California Ski Regions Mandated to Suspend All Overnight Stays, Non-Takeout Dining Starting Tonight
With COVID hospitalizations rising to the point where ICUs are below 15% capacity, California has moved several regions into stay-at-home orders. While outdoor activities such as skiing are excluded from the order, hotels will not be allowed to accept or honor reservations for non-essential travel. As a result, those planning to travel to resorts won’t be able to do so. During this time, food, drink, and alcohol will be takeout-only at resorts.
With the exception of Mount Shasta in Northern California, these guidelines apply to every ski resort in the state. The order goes into effect today, December 10, at 11:59pm, and will last for at least 3 weeks. Following this initial period, restrictions may be lifted if ICU availability rises back above 15%.
The following California ski resorts are affected by the order:
Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Northstar, Homewood, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Sugar Bowl, Boreal, Donner Ski Ranch, Soda Springs, Tahoe Donner, Bear Valley (Greater Sacramento Region)
Badger Pass, China Peak, Alta Sierra (San Joaquin Valley Region)
Mammoth, June Mountain, Mountain High, Snow Valley, Big Bear, Mt. Baldy (Routt County)
Of the above resorts, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Northstar, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Sugar Bowl, Bear Valley, Mammoth, Mountain High, and Big Bear are already open for the season. At this point, none have made plans to suspend lift operations. Many resorts have also announced plans to maintain grab-and-go food options throughout this period.
Our Take
While resorts staying open is certainly good news for locals, this order essentially blocks any tourists from accessing California’s ski resorts—assuming that local hotels and vacation rentals enforce the order. Some Lake Tahoe visitors may try to stay in Nevada, but we expect the lack of on-site lodging to deter a substantial number of people. Cases are reaching unprecedented levels at this point, so we hope these measures can finally alleviate the rapidly rising transmission rates in the state’s mountain regions.
