Blue Mountain - COVID-19 Update

[Kyle]

51 minutes ago, RidgeRacer said:

I'm guessing that in stores and with outdoor dining social distancing is somewhat feasible. Not to mention that you can wear a mask in a store. Bars are close quarters...you're not wearing a mask while drinking a beer or breathing in everyone's cigarette smoke. Plus if you're gettin jiggy with it on the dancefloor with a lady you're not 6 feet apart from that person. At least Will Smith didn't think so.

 

Edit...do they even allow smoking in bars anymore?

Right, however as feasible as outdoor dining is, its also given people a false sense of security. The block in front of my house is shut down for outdoor dining, I walk through there every night with my dog (mask on) and on the weekends it’s a table to table free for all. People are up and meandering to other tables, catching up with their neighbors, etc etc. if you’re going to shut 1/3 of a thing down, shut it all down. It’s stupid to tell people it’s okay to sit at a table but you can’t sit at the bar. Granted, I may be taking the definition of “bar” as a restaurant/pub bar, but it just doesn’t make sense to me. Either shut it all down or nothing at all, or put a capacity limit on it. 
 

the one brewpub up the street from me did their bar service right. 8 person capacity at a bar that normally seats 20. Two 4 person sections. You HAD to come in as a group, if you didn’t your friends that showed up later couldn’t sit with you,. If you were a single person you were sat at the bar and took up the entire “4” person section of the bar and they had a 2 hour limit. After 2 hours you had to leave. You could come back 2 minutes later but if seats weren’t available you were SOL. 

and now they can’t do anything via the bar and are relying on 10 tables to make money because the state doesn’t recognize their upstairs open air area as “outdoor”.

Shutting down close quarter bar only type places makes sense, shutting down the bar area of a restaurant that’s following the rules doesn’t, either shut all dining services other than takeout or delivery down or dont do it at all.  

33 minutes ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

Only a small percentage of bars allow smoking. I know of two in the west end of allentown. 

I think smoking at a bar in PA is banned, unless it’s a private club. 

[tnt]

21 hours ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

We’ll be skiing it just could be a little jerky jerky and where the heck are you gonna use AT equipment around here.  

 

Blue is offering scenic lift rides and even has a camp happening. If amusement parks can operate ski areas surely can.  

AT equipment would require weekend trips to VT to skin and ski resorts closed for COVID....Maybe even the catskill if they made enough snow before hey have to close.

Blue's mountain biking is also open now.  I think the difference is, the virus is gonna come raging back in the fall/early winter, as the air dries out and people spend more time inside.

I think we can safely ski....mountains can safely open the lifts.  It's the lodges I question.  

[tnt]

14 hours ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

Which mountains?  I’m thinking about doing a lot of midweek mornings at Blue this season and three trips out west or two out west and one to Vermont. 

We're all over the road with this.  We might start out with a seasonal rental in the catskills.  Ski Plattekill and Belleayre.  Me and my daughters are kind of pushing for S.Vt and ski Magic, Broomly, Stratton... but it's another 1-1/2 up the road. And who knows if the mountains will evn be open all winter.

On top of this, we 'won' a ski chalet in the French Alps at a charity auction last fall.  We were supposed to be skiing there this X-mas, but doesn't seem likely we will be making that trip.  So the money we were gonna spend on that trip might fund the rental plan.

Then, if we use it a ton, and find it all manageable, try to figure out a way to afford our own place somewhere.

That's kind of the plan...we'll see how it shakes out.

Where out west?  JH again? Where in VT would you go? You don't go north much, do you?

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

1 minute ago, tnt said:

We're all over the road with this.  We might start out with a seasonal rental in the catskills.  Ski Plattekill and Belleayre.  Me and my daughters are kind of pushing for S.Vt and ski Magic, Broomly, Stratton... but it's another 1-1/2 up the road. And who knows if the mountains will evn be open all winter.

On top of this, we 'won' a ski chalet in the French Alps at a charity auction last fall.  We were supposed to be skiing there this X-mas, but doesn't seem likely we will be making that trip.  So the money we were gonna spend on that trip might fund the rental plan.

Then, if we use it a ton, and find it all manageable, try to figure out a way to afford our own place somewhere.

That's kind of the plan...we'll see how it shakes out.

Where out west?  JH again? Where in VT would you go? You don't go north much, do you?

JH is an every year place as is Colorado.  Maybe add Utah. And for Vermont definitely Stowe. 

[RidgeRacer]

AT equipment would require weekend trips to VT to skin and ski resorts closed for COVID....Maybe even the catskill if they made enough snow before hey have to close.
Blue's mountain biking is also open now.  I think the difference is, the virus is gonna come raging back in the fall/early winter, as the air dries out and people spend more time inside.
I think we can safely ski....mountains can safely open the lifts.  It's the lodges I question.  

Lodges and perhaps the parking lot as much as I hate to say that.

[tnt]

We were at Mad River Glen and Sugarbush one year during a polar vortex.  It was like -14F at the bases.  I just can't really imagine how you manage that without a lodge to thaw out in....

Hell, even single positive digits..

Have to put your lunch in a color to keep it warm and eat in your car???  I guess that's a possibility....

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

All the indoor dining establishments are becoming progressively busier on these hot days. I’d be surprised if all are sticking to 25% indoor capacity. The paddock had a 3/4 lot with nobody outside yesterday and the Trivit diner I just drove by a solid 30 cars with two people eating outside. 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

9 minutes ago, tnt said:

We were at Mad River Glen and Sugarbush one year during a polar vortex.  It was like -14F at the bases.  I just can't really imagine how you manage that without a lodge to thaw out in....

Hell, even single positive digits..

Have to put your lunch in a color to keep it warm and eat in your car???  I guess that's a possibility....

Good point. I don’t think about lodges cause I don’t use them but some of the indoor bootee uppers are in the lodge a couple times everyday.  They have to provide bathrooms otherwise the lots will be filled with piss puddles and look like the slums of Calcutta

[toast21602]

711 new cases in PA - confirming that Wawa is definitely better than 7-11.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

43 minutes ago, RidgeRacer said:

1 hour ago, tnt said:

AT equipment would require weekend trips to VT to skin and ski resorts closed for COVID....Maybe even the catskill if they made enough snow before hey have to close.
Blue's mountain biking is also open now.  I think the difference is, the virus is gonna come raging back in the fall/early winter, as the air dries out and people spend more time inside.
I think we can safely ski....mountains can safely open the lifts.  It's the lodges I question.  

Lodges and perhaps the parking lot as much as I hate to say that.

I think enjorales food is almost worth the risk of catching Covid lol but I don’t see the parking lot as an issue as long as people keep their distance. By then we might have a vaccine and we’ll all be hugging like normal. Anyway it’s 4+ months away...the main focus should be that the snowmaking ponds are full. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by GrilledSteezeSandwich

[JFskiDan]

1 hour ago, RidgeRacer said:

1 hour ago, tnt said:

AT equipment would require weekend trips to VT to skin and ski resorts closed for COVID....Maybe even the catskill if they made enough snow before hey have to close.
Blue's mountain biking is also open now.  I think the difference is, the virus is gonna come raging back in the fall/early winter, as the air dries out and people spend more time inside.
I think we can safely ski....mountains can safely open the lifts.  It's the lodges I question.  

Lodges and perhaps the parking lot as much as I hate to say that.

Im missing how the parking lot is compared to the Lodge?

There is a lot to think about, and iron out....issues that we dont really have to deal with like going in the lodge, ticket window, shuttle, rentals, and the list goes on.  

TNT brings up a good point....i mean when its single digits, or even teens, tons of people go in the lodge to warm up.  Cant really tell people they cant go in the lodge when its 5 degrees out.  

[tnt]

58 minutes ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

Good point. I don’t think about lodges cause I don’t use them but some of the indoor bootee uppers are in the lodge a couple times everyday.  They have to provide bathrooms otherwise the lots will be filled with piss puddles and look like the slums of Calcutta

Yeah, it's not so vital for the poconos.  Handful of days cold enough to not to be able to hang outside.

 

But further north, and out west....

 

We ate at the Yurt in Big Sky - couldn't get a seat inside.  It was about 15F I suppose.  That was a chilly lunch.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

41 minutes ago, tnt said:

Yeah, it's not so vital for the poconos.  Handful of days cold enough to not to be able to hang outside.

 

But further north, and out west....

 

We ate at the Yurt in Big Sky - couldn't get a seat inside.  It was about 15F I suppose.  That was a chilly lunch.

Jackson hole doesn’t have a Day lodge..I remember how disappointed one guy who was on the bus with me was when he asked me where he could boot up and I said the benches outside the ticket office..also benches outside rental shop but then you need to get a locker which is I think $10. 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Pretty interesting. A map of where people are wearing masks. 

[Mixilplix]

5 hours ago, tnt said:

Yeah, it's not so vital for the poconos.  Handful of days cold enough to not to be able to hang outside.

 

But further north, and out west....

 

We ate at the Yurt in Big Sky - couldn't get a seat inside.  It was about 15F I suppose.  That was a chilly lunch.

Love me some lunch at the yurt....

 

[tnt]

1 hour ago, Mixilplix said:

Love me some lunch at the yurt....

 

That's the one....that was a great trip, and a great spot!

 

That whole side of the mountain was fantastic.  Dakota lift...Shedhorn lift...so fun...

Edited July 20, 2020 by tnt

[tnt]

2 hours ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

Pretty interesting. A map of where people are wearing masks. 

I wonder how they gather that information.....

[Schif]

4 hours ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

Pretty interesting. A map of where people are wearing masks. 

Looks like a population density map

[RidgeRacer]

Looks like a population density map

At first glance I thought it was a coverage map for T Mobile.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

It’s looking like the US is gonna be over 1,000 Covid deaths today and I imagine that trend will likely continue. Over 130 new deaths today for Floridumb and Arizona.   That should at least open up some more hospital beds 😞

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

On 7/20/2020 at 11:53 AM, toast21602 said:

711 new cases in PA - confirming that Wawa is definitely better than 7-11.

1027 new cases 

[JFskiDan]

i tested negative for Covid-19.  Yippee.  Obviously this is good news, of course, but really it just means that i didnt have it prior to 9:15 am Friday.  Not like finding out my test was negative changes how i currently do things.  No one in the office or shop tested positive, but my Boss's daughter did, and the accountant ladys other son has now tested positive.  

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

42 minutes ago, JFskiDan said:

i tested negative for Covid-19.  Yippee.  Obviously this is good news, of course, but really it just means that i didnt have it prior to 9:15 am Friday.  Not like finding out my test was negative changes how i currently do things.  No one in the office or shop tested positive, but my Boss's daughter did, and the accountant ladys other son has now tested positive.  

Is Boss’s daughter and accountant lady’s other son in quarentine?  How long did test results take?  

[tnt]

3 hours ago, JFskiDan said:

i tested negative for Covid-19.  Yippee.  Obviously this is good news, of course, but really it just means that i didnt have it prior to 9:15 am Friday.  Not like finding out my test was negative changes how i currently do things.  No one in the office or shop tested positive, but my Boss's daughter did, and the accountant ladys other son has now tested positive.  

Good news.

 

What compelled you to get a test?

A good friend and client of mine just tested positive.

 

[tnt]

What do you guys think about the safety level of blue mountain bike park?  I'm not much of a biker, though I am slowly getting into it.  But just looking for things to do.

 

I read something on their website about maintaining distance on the downhill to stay out of other riders sweat trail, or something like that, and that kind of freaked me out.