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since advanced reservations were necessary to limit crowds. Reservations
were required, because walk up day passes might not
be available.
A touchless interaction with guests was required, from hotel
check-in, to purchases of rentals, lessons or food, to getting on
the lifts. Some resorts have a print your own lift ticket system
or a lift ticket that is reloadable for the next time you go skiing.
Moving skiers and boarders up the hill faster to prevent crowds
gathering at the base of a lift, accelerated demand for increased
lift capacity per chair, and speed of transit.
Apps were improved, so you could make reservations to
dine on or off the mountain through your watch, or phone, from
anywhere. You can link into programs where you can get terrain
maps or weather conditions on and off the mountain, plus a
whole menu choice of other information to make your day in
the mountains run efficiently and smoothly.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's app upgrades are representative
of the type that ski areas made this year in order to address
various operational challenges caused by the pandemic.
" The JH Insider app's parking availability function was enhanced to
counter an increase in the portion of visitors driving to the mountain
this year versus using public transportation, " chief brand officer
Tyler LaMotte said. Tram wait time information was also added
to the app, with the mountain having to limit the capacity of its
aerial tram to 25% of normal.
Rusty Gregory, CEO of Alterra Mountain Company, said the
innovations from this past year won't be the last changes skiers
will see, either. Rather, they set the stage for even more developments
going forward. " I think you'll see a tremendous amount of
experimentation with the innovation and application of technology
to the guest experience next year, " Gregory said. (www.travelweekly.com)
Great
News for International Travel
Currently, the United States is one of a few countries that
still has a vaccination restriction for foreign nationals who
wish to enter the United States. If you are a non-U.S. citizen
who is a nonimmigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful
permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant
visa), you will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated
against COVID-19 before you can travel by air to the
United States from a foreign country. Some categories of noncitizen,
nonimmigrants are excepted from this requirement, but
if you meet the criteria for one of these categories, you will
need to fulfill additional requirements. This vaccination restriction
does not apply to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or U.S.
lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders).
(www.cdc.gov)
As of March 1, 2022, EU countries began to allow non-essential
travel for persons vaccinated with vaccines approved
by the EU or by the World Health Organization, and for persons
who recovered from COVID-19. By summer, many European
countries had removed travel restrictions relating to the
disease, and now almost all of Europe is open to tourist travel
without restriction.
October brought exciting news for snowsports enthusiasts
who want to travel to Canada; news that we were waiting for
all summer! As of October 1, 2022, for all travelers entering
Japan had some rigid border restrictions due to COVID-19 until they were finally lifted on October 11, 2022, welcoming tourists back.
Japan currently has over 450 operating ski areas ranging from large, interconnected ski resorts offering modern amenities to tiny ski hills
used by locals. This snowboarder is enjoying the powder at Hokkaido Ski Resort. photo by Hamish Duncan on Unsplash
Far West Skier's Guide 2O22 - 2O23
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http://www.travelweekly.com http://www.travelweekly.com http://www.cdc.gov

2022 - 2023 Far West Skier's Guide

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