How to run a BC Lodge next winter??

[garyfromterrace]

there are still of huts that will let your group go unguided prime time
depending on your group not uncatered anymore though
if our 2022 becomes uncatered ill be fine with it
ive never been on a guided hut trip yet in 20
id really like to do battle abbey but that's a lot of money for a guide I don't want
best terrains a personal preference debateable thing
im glad were 2 winters out on our booking

Though I'm all for self guiding I think there's some spots where having a guide is worth the donero (of course dependant on your group and their skills). Thinking Burnie and Battle Abbey here.

Our 2021 trip for next year I'm organizing is unguided/catered. I'm still holding out for it to go because it's all our group with everyone we know. What I'm hoping for is there to be some sort of testing as it'll simplify things if we can all go in knowing that we're all "clean". Three of the group are Americans and my friends though and I don't think it's fair to leave them hanging if there's some sort of border issue. That's why I'm trying to get clarity from the hut owner so that my friends don't get stuck and out of money if they're messed around at the border. I also want to support the local economy as much we can

Like you I'm not that worried about the 2022 trips

Yeah, the "testing and all clear card" is something I hope becomes standard otherwise to be hanging in a hut situation just wouldn't fly IMHO.

2500 is a smoking deal for a catered guided trip. It still represents significant outlay of cash however, and for folks like myself with young kids there is the extra cost of disappearing for a week. Nonetheless, I think an extra chunk of cash added on for sanitization costs or whatever you want to call it, so let's bring it up to 3000 for example, that is still pretty reasonable IMO.

While I don't argue that fact that all things being considered, $3K for a week of guided catered skiing in a stylie, comfy hut in the middle of now where (incl heli in and out) may be pretty good value, it's now priced out of this senior citizen on a fixed income. Especially considering we'd probably be booking for 2 and that's $6K we don't have. I'm going to be sticking to self guided/self catered unless a screaming deal came up sometime, somewhere.

[zion zig zag]

A guy from Ogden on a trip I went on scored a last minute deal and with the exchange it cost him $1200 for the full package. That is a crazy deal.


3500-4500 US is too much IMO

Ha, was it Mick from Australia? He is a master of filling last minute spots on hut trips for cheap and usually does it a couple of times a year.

[XXX-er]

I would rather drink than cook, also its often a waste a lot of food with a bunch of different cooks cuz of all the leftovers, also the food is usually better with a real cook, if you are a real cook ...hi there !

IME the hut owner or the guides who have experiance with multiple trips at a hut usually know where the best snow is at any given moment

but YMMV ^^

i got on a cheap trip last year, just roster filler, 1/2 a day to pack and 2 days to git thar, I probably would have got another trip this spring if the knee hadnt fubared

[skifishbum]

it aint gittin no cheaper
im not anti guide
but after 5 or 6 blanket trips im not willing to pay twice as much for a trip for a guides and cooks
for 1 battle abbey maybe
pay more per night than 5 of us paid for a week at the don Sheldon
your fuckin dreaming kids
and no don is not smiling down on that champagne and cavior dreams bullshit you created
and fuck youse
im going back someday though and setting a camp near by and skiin that shit while theyre having overpriced bfast and mr leach is warming their gold plated rectal thermometers
best all week conditions we scored was there
or a early Jan 1/2 price last minute hut filler at carlyse
which id be hesitant to go on a trip I didn't know all the people on at this point or would pay extra rather than filling those spots with random strangers
its already a what will conditions be crap shoot
add a deadly global pandemic
im probably not even gonna try next season

[glademaster]

I would rather drink than cook, also its often a waste a lot of food with a bunch of different cooks cuz of all the leftovers, also the food is usually better with a real cook, if you are a real cook ...hi there !

IME the hut owner or the guides who have experiance with multiple trips at a hut usually know where the best snow is at any given moment

but YMMV ^^

i got on a cheap trip last year, just roster filler, 1/2 a day to pack and 2 days to git thar, I probably would have got another trip this spring if the knee hadnt fubared

Yup, it's worth every penny. I wouldn't consider doing a hut trip another way at this point. It's a ski vacation, I'm there to ski, and I don't want to have to do much else.

FWIW, I was at a lodge this past winter, and one of the guests got very sick partway through the trip. He wasn't evac'd, but he missed 3 days of skiing, had a high fever, etc., and I was impressed with the response from the lodge staff, even pre-corona.

The sick individual was isolated to their room, their roommate was re-assigned, meals were brought to them in their room, hand sanitizer was already available in a couple spots in the lodge, but they busted out even more so damn near every table had a bottle on it, everyone was reminded repeatedly by the staff to wash their hands before sitting down to eat, disinfecting wipes and signs were posted in the rest rooms asking people to wipe down all surfaces they touched after use, and the lodge staff did some daily deep cleaning of the place too. To my knowledge nobody else in the group contracted whatever that guy had, despite it knocking him flat on his ass.

[Angle Parking]

Ha, was it Mick from Australia? He is a master of filling last minute spots on hut trips for cheap and usually does it a couple of times a year.

Different guy

[XXX-er]

yeah i look at it as a vaca and i think most people do

I seem to remember organizing theorganizing bro quoting the cook & good food adding < 300 to our unguided trip so 3 meals for 40$ is a fucking bargoon IMO, the cook strays in and just keeps cooking, no extra organizing needed BUT really even paying the full pop of 2500$ for a week is 350 ish a day is good deal as Vacations go and once yer there you don't spend money

My money guy/ski bro pointed out why heli skiing appeals to the decerning American skier (dentist) he can either drop a whole shwack of money on condo/lessons/rentals/food/restaurant/ yada fucking yada to take the fam to deer valley and not even have fun

OR spend that 10-13K at a heli op

jumping in solo on a trip with 1/2 day notice worked out fine cuz a trip is a trip eh, but we digress here i can't see how a trip can even run guided or not at this point, I will be waiting at least a season for COVID19 to shake out

[Angle Parking]

... but we digress here i can't see how a trip can even run guided or not at this point, I will be waiting at least a season for COVID19 to shake out

It's hard to wrap your head around how that whole business is not in deep trouble. Ski hills will take a hit but it's pretty easy to imagine how you can go to a ski hill and not expose yourself at all (up here anyway where lift lines are unheard of). But lodges, you step into one of those places and like it or not, you are sharing everything with everyone, viruses included.

[Dromond]

I love BC hut trips more than the average person, but based on what I know now I have a hard time visualizing enough of the clients/guides/cooks/hutkeepers saying "yes this is worth the risk and hassle to do this" next year, when they could likely wait a single year and proceed as normal. I think enough people will not want to do it that it will make profitable operation difficult to impossible this winter. I'm sure that business is tight for plenty of hut owners, and hope they can survive to open in future winters if they can't in 20/21. Guides and other employees could at least possibly find other work for the winter with much lower exposure, such as day guiding where everyone is staying in their own separate lodging.

[XXX-er]

It's hard to wrap your head around how that whole business is not in deep trouble. Ski hills will take a hit but it's pretty easy to imagine how you can go to a ski hill and not expose yourself at all (up here anyway where lift lines are unheard of). But lodges, you step into one of those places and like it or not, you are sharing everything with everyone, viruses included.

downstream of either one ^^ think about the truck dealer/ food supplier/ expediter and on and fucking on, we are looking at the complete cont-alt-delete of the entire fucking world man !

I should get some beer and we can distance-out on my front lawn

new stoner protocol is git yer own pot ... the bogart is done eh?

[XXX-er]

It's hard to wrap your head around how that whole business is not in deep trouble. Ski hills will take a hit but it's pretty easy to imagine how you can go to a ski hill and not expose yourself at all (up here anyway where lift lines are unheard of). But lodges, you step into one of those places and like it or not, you are sharing everything with everyone, viruses included.

downstream of either one ^^ think about the truck dealer/ food supplier/ expediter and on and fucking on, we are looking at the complete cont-alt-delete of the entire fucking world man !

I should get some beer and we can distance-out on my front lawn, new stoner protocol is git yer own pot ... the bogart is done eh?

I hope the local ski ops all make it

[sillybunt2]

I just received this update from a BC lodge I have been involved with. This was provided in the context of allowing folks to make a decision now regarding trips currently booked for next winter and to hold onto their reservations, cancel them or shift to a later season with perhaps more certainty. I'm not sure what other operators are doing? This seems like a responsible approach to provide some certainty regarding maintaining their business in uncertain times. The conclusion that international visitors may not be able to come to BC next season (if realized) has far reaching implications beyond the huts catering to small groups.

Hello Everyone. Hope you and your families are all staying healthy during these difficult times.

The Current State of Affairs in British Columbia

The provincial government has publicly stated that they will not be allowing international tourism into BC until a COVID-19 vaccine is available and/or there is widespread immunity. The best guesses are that this is approximately 12+ months away, this may happen sooner but we just don’t know. Currently, the Canada/US border remains closed.


What does this mean for International Guests?

As an American/international guest, you may not be permitted to enter into BC for the foreseeable future. You will not likely be able to come to BC for your ski trip this winter.


What does this mean for Canadian Guests?

As a Canadian guest, you will likely, although not guaranteed, be able to travel to the lodge for your ski vacation. There are no indications currently from government officials to the contrary.

[DougW]

Right now no restrictions on coming to BC from AB. Just went by two sets of the dreaded red plates at a pair of cabins down the road. We have rented a GAH lodge for a week next March. US border being closed ? was extended by another month.

[XXX-er]

I just seen one of them learner plates on a motorhome at the bike area but he was rough camping, I think if you are from out of province going to either BC or alberta and expect to camp AT A PARK you wana check

yeah the feds have shut the border for at least another month

[glademaster]

It will be interesting to see if Canada opens up to travel from Europe/Asia before the border with the US opens. I think it's a distinct possibility.

[m2711c]

ski clubs from the us are still planning trips to Banff for next january/febuary right now.....

[glademaster]

ski clubs from the us are still planning trips to Banff for next january/febuary right now.....

Well they must have accurate insider information that cross-border traffic will be no problem in 7 months.

Even if it means I get shafted out of my hut trips, I will take solace from seeing folks who booked international travel based on the assumption things would be fine in a few months getting shut down.

I hope things open back up, but you would have to be a goddamn fool to book an international trip right now. I wouldn't even consider booking a domestic ski trip for next winter at this point.

[sillybunt2]

I won't take any solace from any out of country visitors getting shut down next winter but I may take advantage of any good deals that arise if travel does get restricted to in-country only. Nobody knows for sure what the situation will be in Jan/Feb 2021 right now.

[glademaster]

At one of my previous workplaces we had a motto: "we're not happy, until you're not happy." I try to carry a little bit of that credo with me every day.

[teamdirt]

It will be interesting to see if Canada opens up to travel from Europe/Asia before the border with the US opens. I think it's a distinct possibility.

A lot of international flights arriving at YVR on a daily basis-hmmmm- they must be empty?

https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/fli...riving-flights

[XXX-er]

JT may be a lot of things but he is not saying " we gotta open this country up " he seems to be listening to the top doc's federally & provincialy & scientists, he isnt facing an election, he has a seemingly endless pot of money to hand out and there is little opposition to the free money SO i think borders will be open when its safe

Also consider it is generaly accepted among the top doc's that there will be a second wave of Covid, to me that could mean thing will open/close in a very fluid situation, the pro's in charge seem to talk to one another
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/...onse-1.5577290

You've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky ?
do I book huts, cars,trips, flights.

well do ya punk ?



I wonder how many people are on the planes, as I understand it an airlines needs to run A scheduled route even if its losing money or there is no body on the airplane, they were granted a reprieve on some routes but they are all losing money hand over fist

[LeeLau]

A lot of international flights arriving at YVR on a daily basis-hmmmm- they must be empty?

https://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/fli...riving-flights

The Tokyo route is running at approx 10% capacity fwiw

[paulster2626]

JT may be a lot of things but he is not saying " we gotta open this country up " he seems to be listening to the top doc's federally & provincialy & scientists, he isnt facing an election, he has a seemingly endless pot of money to hand out and there is little opposition to the free money SO i think borders will be open when its safe

Also consider it is generaly accepted among the top doc's that there will be a second wave of Covid, to me that could mean thing will open/close in a very fluid situation, the pro's in charge seem to talk to one another
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/...onse-1.5577290

You've got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky ?
do I book trips, flights.

well do ya punk ?



I wonder how many people are on the plane, as I understand it an airlines needs to run A scheduled route even if its losing money or there is no body on the airplane, they were granted a reprieve on some routes but they are all losing money hand over fist

Oh they want to open things up very badly I'm sure - these handouts can't go on much longer I wouldn't think.

But, why rush when our friendly neighbours to the south are basically doing the whole experiment for us?



Thank you for your service! (also think about how much urine is in that pool...)

[XXX-er]

NO doubt in my mind they/we/us want to open things up very badly

but the people we elected appear to be using actual fucking science

Anybody know how they paid for the last big One ?

IMO the last big one was WWII


I'm still wondering how I am gona sit on a bar stool drinking craft brew with ot without a mask ?

[skifishbum]

we flew into calgery on one of our first unguided catered blankets
tween renting a 4x4 rig that sits in an lz lot for the week
and airline fail ratios
one n done on flying to mckensie broville cept the heli part
420 drivetime as stephen boyd says
ill never forget the canknuclke head tsa border babe diggin through powder ponds nasty hut undies to procure an avalaunche beacon
and needing him and a supervisor to explain what it was.