April is here! In the midst of this unprecedented time, it’s comforting to observe the sort of changes we know to expect: grass getting greener, frozen dirt thawing into mud, and that classic New England spring weather that is consistent only in its inconsistencies. (These photos are from Monday. Yesterday, it snowed. In two days it will be sixty degrees again.)
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Opening Day has been postponed until Thursday, May 28th. We’re as disappointed as you are to be missing out on those first few weekends of spring riding, but it’s a sacrifice we’re willing to make for the safety of our community. 2020 won’t be the season we expected, but we’re determined to still deliver the best season we can. Our team is working on creative ways to add value in this unusual situation, and we hope to have some good surprises to share with you soon. (Read our full statement here.)
While most of our onsite operations are on hold, some trail and construction work is continuing. We took a socially distanced walk around the mountain on Monday to show you how everything is looking out there.
Construction is almost finished on our new Welcome Center! We’re counting down the days until we get to open its doors to you for the first time. This building is where you’ll go to get your wristband every morning. It has more space and more workstations than the old front desk in the lodge, so we’ll be able to get you checked in and onto the mountain more efficiently than ever.
The view from the summit shows that spring is steadily creeping in. Trails are muddy right now, but they have plenty of time to dry out before we open at the end of May. It’s strange to see the lift cable mostly empty, as nearly all of the old chairs have now been removed to make way for the new.
At the base, new chairs and bike carriers are lined up and waiting to be installed. Lift improvement work is moving ahead on schedule and we’re on track to do another load test at the end of the month. The lift will be spinning with 50% more capacity when the season finally starts! (Read more about the lift updates here.)
This is a hard time for all of us, but we’re all in it together. Before we know it, we’ll be back on that porch celebrating the end of a long day of riding our favorite trails with our favorite friends. In the meantime, we stay optimistic and take each day as it comes.
