Bluewood opens Friday

DAYTON-The Bluewood 2020-21 season begins the weekend of December 11-13 as the winter sports area welcomes skiers and snowboarders to the mountain, with COVID-19 precautions in effect. Currently there are 24 inches of snow at the base and 24 inches at the summit.

First chair will be at 9 a.m. Friday. Throughout the weekend, hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with the Skyline Express, Triple Nickel and Easy Rider conveyor lifts all scheduled to be spinning.

"We're super excited to welcome everyone back up on the mountain," said Kim Clark, General Manager. "Bluewood staff and others in the community have been hard at work throughout the summer and fall months to get things ready. This year there will be restrictions due to the pandemic, and we need to hold tight on those, but our goal is to have a safe, fun season on the slopes."

As the winter progresses, restrictions will likely need adjustments, but for opening weekend Bluewood has several protocols in place and a few announcements, including:

•Face coverings must be worn unless actively skiing/riding or actively eating. Guests and staff are required to mask up in the parking lot, and also wear masks anywhere people gather. That includes the parking lot, base area, lodge and lift lines. Masking is required, and people who cannot abide by this policy will be asked to leave.

•If guests or staff are sick, if anyone in their family is sick, or if they suspect having been exposed to someone who is sick, they should stay home so they can come another day.

•Riders on the Skyline Express and Triple Nickel lifts are asked to self-group either with family members or those they traveled with to the mountain. Solo chairlift rides are also an option.

•Guests should use their vehicle as their base camp. They should plan on getting gear on or off, eating, and storing personal items at or in the vehicle. Indoor seating won't be available in the lodge on opening weekend, and neither will storage spaces, such as lockers and cubbies.

•Indoor dining is on hold for now, but grab-and-go food options will be offered to order and carry out.

•At the base, a new yurt will be open for prepurchased ticket pick-up. Starting Monday, December 7, guests are encouraged to order lift tickets online as much as possible to help minimize lines on the mountain.

•At the summit, the yurt with snacks and beverages will remain closed for the time being.

•Guests and staff are encouraged to use hand sanitizing stations that have been prominently placed throughout the lodge.

•Rigorous sanitation measures will be followed. Staff will be wiping down surfaces frequently with disinfectants, for example. Rental gear will be receiving extra sanitation. And every night in every room in every building, a fogger will be deployed with a sanitizing agent.

•Unless otherwise noted, restrooms in the lodge will be open as usual, and there will be four porta-potties at the top for the season.

•The Hub, a new building in the upper end of the parking lot, is in the final stages of construction. The Rentals and SnowSports departments will move to The Hub soon. But at least through opening weekend, rental gear and lessons will continue to be accessed in the lodge.

•Limited lessons will be offered on opening weekend. Guests can check at the SnowSports desk or at bluewood.com.

•The coffee bar will be open and bottled (non-alcoholic) beverages will be available for purchase, but the pub will be closed. Since the drinking fountain in the lodge is turned off, people may want to bring drinking water from home.

"We're asking everyone to stay flexible, be patient, be courteous and be kind as we chart a course through the upcoming months," Clark says. "It's taken a community effort to open this season, and it will take a community effort to stay open at Bluewood, where we get to exercise in the wide-open mountain air and snow."

Operating schedule: Through the holidays, Bluewood will be open:

•December 11-13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

•December 17-23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

•December 24, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

•December 26 - January 3, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Additional information about the operating schedule, covid-19 protocols and news updates can be found at bluewood.com.

Snow phone: For recorded updates on conditions and other information, call (509) 240-8991. Information is typically updated by 6 a.m. and is available 24/7. Snow phone updates will begin before opening day.