2020-21 Recap

I'm likely done for the season, and looking at the levels of snow in the Sierra I figure there's not a lot left for anyone else who posts here regularly.

I have had a bunch of stuff going on in other avenues in life, and with all of the reservation stuff, just limited myself to local areas this season. 26 total days for both my son and I, 10 days for my wife. I couldn't have been a very profitable skier overall for resorts at that ski day count (both my son and I were less than $30/day combined in pass value), since I only bought food like 5 times all season (all but one at the end of the season).

Dec 7
Jan 6
Feb 4
Mar 4
Apr 4
May 1
26

Eldora 20 77%
Copper 2 8%
Winter Park 2 8%
A-Basin 2 8%

Wish I'd been able to take better advantage of the Loveland season pass (only got 12 days out of it), but I had a few nice outings. Looking forward to getting back to the Alps next season.

16 days
3 Schweitzer, ID
2 Silver Mountain, ID
1 Mount Spokane, WA
2 Cooper, CO
3 Loveland, CO
2 Monarch, CO
3 Shawnee, PA

No new ski areas for third season in a row. Only skied in CA (and NV side of Heavenly).
32 days - one more than last season when COVID-19 ended skiing mid-March in most places.

Averaged 24K vertical/day, even with 3 departure days at Heavenly when I quit around 11, plus a couple of less than full days at Kirkwood on way home, and one at Northstar where I quit at 1 and one day at Mammoth when most lifts closed at noon. This was my highest average vertical per day other than 2002-03 when I skied 20 days (and no longer have complete records). I count 6 days with more than an inch or two new and 4 other days with only an inch or two new.

Senior Tahoe Value Pass 25 days - Kirkwood 13, Heavenly 10, Northstar 2
Next Season's Ikon Pass 7 days - Mammoth 4, Squaw 2, Alpine 1

By month (first time since living in England in 1980-81 that I had no skiing in Nov/Dec.
Jan - 6
Feb - 6
Mar - 10
Apr - 7
May - 3

Already have 7 days next year’s Full Ikon Pass that I bought to use at Aspen next year, hope to use at Altabird and Taos, and may use during some of the blackout days at Squaw/Alpine. Pass still available at a slight discount, but only have a day or two left to get it. Send PM if interested.

Area Sum of Days Sum of Vertical Sum of Powder
Mt. Baldy 2 36.2 0
Mammoth 11 275.1 2
Snow Summit 3.5 68.3 0
Bear Mt. 0.5 14.2 0
Squaw Valley 1 27.1 0
Alpine Meadows 2 41.2 0
Snowbird 5 78.4 6
Alta 2 54.4 5
Mt. Bachelor 2 62.3 0
White Pass 1 13.4 5
Deer Valley 1 16 2
Brighton 1.5 15 1
Solitude 0.5 14.6 3
Powder Mt. 1 13.5 3
Snow Basin 2 34.6 0
Schweitzer 2 34.3 17
Whitefish 2 40.5 0
Brundage 1 18.6 1
Bogus Basin 1 23.1 1
Montana Snowbowl 1 23.7 0
Discovery 1 22.6 0
*Tamarack 1 19.2 0
*Homewood 1 16.8 0
*Mt. Ashland 1 15 1
*Mission Ridge 1 20.5 2
*49 Degrees North 1 20.1 0
*Turner Mt. 1 18.1 1
*Maverick Mt. 1 20.9 0
Grand Totals 51 1057.7 50

*= new area

May 14 was the end as I suspected. The more Sierra snow challenged 2014 and 2015 seasons ended earlier, so I had to leave California for decent May skiing those years.

The pandemic did not affect how much I skied in 2021. 51 days is the second lowest of retirement but that's due to a subpar season in California: only 2 days before January (average is 5.5) and 2 after April (average is 6.5). Obviously it affected where Liz and I skied, but we viewed the road trip to lower key ski areas as a great success. I skied 28 days on the base Ikon and 5 on the Indy Pass.

Aging and the pandemic resulted in a long warm-up process this season though. My last step aerobics class was in January 2020 and 24 Hour Fitness has gone bankrupt. Aerial yoga has resumed only on a limited and less convenient basis. My first 5 ski days were strictly on manmade groomers, so I was not in great shape when I finally skied real terrain and snow in Utah in late January. I wasn't skiing consistently up to par until well into the road trip.

Spring skiing was another story, and I'm sure as I get older that will become even more my forte. I averaged over 25K during the 14 days after Iron Blosam week at Mammoth and Bachelor.

Powder was way down, most obviously due to no cat skiing with the Canadian border closed, but lift served powder was only 4.7% vs. 8.4% lifetime average. The only abundant powder days were at Schweitzer; the rest were in bits and pieces.

Liz skied 30 days, as she was in Florida during 13 of my ski days. Liz skied 8 days on her Loveland Pass and 14 on the base Ikon, NONE of which were at Mammoth.

2020-21 Recap

Zero, Zilch, Feck all, Nothing

Not that I would likely have went anyway but Scotland had a lockdown that meant early in the winter people had to stay in their local authority area, so for me meant Aberdeen City Council area so couldn't travel outwith the city for anything other than work pretty much. From January I guess until recently Ski Resorts were forced to close during what would have seen some of the best conditions in years because of the idiots running this country.

Enjoy the freedoms guys!

2021-22 is likely following the same curve for me, it's impossible to realistically look to travel to the USA while this absolute nonsense of testing before I leave and come home. I cant afford to book stuff for the trip to then find out the day before I travel that the inaccurate tests they use comes back positive and can't travel or worse still get stuck in the USA at the end due to a positive test. I hope in a few months this nonsense is removed but I am not holding my breath.

I have read that the UK is doing well on vaccines, with percent of population vaccinated trailing only Israel. Hopefully q is vaccinated by now. So I think q will return to Montana in 2022 because:
1) Odds of testing positive once you're vaccinated are extremely low.
2) Eventually proof of vaccination will be all that's required for travel to most places.

Liz and I had to be tested immediately before leaving home and upon arrival in Argentina for last December's eclipse. 38 people were on that trip for a week without incident. One couple from Scotland didn't make the trip because their PCR test results were not processed in the time frame demanded by Argentina and the UK-based tour operator.

There is a lot of discussion on Solar Eclipse Mailing List about entry into Australia for the April 2023 eclipse. Due to advantages of geographic isolation, stringent travel restrictions have been successful in nearly eradicating COVID-19 in most of Australia. Most outbreaks have been contained with short but stringent lockdowns of a few days. The exception was last July in Melbourne, resulting in an extended shutdown of all ski areas in Victoria for most of the season. New South Wales ski areas remained open due to provincial border closures.

Around 70% of the UK adult population have had their first dose which includes me after last week's shot of Pfizer. Can't quite recall the figure that has had both but guess it must be 30% or more.

I suspect proof of vaccine eventually will be enough especially to other countries with equally high percentage of the population who have been vaccinated.

However, while the CDC in the US seems to have what I feel is the correct approach in that, "once you've had your 2 doses do whatever you want as it is as good as it will get for you" the UK are just in this constant cycle of fear which worries me with regard to travel in the next 12 months. One minute it is protect the NHS - currently the numbers landing in hospital or dying are very small, the next it seems to be save everyone at all cost and that can't go on forever. They also on one hand tell us that the vaccine is having marvelous results then on the other that there could be a huge 3rd wave in Autumn.

I read this morning that in England Covid was down to the 9th highest killer of people during their last reporting period yet you would think when you hear them speak that people are dropping down in dead in every street.

Very atypical season...

Lockdowns, provincial border closures, travel restrictions, etc...

Oct 1*
Nov 1
Dec 6
Jan 3
Feb 10
Mar 13
Apr 4
May 1
39

Reacted 39 on May 1st at MSS. For a comparison, last season I reached Day 39 on February at MSS also.

Uniquely in Quebec which is a first since I've started keeping track of my ski days in 1981-82. Never skied so much in one place.

Edelweiss QC 29 75 %
St-Sauveur-Avila QC 7
Tremblant QC 2
Mont Mégantic QC 1 (Oct earned turns)*

23 coaching days versus between 50-66 in previous 6 seasons. Definitely not enough earned to pay for a summer ski trip.

On the bright side, only bought 2 lift tickets (Tremblant) all season.

Eastern outdoor lift served ski season started at MSS on October 30 and ended last Sunday, May 16 at Kmart.

My new season started on October 17 at Mont Megantic... if you want to come skiing strictly and only new season snow you might want to include September 7 in Kananaskis Country, Alberta. And yes... the ski streak remains unbroken despite the pandemic and border closures. Know I have until June 30 to find my next turns to keep the streak alive; Ontario lockdown has been extended to June 2.