David Krause/The Aspen Times
Aspen Skiing Co. announced Saturday evening it will close all ski operations at its four ski areas immediately “by order of the governor of the state of Colorado.”
“Our plan is to conduct some limited on-mountain maintenance to potentially have a limited last season opening if circumstances allow,” Skico said in a statement. “We are all skiers at heart and we understand the therapeutic nature of our shared passion. Extreme circumstances call for extreme actions, and we make this decision in coordination with our local and state health agencies. Let’s work together as a community to support each other and will all come out stronger on the other side.”
The order applies to Sunlight Mountain Resort in Glenwood Springs, as well. Sunlight Sales and Marketing Director Troy Hawks said a statement was being prepared, as the order was just issued late Saturday evening.
Skico’s decision was a dramatic reversal of its position from Friday when president and CEO Mike Kaplan said the company had measured all moral, legal and business factors and decided to stay open while implementing numerous safety precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
On Friday, Kaplan said, “We think it is the right thing to do. We see it as a vital public service to stay up and running.”
Skico’s announcement that it was closing by order of Polis indicated the reversal in position was required.
Ski resorts around the region started announcing closures on Saturday.
Vail Resorts started the ball rolling in Colorado with an announcement at 4:09 p.m. that it would close all its North American resorts today through March 22, and then reassess its approach for the rest of the season.
The decision affected Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado.
In a press conference on Friday, Polis said that he thought Colorado ski resorts were taking adequate precautions against the virus while staying open. On Saturday, Polis issued a statement commending Vail Resorts for its decision.
“I commend Vail Resorts for taking this difficult, responsible step and urge other mountains and resorts to do the same,” Polis said in a statement issued at 4:55 p.m.
At 5:35 p.m., Alterra Mountain Co. announced it was closing its resorts until further notice. The company owns Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado; Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain in California; and Deer Valley in Utah, among others.
Alterra is partially owned by the Crown family, which owns all of Aspen Skiing Co. That foreshadowed Aspen Skiing Co.’s decision.