COVID 19 impact on skiing

Last week FIS cancelled the World Cup Finals scheduled for Cortina Italy
Yesterday Italy announced that all ski areas would be closed for the foreseeable future possibly thru the end of the season.  The concern was that the people of Milan that was on quarantine with schools and businesses closed would drive up and go skiing instead of staying in the city.  

I noticed yesterday that the crowds at WF were extremely small for a weekend.  I walked onto the gondi with no line at all at one point.  I dont know if the virus had any impact on that - is anyone avoiding skiing for that reason?  I did want to attend a concert last week in a very small venue in Saranac Lake and decided to not go.  I think they are calling this social distancing.

I would think that the odds of catching the virus outside in the cold and wind is extremely remote so skiing and riding chairs is probably as safe as an activity as we can get.  I'm thinking of maybe skipping the Gondi though and spending as little time as possible in the lodges which really fits how i ski and use the mt anyway particularly without Midstation Lodge this year.  I typically like to ski thru lunch, eat some energy snacks and carry a bottle of water and go home at 2 or 2:30.  Right now i have no issue with only 6 in a Gondi and maybe they should even go to 4 in a car.

I do have planned a week at Alta / Snowbird with my son for mid April so i hope we can still make that trip.  There are only so many times while i ski well enough to sort of keep up with him i will get to do that with him so i really dont want to cancel that trip.  We may decide to avoid the Tram though since you are packed into that thing.

I hope that our area can avoid an outbreak but the reality and odds are that it will reach the Daks eventually.  We are a month away from the end of the season and mud season when the tourists stop coming up here so maybe we have a chance to avoid it.  The key is if people are sick to stay home and wash your hands alot.  i put a small bottle of purell in my jacket this weekend as well.  

As for WF this weekend....on Sunday at 11:00 the gondola had a typical 7-10 minute wait and was walk on at 1:30.  Saturday the gondola lines were a little “longer”, but not much.  That’s  pretty normal for a March/non-holiday weekend, in my experience.  The crowd seemed typical.  Trying to suggest/imply a connection between this weekend’s crowd at WF and COVID-19 is just feeding the fear IMHO, (not that people shouldn’t have a healthy fear).

Wasn't simple to "social distance" at Plattekill for me yesterday.  Friends everywhere.

Tried not to stop on the NY Thruway on the way home, but I had too. I almost took a picture of the intense handwashing in the mens room. It was pretty cool in some odd way.

not trying to stoke fear just wondering what people are thinking - I think it way safer to be outside than inside
The gondi was having mechanical issues mid day - i was stuck on it without moving for around 15 mins around noonish which built the line though i gave up on it at that point.   around 10 am i literally walked onto it with as if it was a Tuesday which i cant ever remember happening on a weekend and this was a Canadian Holiday weekend to boot.  

I also hit the LPBP around 2:30 or 3pm and there were only me and 2 others sitting at the bar which on a Sunday afternoon never happens this time of year.

It’s a fair question whether the virus is affecting skiing....and no doubt it is in places.  

I just don’t think the crowd levels at WF this weekend, which would have been about what they were regardless, are indicative.  Smoke Signals had the typical “3 Hour Wait” on Saturday night!

My April flight to SLC is far enough away that I’ve been postponing any decision to cancel, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t in the back of my mind.

JTG
thanks for the data point on main street traffic - that is a good one as sometimes with LP there is some big event in town that takes up all the beds and limits ski traffic.  I was not aware of anything going on but if town is busy particularly on Main Street we have tourists here.  Smoke Signals, Emma's and LP Ski and Board are the only place that make me venture onto Main and i never do it on a weekend if i can avoid it.  Main Street typically is avoided by locals.

as far as travel goes I'm finding it difficult to schedule customer visits currently.  I am going to travel to FL in April for a meeting and plan to do my Utah trip mid April.  Domestic travel is fine but there is no way i would get on a cruise ship - we made my in laws cancel their cruise they had booked.

Where and when are you going to Utah?  Should be outstanding spring skiing with the snow pack that they have.  

There was some Cascade Full Moon party Saturday night.  Saw Jon on Sunday, said it was a good crowd and the party had him out late!

I’ve got reservations into SLC on April 24.

From what I've read flu viruses are able to stay aloft in the air longer in cold and dry environments, hence why flu season is in the winter.  Ski mountains are perfect places to spread it around.  

That being said, unless your elderly or already have some underlying medical issues the chances of you becoming severely ill from it are highly unlikely.  Most people probably won't even know they had it.  I'm no expert at any of this, but there's no way a sizable portion of NYC's population hasn't already been exposed to it given the massively over burdened state of our mass transit systems.  

I myself had a sore throat last week.  Corona Virus?  Definitely possible.

If I had money right now I'd be going massively long on the stock market.

There's someone in our local hospital who's quarantined to make sure they don't have the corona virus. My wife (who's a nurse at said hospital) and I were out to dinner Saturday, you can't even imagine how this "news" has been twisted around into mostly false information. Certainly MSM is the biggest culprit, but common America, wash your friggn hands!

Never fear, NYS hand made hand sanitizer is here!

https://cnycentral.com/news/local/new-york-inmates-to-make-hand-sanitizer-amid-shortages-across-state?

Harvey wrote

Wasn't simple to "social distance" at Plattekill for me yesterday.  Friends everywhere.

Tried not to stop on the NY Thruway on the way home, but I had too. I almost took a picture of the intense handwashing in the mens room. It was pretty cool in some odd way.

LOL!  The Ski Divas have commented about men's restrooms that are now being stocked with more soap and/or paper towels.  Or teasing that now the water pipes will be fixed for the sinks.

Folks who live in Boston are more freaked out than those in NYC as far as I can tell.  There was an international company that held a meeting with almost 200 people in a major downtown hotel.  Quite a few cases are being linked to that meeting both in the Boston area and elsewhere.  Including a case near me in RTP since the company has a major office in NC.

Vail Resorts had to put out a press release on May 5 about COVID-19 because a few of cases in Colorado were people who had skied at Vail and Keystone.  Also turns out that a local high school had students and adults in Italy in early February.

March 6, 2020, Vail Daily
https://www.vaildaily.com/news/coronavirus-in-colorado-female-visitor-to-vail-valley-is-eagle-countys-first-presumptive-positive-case/

Z wrote

. . .
as far as travel goes I'm finding it difficult to schedule customer visits currently.  I am going to travel to FL in April for a meeting and plan to do my Utah trip mid April.  Domestic travel is fine but there is no way i would get on a cruise ship - we made my in laws cancel their cruise they had booked.

Where and when are you going to Utah?  Should be outstanding spring skiing with the snow pack that they have.

I know you weren't asking me . . . my flight to SLC is on April 3.  Not planning on cancelling.  But a bit glad that I fly Southwest, which doesn't have any international flights.

My daughter flew SW to Boston on Sat.  She flies back tomorrow.

i also chose to fly SW for my upcoming trip to FL as 1) it is easier to cancel or change and 2) its a direct flight so no connection in PHL so less people particularly internatioally flights i will come into contact with despite my Elite status on AA would likely have gotten me in 1st class with less people flying

My understanding of why flu season is in the winter is that because people stay inside and are concentrated with windows closed and ventilation more limited.  You go out and ski and with cold and wind you have much less chance of being in contact of germs and virus.  

from google
Do cold air kill germs?
Cold air doesn't kill germs but it can keep them from spreading. Cold weather restricts the growth of bacteria. At 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, you will get virtually all bacteria or viruses to be inactive.

So go skiing but be careful in the Lodge is my take.  Its a great time of the year to have lunch outside

Z wrote

My understanding of why flu season is in the winter is that because people stay inside and are concentrated with windows closed and ventilation more limited.  

That's the conventional wisdom but it's actually not the root cause.  The reason has to do with water droplets in the air.  Colder air holds less water content then warm air and thus has a lower relative humidity, it allows the virus to stay aloft without condensing into a water droplet and falling to the ground.  This article goes fairly deep if you're interested:

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/flu-weather-its-not-cold-its-humidity

But yes - being indoors in artificially warm and extremely dry air (like a ski lodge) is a perfect environment.

I often open public doors with my palm as high as I can reach, or with my ass when applicable.

marznc wrote

Vail Resorts had to put out a press release on May 5 about COVID-19 because a few of cases in Colorado were people who had skied at Vail and Keystone.  Also turns out that a local high school had students and adults in Italy in early February.

March 6, 2020, Vail Daily
https://www.vaildaily.com/news/coronavirus-in-colorado-female-visitor-to-vail-valley-is-eagle-countys-first-presumptive-positive-case/

News just released from Vail Resorts (MTN):
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vail-resorts-reports-fiscal-2020-200100404.html

Given the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the coronavirus on the broader U.S. travel market and any specific impact to the performance of the Company, the Company is not issuing guidance at this time for fiscal 2020 and is withdrawing its previous guidance issued on January 17, 2020 . In the week ended March 8, 2020 , the Company saw a marked negative change in performance from the prior week, with destination skier visits modestly below expectations. The Company expects this trend to continue and potentially worsen in upcoming weeks. The Company intends to provide updated commentary on its results by March 18, 2020 .

Johnnyonthespot wrote

I often open public doors with my palm as high as I can reach, or with my ass when applicable.

Now that's using your God given talents right there