Vail Resorts Announces Crowd-Oriented Guest Experience Enhancements for 2021-22
Vail Resorts has announced a series of guest experience enhancements set to take effect for the 2021-22 season. These changes will prioritize passholders and focus on addressing guest wait times.
Vail Resorts Axes Trail Maps at All Its Resorts
A traditional ski resort staple is disappearing from Vail Resorts mountains, with environmental concerns spearheading the decision.
Vail Resorts Announces 2021-22 Operating Plans, Will Not Require Reservations
Vail Resorts announced details on its 2021-22 operating plans today. Normal policies will largely return for outdoor experiences, while COVID-specific guidelines will remain chiefly for indoor activities.
We’ve Refined the Way We Measure Skiable Acres. Some Resorts See Size Score Changes.
Some resorts measure their acreage by total footprint, which doesn’t always comprise entirely skiable terrain. Others measure their acreage by skiable terrain only, but don’t include parts of the resort that are technically in-bounds but not skiable. To remedy this issue, we employed an acreage calculator to determine the true skiable footprint within the bounds of each resort.
Too Many Resorts Have Earned Our Top Rating for Challenge. It’s Time for a Splitter.
Ten resorts—nearly 30% of the resorts we’ve reviewed—currently earn a perfect 10 for challenge in our scoring system. To address the competitiveness here and truly distinguish the most extreme resorts, we’ve effectively split the 10/10 challenge category into two.
We’ve Slightly Adjusted Our Facilities Ratings Towards Practicality, Resulting In a Few Score Changes.
We’ve historically weighted some very small facilities with limited space and inconsistent openings as highly as more practical lodges. With today’s adjustment, we’re aiming to fix this discrepancy.
Kirkwood Top-to-Bottom: Cornice-Side Wagon Wheel Bowl to The Drain
A top-to-bottom run in Kirkwood's Cornice area, starting at the Wagon Wheel Bowl and filtering into The Drain.
State of 2020-21 Resort Operations
With COVID-19 cases continuing to persist across North America, we’re seeing some resorts tighten capacity restrictions or push back openings, either voluntarily or by state mandate. As you debate whether to book a trip this season, we’ve decided to aggregate all we know in one place.
California Ends Stay-at-Home Order for Tahoe Counties
Effective January 12, California has lifted its stay-at-home order for the Greater Sacramento region. Tahoe ski areas are no longer affected by these restrictions.
California Ski Regions Mandated to Suspend All Overnight Stays, Non-Takeout Dining Starting Tonight
California ski regions must suspend all non-essential overnight stays and non-takeout dining starting tonight at 11:59pm. Only one mountain in the state is unaffected by the order.