B
Saturday, October 10, 2020
The Observer & Baker City Herald
P OWDER
AND THE
P ANDEMIC
■ Anthony Lakes Ski Area plans
changes to lodge operations, other
aspects to comply with health
precautions due to COVID-19
of tables and chairs will be
available to ensure guests can
Pandemic or no, it still
keep a proper distance.
comes down to powder.
Employees will be disinfect-
There’s nothing simple
ing tables, chairs and high-use
about planning a ski season
areas between each user.
with the specter of COVID-19
The cafe will be open —
continuing to cast its pall.
with a streamlined menu —
But even the complicat-
but Anthony Lakes is asking
ing factor of the virus doesn’t guests to limit their time
change the reality that what inside the lodge to 30 to 45
defi nes a successful winter is minutes to ensure everyone
whether the seasonal parade has a chance to warm up and
of Pacifi c storms delivers its
fuel up, Judy said.
customary bounty of light,
“It’s just going to be a differ-
dry snow on the slopes at
ent feel,” she said. “Our whole
Anthony Lakes Ski Area.
motto this year is to keep
“As long as it snows it’s all moving.”
going to be fi ne,” said Chelsea
In a letter posted on the ski
Judy, marketing director for
area’s website, general man-
the resort in the Elkhorn
ager Peter Johnson wrote: “Of
Mountains.
course, our staff will be avail-
“We will be skiing.”
able to guests with families if
But even though the snow- additional time is needed, but
draped subalpine fi rs and the we request that each of our
ice-encrusted cleft of Gunsight guests respect each other by
Butte are likely to look the
ensuring people who need a
same as always this winter,
place to sit down and warm
skiers and snowboarders will up for a bit have it.”
notice some differences.
An employee who will
Probably the most obvi-
serve as a “COVID safety
ous changes, in deference to
compliance offi cer” will be on
a respiratory infection that
duty while the lodge is open
spreads most effectively in-
to ensure social distancing,
doors, will be at the ski area’s disinfect surfaces and answer
lodge, Judy said.
visitors’ questions.
Everyone will be required
The situation will be
to wear a face covering —
similar downstairs in the
visitors as well as employees Starbottle Saloon, with fewer
— except while eating or
tables and seats.
drinking.
However, Judy said An-
The mandate includes ski- thony Lakes has removed the
ers and boarders who wear a deck outside the Starbottle,
helmet with a visor or other
making it possible to expand
barrier, Judy said.
the “snow deck” — the fl at
Inside the lodge, about
area on the west side of
half the usual complement
the lodge, overlooking the
By Jayson Jacoby
Baker City Herald
Chelsea Judy / Anthony Lakes Ski Area, Contributed File Photo
Skiers and snowboarders will notice changes this winter at Anthony Lakes Ski Area, which will reduce capacity in
the lodge and in other buildings due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“As long as it snows it’s all going to be fi ne.”
— Chelsea Judy, marketing director, Anthony Lakes Ski Area
feasible in the lodge.
Judy said offi cials don’t yet
know what those limits will
be; more details will be an-
nounced before Nov. 1.
One thing that has been
decided is how Anthony Lakes
will prioritize who’s on the
mountain, in the event that
capacities are reached.
Season pass holders will
have the highest priority “no
matter what,” Judy said.
In his letter, Johnson wrote
that “Our pass holders are the
reason Anthony Lakes is what
it is. So, if you have a season
pass, no need to worry about
getting as many days in this
winter as snow allows.”
Season pass buyers will not
have limits on how many days
they can ski or board, nor will
they have to make a reserva-
tion.
On a typical day in past
Prioritizing skiers and
years, Judy said, about 25% to
boarders
30% of the visitors at the ski
Outside on the slopes, An-
area are season pass holders.
thony Lakes will have daily
The group with the second-
limits on the number of skiers highest priority is those who
and boarders, which is neces- have a discount ticket from
sary to make social distancing one of Anthony Lakes’ lodg-
meadow where the triple
chairlift begins.
There will be more seats
outdoors than in past winters,
and skiers and boarders can
also use a “ski-thru” window
to pick up their order at the
saloon.
“We’re trying to fi nd ways
to be creative,” Judy said.
“We’re honestly excited to be
presented with this opportu-
nity to look at operations.”
Among the questions ski
area offi cials can’t yet answer,
due to the ever-changing
restrictions related to the
pandemic, is whether there
will be live music as usual at
the Starbottle.
Judy said Anthony Lakes
has booked musicians, and
they will perform if possible.
Another possible option is
outdoor concerts.
ing partners, which includes
motels, vacation rental homes
and other lodging establish-
ments.
A list of the 48 partners is
available online at https://an-
thonylakes.com/almr-lodging-
partners/
Judy said that giving prior-
ity to guests with a lodging
discount ticket is designed
both to help local businesses
that have struggled during the
pandemic, but also to encour-
age people from outside the
region to continue to ski or
board at Anthony Lakes.
The ski area attracts
visitors from the Boise area,
as well as the Tri Cities in
Washington, among regional
metro areas.
A similar promotion is avail-
able to all visitors, whether
they’re from the area or not.
The ski area will have 20
tickets for each operating day,
at a 50% discount, for guests
who have a receipt for a
purchase of at least $40, from
the past 7 days, from a locally
owned restaurant or retail
shop in Baker, Union, Grant,
or Wallowa counties.
Lodging partner and local
business support discount
tickets will be available only at
the ticket window at Anthony
Lakes. Visitors can show their
voucher or receipt and have a
ticket printed.
Once the priority groups
have been counted, a certain
number of general day tickets
will be available, Judy said.
Those tickets will be sold
online only, at www.anthony
lakes.com — there will not be
any general day ticket sales
at the ski area. These online
tickets will be sold starting
Nov. 1, and will be available
for any operating day during
the season.
In his letter, Johnson ad-
dressed the limitations on
these general daily ticket
sales.
“We will not be completely
cutting back on ticket sales,
just reducing the amount
of day tickets sold each day
to the point where we can
manage day-to-day operations
while comfortably practicing
social distancing,” Johnson
wrote. “The number of day
tickets available for any given
day will be based solely on
previous years ticket sales.
More details to come prior to
November 1st.”
See Ski Season/Page 2B
Wallowa-Whitman might
boost some camping fees
■ Proposal also would apply to several forest trailheads
of the region that makes recommendations
about public land management to the Bureau
The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is
of Land Management and Forest Service, will
proposing to increase fees at 28 campgrounds then review the proposed fee changes, which
and to charge fees at 24 other recreation sites, could take effect in the summer of 2021.
most of them also campgrounds, that are free
“Over the past 15 years, most of the fees
now. The changes could start next summer.
have stayed the same across the national
The forest is also proposing to eliminate fees forest, and the majority of our recreation
at two campgrounds and one trailhead.
sites still do not require a fee,” Tom Montoya,
Dispersed camping on the forest — outside Wallowa-Whitman supervisor, said in a press
of designated campgrounds — will remain
release. “However, we need to keep in check
free.
with infl ation and maintain what we have for
The Wallowa-Whitman is soliciting com-
the benefi t of the public. Fees are needed to
ments from the public about the proposal
continue the services we deliver at developed
through Nov. 15. The forest hasn’t changed its sites. The fees will also be comparable with
recreation fee schedule since 2005.
other similar sites that are adjacent to the
The John Day-Snake River Resource
national forest.”
See Rec Fees/Page 2B
Advisory Committee, a group of 15 residents
By Jayson Jacoby
Baker City Herald
Lisa Britton /For EO Media Group
Two Color campground, along Eagle Creek in the southern Wallowa Mountains, is
among 24 campgrounds or trailheads on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest that
could begin charging fees in 2021 under a proposal.
FISHING & HUNTING FORECAST
WALLOWA LAKE
Fishing for rainbow trout continues to be
good. Boats are helpful but fi shing from the
east shore can be productive. Look for fi sh to
have transitioned in diet to natural foods. Fish
with artifi cial fl ies and lures that mimic natural
organisms in the lake. Use baits such as night
crawlers, maggots and eggs.
GRANDE RONDE RIVER
Fishing for trout on the Grande Ronde has
been good for large wild and hatchery rainbow
trout.
Steelhead have started making an appear-
ance, with reports of fi sh being caught with
fl ies, spinners, and bait. The bag limit has been
reduced to 2 hatchery steelhead per day to
ensure enough broodstock can be collected at
hatchery facilities. The Grande Ronde is open to
harvest of coho from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 from the
Washington state line upstream to the Grande
Ronde River Road Bridge approximately 7
miles above the town of Troy. The bag limit is
2 adult coho larger than 20 inches and 5 jack
coho equal to or less than 20 inches with two
daily jack limits in possession. Anglers are
encouraged to brush up on their species ID
before harvesting fi sh in the Grande Ronde.
Fall chinook must be released unharmed.
CHUKAR, PHEASANT, QUAIL SEASON
OPENS TODAY
The hunting season for several upland
game bird species, including chukars, Hungar-
ian partridges, California and mountain quail
and rooster pheasants started today. The
season continues through Jan. 31, 2021, ex-
cept for rooster pheasant, which ends Dec. 31.
Details are available online at https://myodfw.
com/game-bird-hunting/seasons.