FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Ski resorts will reopen on Friday at 50% indoor capacity. According to the New York State website, masks will be required at all times except when eating, drinking or skiing. Additional restrictions include limiting ski lifts to only members of the same group, and ski lessons must be limited to 10 people or fewer. Bill Hane, owner of Four Seasons Golf and Ski Center, has a unique approach to keep his customers safe.
“Well actually, we are trying to keep people outside, so we are doing some work on a deck out here so we have some more exterior service windows available for people,” Hane said.
Hane said they will continue to serve food and drinks but want to make sure everyone maintains social distancing protocol on the mountain. With six to eight different trails on the mountain, Hane says social distancing is certainly possible. However, Four Seasons was not immune to the impact of the pandemic. Despite Governor Cuomo mandating limited capacity, Hane said he will likely hire more staff this season and said this will impact the bottom line.
“It is going to make it a little tougher because our labor is still going to be pretty much the same if not increased because of this, so it is going to make it a little tougher to make a profit,” Hane said.
Four Seasons is hoping to blow snow and prepare the trails a few days before Thanksgiving. The process of getting the trails ready could take up to four days. Hane says he is on Zoom calls almost every day and looks at what other resorts in the area are doing amongst a fluid situation.
“There are still a lot of variables, we are still figuring out how to do everything, there is a lot of moving parts, so nothing is set in stone. … It is going to be a challenge,” Hane said.
