New snow helps Beaver Mountain prepare for pandemic-safe opening day

GARDEN CITY – Several days of snow gave Beaver Mountain the boost it needed for opening day as workers put the final touches on COVID-19 safety measures.

Beaver Mountain is expecting a very busy season as more people turn to the outdoors while staying home during the pandemic.

Managers believe they can take precautions without putting a hard limit on daily numbers but it will mean some significant changes.

"Most years we get open about this time. We get that Christmas storm that we're all looking for and get up and going, and skiing should be really good," said Mountain Manager Jeff West.

He said there is a lot more work to do this year because of COVID-19. A lot of the focus will be on limiting the number of people going through the lodge.

"We'll have several different food service options. We're trying to get two or three food trucks to be positioned out in the lot," said West.

Other additions include bathrooms and tents for ski rentals in the morning which will double for lunch-seating in the afternoon.

The changes are also being made in anticipation of bigger than usual crowds.

"We really are expecting a busy season," West said. "With our camping that we do, mostly in the summer months, we saw a big increase there. Not just on weekends but weekdays were busy."

West said at first 70% of the mountain will open and he's hopeful they won't have to cut off crowd sizes as long as the parking lot does not fill up.

For now, simply have the ability to open is big.

"Very excited. This time of year is very stressful for us little guys that don't make snow."

West added the last storm dumped about eight inches of snow on the mountain and they will need another good storm to open the rest of the mountain.

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