Bluewood ski area opens Friday, December 11

DAYTON­—The 2020-21 season at Bluewood opens the weekend of Dec. 11-13 as the winter sports area welcomes skiers and snowboarders to the mountain.

As of Monday, Dec.7, there are 24 inches of snow at the base and 24 inches at the summit.

On Friday, opening day, the first chair will be at 9 a.m. 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,” says 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 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.

• Guests should use their vehicle as their base camp. They should plan on loading and unloading gear, storing personal items and eating, 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. Grab-and-go food options will be offered to order and carry out.

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

• At the base, a new yurt will be open for pre-purchased ticket pick-up. Starting Monday, December 7, guests are encouraged to order lift tickets online 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, including surfaces cleaned with disinfectants frequently throughout the day, and rental gear will be receiving extra sanitation. Every night, a fogger will be deployed with a sanitizing agent in every room of every building.

• Unless otherwise noted, restrooms in the lodge will be open as usual, and there will be four Porta-Potty toilets 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. Eventually, the Rentals and SnowSports departments will move to The Hub. However, through the 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.

“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.