SilverStar customers concerned new parking policy will make pricey passes hard to use

Different ski resorts are implementing different policies this year to limit crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new parking policy at SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon, aimed at ensuring there is space to social distance, has some season pass holders concerned it will be hard to actually use the pricy passes they’ve purchased.

The parking policy requires guests to reserve parking ahead of time if they are arriving at the hill before 11 a.m. each day.

Season pass holder Jen Ashmore is envisioning lots of people trying to book on powder days and some getting shut out.

“Those days, those are the reasons we buy our passes,” she said.

“There is obviously no show that they are going to be doing any reimbursing of the passes if you get denied.”

The policy is also not sitting well with skiing enthusiast Konstantine Bouiourov.

Over the summer, he and his wife purchased “unlimited” season passes for the upcoming winter season, which are advertised as having no blackout dates.

However, the couple feels like the resort’s new parking reservation system, announced this week, is effectively putting limits on those unlimited passes.

Bouiourov points out that even though the resort isn’t limiting the days passholders can ski, limiting their ability to park could prevent them from making full use of their passes.

“If there is no parking space then I won’t be able to come (skiing) even though I paid for the full pass,” Bouiourov said.

“Technically they are not breaking the contract… but they are kind of going around it. I think it’s dishonest.”

However, the resort said the change is necessary during the pandemic.

“We feel it is something that we needed to do just to keep everybody safe and healthy on the hill. Our passes are fully refundable, if you don’t feel comfortable with the parking policy, until Dec. 1,” said the resort’s manager of media relations and sponsorship, Chantelle Deacon.

Deacon believes it will still be easy for passholders to secure parking as long as they book in advance.

“We are hoping that, going by previous years and by peak days in the past, they won’t have any problem getting the days that they want,” Deacon said.

“You can book five days in advance for anytime throughout the season, so if you know some specific days that you definitely want to ski on, book those right away.”

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After 11 a.m. each day, parking at the resort will be first come, first served.

To keep numbers down, the resort is also limiting day tickets and is advising people to book those in advance as they may sell out or not be available on certain days.

“We suspect there will be days throughout the season where we won’t be able to sell even one day ticket so it’s really important that you book online or give us a call just to ensure you are going to get a ticket that day,” Deacon said.

The resort is set to open for downhill skiing on Dec. 4, 2020 and parking reservations can be made starting in mid-November.