12/2/2020 from Directors Bruce and Colin

Greetings Catamount Race Families,

We hope that you all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. 

It certainly does not feel like ski season is right around the corner as we continue to experience record high temperatures, but in fact we are only a few weeks away. We know that you are anxious to begin the season and want to update you on what’s going on at the mountain. We continue to work hard to bring you a terrific season, but the reality is that despite our best efforts, there are still a lot of unknowns, as we have never been through anything like this pandemic. We all just have to be flexible as we ride through this dynamic process together.

We had hoped to open in early December, but given the long term weather forecast, that may not be possible. While we had planned  to start Interclub and Tri-State programs on the weekend of December 12-13, it is increasingly looking like the target date is now December 19-20. Devos will start sometime shortly  after Christmas. Of course, if the temperatures plummet and mountain ops can make enough  snow, that’s  all subject to change. Mountain ops continue to work hard on building cabanas around the base area, and many of you have already signed up to rent one for the season.  The Miles Humbaugh start palace has been completed , and it’s beautiful. It really is a fitting tribute to Miles and his passion for the sport.

Given restrictions forced upon us by the current Covid pandemic, we expect there will be far fewer competitions this year, which means we can shift the focus this year to training, which is a good thing for many reasons. While the kids love to race, we coaches have long felt that there was too much emphasis on racing and not enough on training, so this year provides a good opportunity for us to step up our game with more skill development.

As previously noted, this season there is a great deal of uncertainty due to the pandemic and things can change rapidly. We continue to monitor developments, including  Massachusetts/NY   travel and  other restrictions that will affect our season. Catamount is unique in that it straddles the state  border, which both complicates things, and presents opportunities. The good news is that skiing is still considered to be a low risk sport in terms of the likelihood of becoming infected  with Covid. It is  important that we all do our part to keep it that way. Before we hit the snow we will prepare and forward to all of you  a list of Covid compliance procedures that we will be following this season.

 We are continuing to stay positive as we work through these challenges with the goal of providing you with the best skiing and ski racing experience possible. We appreciate your patience as we continue to plan for what is sure to be a most unusual season.

We will continue to update you as things develop.

Let’s all think snow and get ready to rip.

Bruce & Colin