Brighton, UT, Jan. 27, 2021

Tony Crocker

Administrator
Staff member
We skied at Brighton, a very tough day as our first ski day with COVID masks and actual winter weather. I’ve had 9 prior ski days since the shutdown with masks, but all were sunny and at least 45 degrees. This day was 15-20F but it was windy and from midday onwards snowing moderately.

Liz wore a Respokare (like KN95) mask but had constant google fogging. Fiddling with goggles requires removing gloves so results in getting cold. I used a synthetic cloth mask from Ski Area Management and had no fog issues. I did get a bit cold so we went in after 3 runs, by which time Liz was skiing with goggles on her helmet. I upgraded my midlayer, Liz cleaned the goggles but she had no improvement when we went back out.

After two runs I gave her the SAM mask while I tried the cotton mask from Anaheim Clinical Trials. Liz took a couple of runs with some but not complete improvement before quitting due to cold. The ACT mask was not quite as good; I had fogging on one side and had to wipe it down a few times. I had a couple of clean runs but the last run though trees was as bad as Liz’ early runs. I had to put goggles on my head and had freezing hands.

After skiing we stopped at Lift House. They were out of anti-fog but we got some improved masks including a $30 one from Under Armour which Liz will use for her Kristen Ulmer clinic. Liz dropped me off and drove up to Alta for her 4-7PM preliminary session. I was sufficiently cold and exhausted that I took a 1.5 hour nap in my ski base layers.

Conditions are considerably improved from the horrendous situation jkamien reported last week. Brighton got 27 inches last weekend plus whatever was falling today. So the ice from the long dry spell is pretty much buried. Reported base was 51 inches. There are still some rocks, tree roots, etc. to avoid. My first run was on Millicent and it still looks bony off the groomed and I did not see anyone trying that.

The Crest chair had a lift line all day up to 10 minutes, and Snake Creek was about 5 minutes. Part of this was due to Great Western being closed for wind.

With our varied difficulties and needing to leave by 2PM I only skied 11,100 vertical.
 
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I also struggled with masks and goggles the last three days. At Kirkwood on Monday I was wearing three-layer facemask that caused a lot of fogging that would not easily wipe away, or would quickly return, so I skied with goggles up part of the day. I attributed some of it from foam starting to separate from well-used storm goggles. At Heavenly on Tuesday, I wore thinner mask I had used earlier in month without problem (other than sore ears) with helmet liner and almost new goggles. I did not have fogging trouble, but breathing through the two layers was difficult when exerting myself like doing short hike or skiing steep and deep powder in Mott Canyon. At Northstar yesterday, using thin mask and helmet liner and higher temps, I was fogging before getting on gondola. While on gondola, I wiped goggles, but they kept fogging so I removed mask and just used helmet liner which probably does not qualify as a 'legal' mask. It was windy enough on my first chair that I was able to keep goggles clear. I usually had helmet liner under my nose when riding lift or skiing and would cover my nose when loading. Pulling helmet liner down enough to drink from water bottle or eat leftover slices of pizza I was carrying was difficult.
 
Are you guys skiing at areas/states that require masks all the time or just in lift lines? If not, do you have a technique using a gaiter or balaclava where you pop a mask under the gaiter when around the lifts and remove it for actual skiing?
 
In Colorado today, people were only wearing them in liftlines, on the lift, and in the lodge, not while skiing. On my second run, I tried wearing a mask while skiing with goggles. It was awful. Ain't doing that again.
 
Tony C will have to answer for UT. In CA (and NV part of Heavenly AFAIK) there is no going inside to warm up. You can only go inside to use bathroom or get pre-made food to go. I have not gone inside in my 6 days this month at Vail Tahoe resorts. Friend did on Tues and said that free water container that used to be self-serve is staffed. Cups are filled by employee and cups (or water bottles) cannot be refilled.

From Heavenly’s web pages:
“Face coverings will be required to access the mountain, in all indoor spaces, in any line,
in chairlifts and gondolas, and whenever you are unable to maintain physical distance. Face covering should follow CDC guidelines, with two or more layers of fabric that completely cover your nose and mouth and they should not have vents, valves or holes.” I think they mean on chairlifts, not in and I take that to mean when not alone or with people you did not travel with or are not staying with.

With just a mask it’s not that hard to lower while skiing. Lowering a mask under a helmet liner is harder and getting it back in right place is harder still.
 
Idaho requires masks in liftlines, and inside... but Not while skiing. I had my first day with fogging issues today in the storm riding conditions at Brundage. Some of it was mask related, but overall it was just wet and I was warm.
 
I use a balaclava from Home Depot..one of those copper ones. No fogging issues even when skiing. The only time I use while skiing is if its cold. And its friggin cold up at Gore.
 
Tony C will have to answer for UT. In CA (and NV part of Heavenly AFAIK) there is no going inside to warm up. You can only go inside to use bathroom or get pre-made food to go.
Yes, the no going inside to warm up unless you make a lunch reservation is my biggest COVID annoyance by far. I managed to find a couple of obscure corners to sit down and rest/thaw the past two days at Alta and Snowbird. Tomorrow at Deer Valley I think a lunch reservation will be worth it. At Alta you are not even allowed to use the restroom at GMD. You have to climb the stairs to the upstairs bathrooms at the ski ticket office. So it's much easier to use restrooms at Alf's or Watson's after you start skiing. We were allowed to go in to warm up on the top level of Brighton Lodge on Wednesday.

I find that once I put the mask and goggles on, I need to maintain that interface without disturbing it. So for more strenuous skiing I lift the bottom of the mask up so my mouth is unobstructed. That was successful even on Highboy today.
 
Not as bad as that one, but Friday afternoon there was a crash in LCC. I sat in Alta's parking lot from 4:15 to 6:15PM.
 
Tony Crocker":2172qh7d said:
Not as bad as that one, but Friday afternoon there was a crash in LCC. I sat in Alta's parking lot from 4:15 to 6:15PM.
Thanks to Covid concerns, being newly semi-retired, and the traffic $hitshow on weekends - esp powder day Saturdays - I've stopped skiing on weekends in the Cottonwoods. Kinda wish now that I had purchased a mid-week pass - would have saved ~$200.
 
Re on/off with masks I humbly recommend a buff, it's easy to cover/uncover on the descent. They're just big and stretchy, so you don't have to grab a specific spot to position it over your nose at full speed once you get near the lift maze or strangers. Even my friends wear regular surgeon-like masks but I have no idea why???!!!

Re bathrooms, for the love of God would you please just find a tree. Then the indoor ones can be repurposed so women have twice as many to use. WTF?
 
ShiftyRider":ekwgj9ls said:
would you please just find a tree.

Lol; what if all the trees are closed (and clearly marked as such)? {asking for a friend}
 
ShiftyRider":398wtvgu said:
Re on/off with masks I humbly recommend a buff, it's easy to cover/uncover on the descent. They're just big and stretchy, so you don't have to grab a specific spot to position it over your nose at full speed once you get near the lift maze or strangers. Even my friends wear regular surgeon-like masks but I have no idea why???!!!

Not all areas allow just buffs and others make specific mention regarding buffs:

Alta: "Please note that skiers are encouraged to fold over or double up buffs."

Solitude: "All visitors, residents, and staff are required to wear an appropriate face-covering properly fitted over the nose and mouth. When indoors, a multi-layer mask is required. Neck gaiters, such as Buff brand, do not meet this requirement. When outdoors, wear a multi-layer mask or gaiter, or a single-layer gaiter folded over to make two layers."

Brighton: "Please ensure that your face mask is in line with CDC guidelines and worn over your nose and mouth."

Snowbird: " Neck gaiters are not acceptable face coverings for the Aerial Tram; a mask must be worn. Masks are available for guests upon request.

ShiftyRider":398wtvgu said:
Re bathrooms, for the love of God would you please just find a tree.
Please don't do this. Here in UT about 65% of our drinking water comes from the Wasatch snow pack. Stop peeing in my water.

ShiftyRider":398wtvgu said:
Then the indoor ones can be repurposed so women have twice as many to use. WTF?
Ya know, guys sometimes have to do more than just pee. Esp. if on a medication that has gastrointestinal side effects. (Welcome to my world right now.)
 
Thanks! My favorite buffs, folded over to make two layers, is enough material re covering up. But from now on I'll use two at once. Do people do that? For the grocery store I like earstrap-style masks -- to me that's a terrible idea tho during athletics.

I think best case requirements would include everything in your post. Add that sunglass or goggle fogging is a symptom of poor fit (or I'm outta shape again...)
 
Thanks to all for the helpful mask discussion.
I have no lift served days yet, but three X-C days that didn't require masks on the track I use. Hope to start getting a few months of lift served at Snowbird later this month. Parking will be the next thing I'll have to figure out. Seems like non-powder weekdays should be fine, but weekends or powder days might be a bit more of a challenge:-(
xc-ski-day-31jan2021-jpg.122810
 
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