With all the things covid has shut down or affected in this hectic year, skiers and snowboarders should be relieved to hear that white pass still plans to open their slopes this year. While there are some changes planned to accommodate social distancing, it’s about that time of year to pile in the car with your favorite cougs and shred. 

        A staple of days on the mountain in years past was being able to get cozy in the lodge and take a break for a few minutes to grab some food and warm up. This is a luxury most will be sad to hear won’t be the same this year. White pass has released a statement on their website regarding covid guidelines saying that lodge access will be limited and that food and beverage services will require reservations when busy. Aside from these things however the current plan is to have the mountain and lifts fully accessible.

        But how do your fellow cougs feel about these new guidelines and how will online school affect the season for them? Eli Hoffman is looking on the brighter side in regards to the limited lodge access, saying, “Honestly, the social distancing measures in the lodge won’t really affect me much because now me and the bros can just bring food to keep in the car and go eat whenever and save a lot of money in the process because the lodge food is pricey.” 

        While Eli might have found an easy workaround for limited lodge access, how will school online, affect skiing in person? “With no actual class on Wednesdays, my schedule is now a lot more flexible,” Josh Halpin, a white pass regular said, “Before, weekends were really my only option and since they’re so busy I think me and a lot of other people are going to make the most out of this new schedule and try to get up in the middle of the week when the crowds thin out.”

        Not everyone is as optimistic about the lodge being scaled down as Eli is though, Tucker Grow a CHS student and avid snowboarder says “I get that we need to take steps to social distance but I’m not a huge fan of having to hike all the way back to sit in the car and be cramped and have to wait for the A/C to warm up, but I’m glad we get to go up in the first place.”

        With certain mountains not opening at all, it’s nice to know that the home mountain of many CHS students is still alive and kicking this year.