To our valued guests and friends,

With Fall arriving this week, we are turning our full attention to readying Powder Ridge for the winter season. I want to share with you how excited we are to be able offer winter recreational options to our community. We are prioritizing your safety this winter.

The summer has been full of new experiences as we navigated COVID-19 and outdoor sports. Whether it was sports or dining out, we found most people were very willing to reconnect when they felt safe in our mostly outdoor environment. Before outlining all of the changes we have put in place for the safety of guests and staff, I want to tell you about some of the things we are doing to enhance your experience at Powder Ridge:

• Added heated outdoor seating, including a windscreen on the Ridgeside Tavern deck.
• Added a complimentary bag check.
• Relocated our retail store to add more social distanced seating space in the base lodge
• Opening our Internet cafe in the restaurant to provide more seating for our midweek morning and early afternoon guests with free WIFI and charging stations.
• Expanded our rental shop to allow for greater social distancing and improved flow.
• Expanded our learning area to create a better first (and second) time experience for our newest and youngest guests.
• Updated our private day rooms for family groups. Set as living rooms these private rooms offer private restroom facilities and are available for half day, full day or overnight guests.
• Added a heated seasonal tent for additional seating and event space, (The “Keg” is Back!)
• Added a second tubing surface lift, doubling our tubing capacity.

We learned a lot this summer as we successfully opened Powder Ridge and Brownstone Park. We did operate at a limited capacity level with strict policies and extensive staff training. We have taken what we’ve learned and coupled it with our industry organizations, the Connecticut Ski Area’s Association COVID response and the National Ski Areas Association’s Ski Well, Be Well – Ski Area Operations Best Practices to form comprehensive policies and procedures.

Our number one priority is your safety and the safety of our staff. This will require a shared effort from all of us; management, staff and guests.

• Stay home if you don’t feel well or have been around someone who has tested positive. Please stay away from the resort until you know you are safe.
• Wear a mask. Face coverings will be required at the resort at all times when indoors or when physical distancing is not possible.
• Maintain a safe distance. Lift, lodge, rental shop, and lesson capacities have been reduced to allow for physical distancing. It’s your responsibility to help maintain that distance.
• Understand it’s going to be a little different. Lots of new signage will be posted around the resort to educate and remind everyone of these new policies and procedures.

We are extremely fortunate to love a sport with wide open spaces, (not to mention goggles and face coverings)! We have lots of room for you and your family to come out, spread out and safely enjoy winter sports. I want to assure you that we will be working hard to protect your safety while having a great time on the snow. I look forward to seeing you on the mountain soon.

Sincerely,

Sean Hayes
President & Chief Executive Officer
Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort