Wednesday marked the 75th day that Mount Norquay has been open this season.
That’s sort of amazing to think about.
After fine-tuning the operational plan throughout the summer, an early blast of winter allowed Norquay to safely welcome guests to its sweet slopes in late October, and throughout the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has throw its way, the Banff resort has managed to continue giving skiers and snowboarders a place to safely get some much-needed outdoor exercise.
It has taken a whole lot of work and a willingness to adapt to an ever-changing situation, but so far Norquay has been able to keep a little mountain magic in people’s lives.
“People were really receptive … 99% of our customers are just so happy to be here that they’re following all our rules and regulations and they’re smiling underneath their masks and they’re just here to ski and have fun,” said Mount Norquay general manger Andre Quenneville. “A lot of us have found it’s like skiing in the good old day when I was a kid and you had less amenities, but it’s all about the skiing to begin with.”
Here’s where we’ll include the usual Snow Scene caveat about making sure you take a couple of minutes to read up on new rules and regulations designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 before you head to Norquay.
Part of that is common sense – why wouldn’t you want to know what you’re getting yourself into? – but it’s also because the Banff resort is constantly in consultation with health authorities and is changing its policies regularly.
Any skier or snowboarder should expect to have to wear face coverings when they’re on lifts or in lineups. Social distancing is mandatory in any public space and lodge capacity is limited to 15%. Grab-and-go options for food and beverage are limited. Lift tickets need to be pre-purchased, and the shuttle from the Banff Town Centre is not running, at least for the time being.
“People have been really receptive,” Quenneville said. “During peak season, like weekends or holidays, the majority of people are greeted at the entrance to the parking lot and are told what’s going on and they got it, they did a really great job. It was really odd, in a way, when you were in the day lodge because it was really quite relaxing because there was nobody in there.”
While COVID-19 has changed a lot about the experience of visiting any winter resort, it’s worth noting that there’s a lot that is exactly as skiers and snowboarders remember it.
There are still great conditions and acres upon acres of world-class terrain to be explored, and that’s really the point of all of this. That early blast of winter gave Norquay a great base, and the 19 cm of fresh snow that fell in the past week brought the season total to 203 cm.
For non-skiers, Norquay’s tube park opened just before Christmas, and is welcoming guests through to the end of the season. Pre-purchased tickets are required and every day is broken into two sessions, but the massive tubing park remains a perfect way to get out of the house and enjoy being outside for a little while.
“It’s open, it’s super fun and the families who are coming out are enjoying themselves,” Quenneville said. “Before, you used to be able to drive up and just go up whenever you wanted, but now it’s a pre-purchased activity and it’s sold out almost every day. The experience is great because it’s less people and the crowds aren’t as big. It’s really worthwhile for people who want to get out and don’t ski. You can’t try something outdoors in a safe, physically distanced environment.”
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