Colorado Public Health has finally figured out that community spread started a while back. Asking ALL visitors to the heavily impacted counties in the past week to reduce contact with others as much as possible where they are now, presumably assuming they are home or on their way there. Applies to residents too, especially if they leave the area. Key point is that they should do stay away from others "whether or not they are experiencing symptoms." Vail and Beaver Creek are in Eagle County; Aspen is in Pitkin; Crested Butte is in Gunnison; Keystone, Breck, and Copper are in Summit County. March 15, 2010, Colorado Dept of Public Health and Environment CDPHE strongly advises all visitors and residents of Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, and Gunnison counties to minimize social contact https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cd...nts-eagle-summit-pitkin-and-gunnison-counties "DENVER, March 15, 2020: Due to extensive spread of COVID-19 in a number of mountain resort communities, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) strongly recommends that anyone who lives in or has visited those communities in the past week minimize their contact with other people, in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Anyone who has been in Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, or Gunnison counties in the past week should minimize all contact with other people, whether or not they are experiencing symptoms. . . ."
What a shame. After a very lean couple of months for Tahoe, all this just as the closure takes effect. Hi Murph.
Most places in Pacific Northwest closed this weekend. A few hang outs in nothern Idaho, but we'll see how long they last? And Hoodoo in OR. Some are promising to reassess in a week or two, but the way this thing is going, my levels of optimism are plummeting.
Yep, same here. Its a ghost town here in Washington - everything is shut; theatres, schools, museums and now restaurants have shifted to delivery/takeout only. Email advice from Beaver Creek is that they are shut until the end of March but i can't see them reopening now. Real shame as Colorado is getting some decent late season falls.... Stay safe everyone
I understand some resorts are trying to gain an exemption - Silverton is one (based on a small numbers) Whilst understanding the importance of 'social distancing' to limit the spread, the US government response isn't consistent or reassuring. For example, closing things like cinemas, gyms, bars & cafes but they are still operating the metro and keeping major airports open? Of course, the societal disruption will be worse but the virus doesn't discriminate between essential and non-essential activity.
Same here in the other Washington. And flying seems like the worst thing anyone could do!! Will be interesting to see if any hills hold out. 49 Degrees North says they are staying open until told to close, and in Idaho, you never know!! They probably want to shoot the virus!
Idaho is one of the few American states that started testing in an organized fashion soon enough to actually work on "containment." Meaning that there was followup to get a list of "close contacts" in order to follow the trail to a source, whether that was travel outside Idaho or a particular person. Washington state is next door, so Idaho Public Health knew it was just a matter of time. There were a few holdouts that were small independent hills on the east coast, but all will be closed after March 17. All the Governors are starting to implement the same restrictions. With the President finally saying that social distance matters, things will be very quiet for a few weeks. Restaurants and bars are closed in many states for table service. Take out still okay. All major museums in Washington DC, New York City, and Boston are closed. And so on. Washington and California each have over 500 detected cases, and probably many, many more undetected. The fact that COVID-19 is contagious for a few days before any symptoms is a factor. Also that 80% of those infected have mild symptoms so they may not realize it could be COVID-19. So it's spreading quickly and putting the 20% who will get more serious symptoms at great risk, especially those over 60 or with poor medical status already. 5% need major care in a hospital and even with that elderly patients are likely to die. Map of US COVID-19 Cases, updated regularly https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
Best to think of the American response as being directed at a lower level than the federal government. The Governors of many states didn't wait for guidance from Washington DC. They started testing or declaring states of emergency or using executive orders to close schools or restricting large gatherings a few days or weeks ago. Also Mayors of a few cities are being pro-active. So what happened in Boston and Massachusetts was quite different than Texas or California or Idaho. However, there is far more consistency this week than last week. Here's the official info for skiing in Colorado: https://www.coloradoski.com/covid-19
49 Degrees North are hanging in there. See if the Govenor closes them down - if not https://new.ski49n.com/mountain-news/details/covid-19-public-notice-49-degrees-north
Powder Mountain planned to stay open with limited access to buildings and a lower cap on day tickets. But not happening. Done for the season. Utah has ample evidence of community spread.
I'm guessing Goveno will close them down in WA. Alo Ski Bowl and Hoodoo in OR still open, and I think Idaho
Vail Resorts formally announced closing down for the season. Allowing a few days for people to get out of resort lodging. Still holding out hope for W-B, Breck, and Heavenly for May. March 17, 2020, Vail Resorts https://www.snow.com/info/vail-resorts-covid-19-resort-closing-update.aspx
Public pressure to close are starting to outweigh comments from people who think going skiing is as safe as staying home. Have heard of a few places across N. America that had planned to stay open this week that are not closed are will be after today. The message coming from American political leaders is becoming more consistent. State governors have been communicating with each other. The comments from Federal officials are matching recommendations from medical professionals.
Arapahoe Basin in Colorado is typically one of the last ski areas to close in the late spring. Colorado is one of the hardest hit states in the USA. There wasn't enough testing in February to detect the start of community spread of COVID-19 at places like Vail and Aspen. The Gov. of CO was one of the first to order the shut down of resorts and other businesses in an effort to convince CO residents and travelers to stay home. Social distancing by everyone in CO is the only way they have a chance to avoid overwhelming mountain town health care services. March 20, Arapahoe Basin blog https://arapahoebasin.blogspot.com/2020/03/impacts-of-covid-19.html friday, march 20, 2020 Impacts of COVID-19 The COVID-19 Pandemic has been an unprecedented event, a kind never seen in our lifetimes. The outbreak has brought the local, national and world economies to their knees. More and more of us have a friend or relative or know of someone who has fallen ill. This event is tragic and its impact on the world is enormous. This is a horrible time for Colorado. Governor Polis has extended his Executive Order to keep ski areas closed through April 6. There is no clear indication of when the ski area will re-open. It seems likely that we are still weeks away. While we have every intention of re-opening The Basin, we have no idea when that will be. I am very sad to say that we will be letting all 430 of our seasonal full-time and part-time employees go effective April 1. Affected employees will receive two weeks of pay based on what they were scheduled to work after March 14, a $.50 bonus for each hour worked this season and all of their accrued PTO. For full-time seasonal employees who have health insurance through us, the ski area will pay their monthly health insurance premiums for May and June. We strongly encourage each employee to closely track developing government and Arapahoe Basin assistance programs for those feeling financial and/or personal hardship from the pandemic. Beginning April 1, our 70 full-time year-round employees will go down to ¾ time with the ability to augment their compensation through PTO. Employees are encouraged to view the FAQ page with more details through their Paylocity Portal. I am saddened by the chain of events surrounding COVID-19. We value and cherish all the efforts of every employee at Arapahoe Basin. We wish healthiness to all through these troubling times.
The Colorado county that includes Silverton has banned backcountry access for recreational use. San Juan County is north of Durango. March 22, Unofficial Networks Colorado County Prohibits All Backcountry Skiing Due to the Coronavirus Crisis https://unofficialnetworks.com/2020...country-skiing-due-to-the-coronavirus-crisis/ " . . . Official Press Release From San Juan County, Colorado SAN JUAN COUNTY, 3/21/20: The San Juan County Sheriff’s Department issues a stern warning to all backcountry recreation users. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Department is prohibiting recreationalists from backcountry activities in the County due to the limited Medical, Emergency and Search and Rescue Services available currently due to the Coronavirus COVID 19 crisis. The SJC Sheriff has also issued a policy/order prohibiting all but essential services in San Juan County. US HWY 550 is open to DRIVE THROUGH traffic and San Juan County residents only. Vehicles parked on the passes, and on County roads not registered in San Juan County Colorado are subject to fines and towing. This applies to all San Juan County Colorado lands and County roads, as backcountry skiers and snowmobilers unnecessarily increase the potential for emergency and medical team response. . . ."
Summit County in Colorado has asked non-locals to stay away. Apparently the side of the road near Loveland Pass was packed with parked cars over the weekend. March 23, The Know, Denver Post (USA) Summit County officials asking Front Rangers, other non-residents to stay away https://theknow.denverpost.com/2020/03/23/summit-county-front-range-coronavirus/235938/ "Summit County, which has had nine confirmed cases of coronavirus, is urging non-resident recreationists to stay away while encouraging its residents to exercise outside. “We’re doing everything we can to slow the spread of (the coronavirus), and when we have lots of folks coming up from the Front Range into the mountains, that flies in the face of everything we’re trying to accomplish,” said Julie Sutor, Summit County director of communications. “We don’t want people to come here. We heard from the governor that everyone in the state needs to be conducting social distancing to the greatest extent possible, and the longer we prolong the outbreak, the longer we will be suffering the health and economic impacts of the novel coronavirus.” . . ."
Wish I worked for A Basin. Looks like although they are having to put people off they are really going that extra mile to compensate them. I hope all businesses in the US are being similarly responsible.
Aspen Ski Co. hasn't given up on the 2019-20 season yet. Aspen Highlands has enough snow left that they are considering what it would take to re-open in May. Would essentially just be for locals. That's pretty much who has showed up during late, late season in recent years any way. Not really too much point to fly to Colorado in May unless it's to celebrate Mother's Day at Arapahoe Basin. April 23, Aspen Daily News (USA) SkiCo hopes to reopen Aspen Highlands in May if health orders, snow conditions allow https://www.aspendailynews.com/news...cle_3251488a-850b-11ea-81c5-4317d79018c6.html
There was lift served skiing in southern California on April 22. Mt. Baldy came up with a plan using the same principles being used for golf courses. Had to get a lift ticket online for a specific time slot, 4 people every 10 minutes. Hours were 8:30-4:00 and apparently morning time slots booked up quickly. Price was US$99, a premium price given that the normal price would be $69. Looks like Tony plans to go back on Friday, April 24. He usually drives to Mt. Bachelor in Oregon for a late season ski trip. April 23, Trip Report by Tony Crocker, includes photos http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14215
Will not be any skiing in Colorado in May, by order of the Governor as of yesterday. In addition to Aspen Highlands, Arapahoe Basin and Wolf Creek were prepared to open in some fashion if allowed.
One last trip report for Mt. Baldy. May 3 will be closing day because too much snow melted during a recent heat wave. May 1 Trip Report by Tony Crocker, includes photos http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14217
Mt. Bachelor in Oregon was able to re-open for nine days, May 16-24. The deal was that it was for passholders only, with a maximum of 500 reservations available per day, with reservations opening up the day before. The final weekend turned out to be great weather with sunshine and temps in the 40s. Only two lifts, but that's normal for this late in the season. When the Summit lift is open that provides access to a LOT of terrain for advanced/expert skiers. I had a chance to check out Bachelor in early May a few years ago. Would love to go back for a late season trip some time. Webcam on May 24, 2020, Closing Day after re-opening May 16
The 2019-20 ski season isn't quite over in the USA. Arapahoe Basin announced today that it will re-open on May 27. Online reservations are required and open up 36 hours in advance, meaning at 7pm local time. Season passholders, which includes Ikon holders, will make reservations online. Also going to sell a limited number of day tickets for $99. Buying a ticket online also provides a reservation. Uphill access for people who already have a Uphill Pass will be open 4pm to 8am starting May 27.
In Al's May 25 blog post, numbers were included: 600 total and only 30 day tickets. Season passholders include Ikon and MCP.
Well, don't think anyone got a reservation last night for A-Basin. The system crashed essentially immediately at the opening time. The big difference between A-Basin and Bachelor is that it's close to a large metropolitan area. Even if only people who live in Denver were interested, 600 reservations is way less than the number of people who normally ski a few days at A-Basin in May. Mother's Day in the USA is the second Sunday of May. It's always a huge party day at the base of the slopes, no matter what the snow conditions are like. Even with a pandemic, there are people who seem to be considering driving more than 5 hours or even flying to Denver for late season turns. Wonder if Aspen Ski Co. is somewhat relieved that Highlands wasn't able to open in mid-May. Although the county that includes Aspen asked for a variance that allows summer tourists to start filling lodging to 50%.
A-Basin had to change the process of figuring how to limit to 600 people per day. There is a two-hour window for submitting a name for a random drawing for the next day. Winners are sent an email. Season passholders who get lucky can request 1 or 2 reservations. Someone who gets really lucky can buy 1-4 day tickets. Not sure if they keep drawing if the first few hundred winners are mostly only taking care of themselves. Reservations and tickets are not transferable. Social media such as the A-Basin Facebook Page is the way to keep up with what's going on.
So the re-opening day was a good day for those lucky enough to win a spot. Blue skies and plenty of snow on the upper mountain from the videos I saw taken by the Summit Daily News. They were posted on the Summit Daily Facebook Page. Included a relatively long unedited 7-min look when check-ins started just before the lifts started up in the morning. May 27, Summit Daily News in Colorado Arapahoe Basin Ski Area hosts second opening day of the season after COVID-19 shutdown https://www.summitdaily.com/news/ar...ng-day-of-the-season-after-covid-19-shutdown/ May 27, The Know Outdoors, Denver Post An emotional day at Arapahoe Basin as the ski area reopens after coronavirus shutdown Season resumes at “The Legend” with social distancing and limited numbers https://theknow.denverpost.com/2020/05/27/arapahoe-basin-reopens-coronavirus/239637/ " . . . A-Basin staffers celebrated the reprieve of the 2019-20 ski season and say they’re determined to make it work, despite new restrictions. “Obviously a lot of people really want to get out on the hill and get riding,” Henceroth said [COO of Arapahoe Basin]. “We’re just so excited to be taking these first few steps. We’ve got a lot of people set up to be monitors. People are going to have to act responsibly, behave well and be cooperative. I think we’ll be just fine. “We have to do this well,” he said. “Everybody’s watching.”"
It just dawned on me that this was the first season after A-Basin stopped being on the Epic pass. A lot of locals used to get Epic Local. Some of them switched to an A-Basin pass, as opposed to Ikon, because they knew they would ski A-Basin more than 7 days. Some of those people aren't happy that Ikon/MCP holders are included as "season passholders" for the purposes of the lottery. I know one person who is currently jobless (had a pretty good white collar job) and has an A-Basin pass. Hasn't been lucky in the lucky twice already. More frustrated than usual since midweek skiing would be easy without a work deadline to deal with.
This year is the first in 14 years we've missed closing weekend at Bachelor. It looked a great day. Spring skiing there with the Summit open is very often quite amazing.
This video was posted May 27. It's on the A-Base webpage about skiing after the re-opening. Doesn't mention the drawing system since the focus is on what to expect when arriving with a reservation. Pretty clear that some people were trying to game the system by putting in more than one "entry" by using multiple email addresses. For season passholders, the pass number apparently wasn't required on the entry form.
