{"id":1318736,"date":"2020-03-14T19:46:13","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T01:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=994676"},"modified":"2020-03-14T19:46:13","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T01:46:13","slug":"vail-alterra-close-49-ski-resorts-amid-virus-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/vail-alterra-close-49-ski-resorts-amid-virus-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Vail, Alterra close 49 ski resorts amid virus outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
FILE – In this Feb. 21, 2008, file photo, skiers ride up Al’s Run lift at the Taos Ski Valley, in Taos County, N.M. Some resorts are closing enclosed gondolas or aerial trams while others are encouraging skiers to ride lifts with only people they know as they adhere to social distancing guidelines. Nearly every resort is promising extra cleanings of public spaces, more hand sanitizer stations and vowing to follow guidelines from the Centers for Diesel Control and Prevention. Taos Ski Valley, has decided to close for the season early on March 22, 2020. <\/strong>
AP Photo\/Albuquerque Journal, File<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) \u2014 As ski resorts across the United States grappled with how to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus without having to close, industry giants Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company decided Saturday they would shutter 49 of North America\u2019s most well-known resorts.<\/p>\n

Vail Resorts said it would shut down its 34 resorts for at least one week before reassessing while Alterra is closing its 15 until further notice. The Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado announced Saturday night that it will close for the season immediately.<\/p>\n

The closures marked a sudden change of course after the majority of the country\u2019s resorts vowed earlier Saturday to stay open during the crisis while taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n

Vail\u2019s resorts include include Vail, Keystone and Breckenridge in Colorado; Park City Mountain Resort in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Stowe Mountain in Vermont; and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada.<\/p>\n

Alterra\u2019s include Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado; Squaw Valley, Mammoth and Big Bear Mountain in California; Crystal Mountain in Washington; Stratton and Sugarbush in Vermont; and Deer Valley and Solitude in Utah.<\/p>\n

Vail Resort CEO Rob Katz apologized in a news release for the short notice and especially to guests already at the resorts or planning to come this week. He acknowledged it may seem confusing considering earlier announcements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision provides a pause for the entire ecosystem of our mountain resort communities,\u201d Katz said. \u201cIt gives everyone the time to assess the situation, respond to ever-changing developments, and evaluate the approach for the rest of season, if we believe it is advisable or feasible to re-open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alterra CEO Rusty Gregory also apologized but called it a decision in the best interest of the guests.<\/p>\n

Both companies promised to work with skiers who had tickets or plans to come.<\/p>\n

The Telluride Ski Resort said it decided to close immediately after learning that Colorado Gov. Jared Polis plab=nned to issue an executive order closing the state\u2019s ski resorts.<\/p>\n

They followed closures announced earlier by a trio of smaller resorts: Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, Jay Peak Resort in Vermont and Shanty Creek Resort in Michigan. Taos will close for the season starting March 22, while Jay Peak and Shanty are closing for the season starting this weekend.<\/p>\n

The other resorts that remain open are closing enclosed gondolas or aerial trams while others are encouraging skiers to ride lifts with only people they know as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.<\/p>\n

Nearly every resort is promising extra cleanings of public spaces, more hand sanitizer stations and vowing to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A few resorts, including<\/p>\n

Still, some ski resorts are touting the popular winter activity as a relatively safe option for diversion as concerts, sporting events and museums close.<\/p>\n

Avid back-country skier Michele Dauber strongly believes that resorts should be shut down to contain the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why Disneyland closed. This is why cruises don\u2019t make sense. A ski resort is just a cruise ship in the snow,\u201d said Dauber, who has a house in the Bear Valley area in California and is a professor at Stanford University. \u201cPeople are just constantly wiping their noses and they\u2019re wearing gloves so hand sanitizer isn\u2019t the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Clawson, a 57-year-old controller for the Denver Public Schools, went skiing for about six hours at Vail on Saturday. His plan was to head over to Breckenridge on Sunday. But as he made his way to the parking lot, his wife called and informed him of the news from Vail Resorts.<\/p>\n

He was bummed his ski plans got dashed, but he understood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all need to do what we need to do to help prevent the spread,\u201d said Clawson, who canceled an upcoming trip to Las Vegas because of concerns over the virus. \u201cEverybody is taking a hit. Vail needs to take a hit, too, and I guess I need to take the hit of not being able to ski. I\u2019m OK with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWe have to look out for our medical professionals. If we\u2019re not stopping the spread, our hospitals are going to be inundated.\u201d<\/p>\n

A bartender in the Utah ski town of Park City tested positive for coronavirus, Utah state health officials said Saturday. A county health official said he would not recommend shutting down the nearby resorts, but cautioned against traveling to the area. One of Colorado\u2019s first cases was a man in his 30s visiting Colorado on a ski vacation.<\/p>\n

The coronavirus, deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization, infected more than 150,000 people and killed over 5,700. The disease for most people causes only mild or moderate symptoms. For some, it can cause more severe illness. The vast majority recover.<\/p>\n

Jackson Hole in Wyoming closed its aerial tram and limited the number of people in gondolas. Mammoth in California said it planned to keep its gondolas half full and get rid of some chairs and tables in lodges to keep guests a safe distance apart. Powder Mountain in Utah ceased snowcat skiing because of tight quarters inside the vehicles.<\/p>\n

Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort near Lake Placid in New York has closed its gondola and is limiting how many people are on lifts. The resort is also allowing only half the amount of people normally allowed at indoor facilities.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard organization said Thursday all upcoming competitions in the United States had been canceled.<\/p>\n

Resorts social media accounts were a mix of news about measures being taken to address the coronavirus and happy pictures and videos of skiers carving through fresh snow.<\/p>\n

Powder Mountain in Utah posted a picture of a small group of skiers in lift line surrounded by pristine snow-capped trees and mountains around him with the caption: \u201cGood morning and happy Saturday from Powder Mountain! Get outside and take advantage of the remaining winter days.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FILE – In this Feb. 21, 2008, file photo, skiers ride up Al’s Run lift at the Taos Ski Valley, in Taos County, N.M. Some resorts are closing enclosed gondolas or aerial trams while others are encouraging skiers to ride lifts with only people they know as they adhere to social distancing guidelines. Nearly every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1318736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-04 07:46:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1318736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1318736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1318736\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1318736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1318736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1318736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}