How the Omicron Variant is Affecting Ski Resorts
At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all familiar with living around COVID. Even though COVID has been here for years at this point, new variants like Omicron and new forms of protection like COVID booster shots can make it hard to keep up with the best way to stay safe while still having fun.
Balancing new COVID information with having fun is especially difficult at ski resorts since they’re places people go to escape from everyday worries. To help clear any confusion over how the Omicron variant is affecting ski resorts, the ASO Mammoth team has written a short guide to what to know before you go on a ski trip this winter.
Check it out below before your next trip!
Always Stay Up to Date
Before we go any further, we need to mention that COVID – 19 and the best protections against it can change over time as scientists understand the virus better. This means that you must keep up to date with COVID developments as they happen, especially if you’re about to go on a trip to somewhere like a ski resort.
To start, you can check out the Center for Disease Control’s COVID – 19 page here.
The Most Important Thing is to Stay Safe in Town and Away from the Ski Resort
Thanks to the space and open air involved with skiing and snowboarding, you can have fun while doing them and be at a low risk for catching COVID. However, when you’re away from the ski mountain is when you must be careful.
The towns built around ski resorts are small but often have travelers from all over mingling in them. To protect yourself and the residents of towns like Mammoth Lakes, always remember to wear a mask and follow other local laws like mask mandates and social distancing rules while away from the mountain and shopping or eating in restaurants.
Do You Need to Social Distance While Skiing and Snowboarding?
Fortunately, skiing and snowboarding are outdoor sports, which means that it’s much easier to distance yourself from other people and the chance of being infected is lower. For that reason, the only place you may need to social distance while skiing and snowboarding is while on a lift, gondola, or waiting in line for either one.
However, when you’re inside a ski resort’s facilities you will still need to social distance. This means that while eating, changing clothes, or waiting in line for rentals or food, you should remember to distance away from people you did not travel to the mountain with!
Fortunately, places like Mammoth Mountain are prepared for social distancing, and have updated their facilities to accommodate the extra space.
Do You Need to Wear a Mask While Skiing and Snowboarding?
Just as with social distancing, since skiing and snowboarding are outdoor sports, you can be relatively safe while doing them without a mask. Plus, since they’re winter sports, you may wear a mask anyway to stay warm. However, the real chance of infection comes when you must enter high interaction areas like indoor facilities and lift lines.
Different mountains will have different rules, but you will likely be required to wear a mask while in lift lines, and inside of the mountain facilities regardless of if you’re vaccinated or not. Even if you’re not required to wear a mask, you should still wear one while inside to help prevent the spread of COVID – 19.
Does Mammoth Mountain Require Proof of Vaccine to Ski and Snowboard?
Mammoth Mountain does not require proof of vaccination to ski and snowboard there. Other mountains may be different though, so always check beforehand to make sure you’re ready ahead of time.