The experience on the mountains this coming winter is going to be much different from years past at Monarch Ski Area.
Preparations are underway for the 2020 season with COVID-19 restrictions in place.
The big push for Monarch Mountain this year is to make the process for checking in as smooth as possible. This includes a focus on options that allow skiers and snowboarders to bypass the lodge and just go to the slopes from their cars.
In the lodge, modifications have been made to the guest services area, including changing the welcome desk location and separating the do-it-yourself kiosks by six feet to allow for better social distancing.
The internal changes continue in the eating areas, particularly the Sidwinder where one row of bar seats have been removed, a hostess station will be added, and booth seating is being added to the outer walls of the room to allow for more separation of family groups.
Along with a new hostess station, the seating in the Sidewinder will no longer by seat yourself, but will all be handled by the hostess at the front.
In the other eating areas, food options are going to be more grab and go than they have in the past in order to encourage less standing and waiting. Also, seating will be adjusted and dividers are also planning on being used in the Pioneer Room to make it easier to manage indoor crowds.
Monarch is also planning to introduce a new food truck option. It won’t be a traditional food truck, in the sense no food is planned on being made there, but it will have several options of pre-made food to alleviate crowding indoors.
On the slopes themselves, changes will be less noticeable, but are till there. On big change will be a relaxing on lift procedures. The goal each day will be to make sure tickets are scanned at least once a day for each visitor, and lift seating will be focused more on keeping family groups together rather than filling every chair going up.
This may lead to longer waits in lines, but should allow for easier distancing for the ride up to the top.
Ski Patrol also will be taking new steps in their procedures as well, although many of those are still being worked on. The biggest change will come in trying to get people off the mountain to their vehicles if possible after more minor incidents instead of taking all cases back to the Ski Patrol base.
Plenty is going on up on the mountain as Monarch prepares to open for the 2020-21 season. You can find continual updates at www.skimonarch.com, or you can check out General Manager Randy Strout’s blog here or you can look up Scott Pressly’s blog on the activity on the slopes and what to look forward to in changes there.
Monarch has announced they are guaranteeing 90 full days of skiing this year, so be sure to get prepared for your ski season now!
