and many other destinations.
It is getting more expensive and technologically challenging to keep skiing, but I hope this helps to keep us all outdoors this winter. In the words of Warren Miller, skiing is the ultimate expression of freedom.
The Adventure Guy
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