As we prepare for Monday’s opening, we’ve adjusted some of our indoor protocols due to the current COVID restrictions. It looks like the two-week pause may be extended past December 2, which means we need to limit the number of guests that come indoors.
But first, some things you should know about our opening:
All lift tickets, lessons and rentals must be purchased online in advance - they will not be available at the resort this season
We will sell to-go food, but eating will not be allowed inside our lodges or on our decks due to the governor’s order
We are asking everyone to limit themselves to 10 minutes in the lodge at a time
Face coverings are required at all times in our parking lots, in our lodge, around the base area, on shuttles, in the lift mazes, on chairs and any time you can't maintain at least six feet of distance
The only places to pick up passes are at the ticket booth or the ticket windows at Hood River Meadows starting Monday.
Please do not approach lifts until the lift mazes are completely set (not before 8:30 AM)
We had already made plans to move the Guest Services and Pass Holder Services functions outside to our Ticket building and to the HRM Ticket windows, so pass holders and others redeeming tickets no longer need to step inside the lodge.
The ticket windows (both in the base area and at HRM) will open at 8 AM - that’s where those needing to have passes reissued should go. We’ll have a special queue and open many windows to spread people out, so please be respectful of spacing and wear a mask or face covering. If you have your pass, you can go directly to the lift - no need to stop by the ticket window.
The first few days are for pass holders only; we’re not selling tickets, lessons or equipment rentals until we can gauge the flow better. The first three weeks of the season (November 30 - December 20), we are honoring last year’s pass holders who didn’t renew, as well as leftover vouchers that weren’t used last season. We posted a separate blog with this information. Those redeeming ticket products should go to the ticket window, while lesson or rental vouchers should check in at our new Sahale Lodge.
With Sahale, we have a lot of lodge space, but with the restrictions, we need to keep guests outside as much as possible. When we start reaching capacities, we will have greeters to help meter access, and we ask all lodge guests to spend no more than 10 minutes inside so we can accommodate everyone.
During the freeze, there is no inside dining at any of our restaurants, indoor space, or even on our decks. We may be able to allow deck seating beginning Thursday, December 3.
We’ve redesigned our menus to feature quick but tasty grab-and-go items at the new Sahale Grill, at the Schuss To Go Express, and at Fresh Tracks. The menus are posted online and QR codes will make it easy for you to pull up the menu so you can make your decision quicker, grab it, pay for it, and go. We’ve spaced out stanchions six feet apart and we appreciate you always wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing when inside. We have hand sanitizer stations at our restaurants and request all guests sanitize before entering a restaurant space.
Scheduled food service operations for our first four days, subject to change.
We’ll also have Higher Grounds and the new Wildflowers Cafe in Sahale for coffee, tea and prepackaged items, as well as the Mazot and the Renaissance Cafe at HRM. The Alpenstube and Vertical Restaurants will not be open since there is no sit-down dining. We also plan some outside remote food service as well.
With no indoor dining allowed, we suggest bringing your takeout or grab-and-go items back to your vehicle for a comfortable and warm place to dine. And because so much of our food will be pre-packaged, we kindly ask that you help us keep the ski area clean and use the appropriate garbage and recycling receptacles.
We’ve added many porta-potties for your comfort and convenience and for those who want to avoid coming indoors. You are welcome to use the restrooms in our lodges, but we ask you limit your indoor time to no more than 10 minutes.
This year, no equipment will be allowed in our lodges - we’ve added racks on the slopeside of our buildings and encourage you to use them. Ski check is also available. Equipment is allowed on the basement level of the South Lodge for season locker access.
Well, that’s a quick rundown of the inside space at Meadows as we prepare to open Monday. We expect this to be a very fluid plan that will change as restrictions are either added or lifted. We appreciate you knowing our plan and working with us to reduce the risk of spread while enjoying the mountain this season.