November 16, 2020

Warning – there should be a question mark after the Ski Vermont logo! Yeah, Yeah we know our recent updates have not been very cheery, but we believe in truth rather than fake news. And no, we do not have any sway over the current resident of the White House. So now for the ski related news…

Given the national surge in Coronavirus cases a number of states are implementing very restrictive measures. Ok, now we will tell you something you might not know. Several state restrictions have started to impact the ski industry. While there may be others, the poster children for this right now are New Mexico and Vermont.

New Mexico has imposed a stay at home order except for trips essential for health, safety and welfare. All non essential businesses are to close. This new order is effective today (November 16th) through November 30th. Now we know that many of you deem ski areas essential businesses but apparently the governor of NM doesn’t see it that way. A number of ski areas were slated to open Thanksgiving week (including the 800 lb gorilla, Taos) but sadly those plans are now on hold.

Vermont’s restrictions are not quite as severe, but its newly implemented travel restrictions may have the same effect. The new restrictions are:

  • Travelers arriving to Vermont in a personal vehicle must complete either a 14-day quarantine or a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative test in their home state and enter Vermont without further quarantine restrictions.
  • Travelers arriving to Vermont who have not completed a pre-arrival quarantine must complete either a 14-day quarantine or a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative test in a Vermont lodging establishment or with friends and family (travelers must stay in their quarantine location for the duration of quarantine other than to travel to and from a test site)

The state has imposed the burden on lodging establishments to obtain a written Certificate of Compliance with the above restrictions from guests. At the risk of stating the obvious, if these restrictions stay in place it will certainly make it harder for non Vermonters to ski in the Green Mountain state anytime soon. Stay tuned. Ugh!

For information on NM – NM Covid Restrictions

For information on Vermont – VT Covid Travel Restrictions

November 21, 2020

By Kevin Dennis
conSKIerge co-founder

Kevin Dennis is a life long ski bum with a 34 year legal career on the side. Now retired, he skis 80+ days a year. While he lives in Alta UT in the winters, he has traveled extensively through skiing and has skied almost every major resort in North America (and many you have never heard of). He continues to hit the road often throughout the western United States and Canada and trips over the last several years have included ventures in British Columbia, Montana and Colorado. Whether you want to know about the behemoths like Aspen or Squaw or are interested in the road less travelled (Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana or Whitewater in BC anyone?), Kevin has been there, has an opinion and you will most likely have to tell him to shut up after a half hour!