Early projections coming from U.S. ski resort operators indicate pent up demand for the sports at least from more experienced skiers and snowboarders. Club trips are filling up at a healthy pace and resorts have made it clear that they plan to cater to their “best customers” (ie. season pass holders). But what if states feel the need for another lock down such as the one recently instituted by New Mexico?
The state of New Mexico just issued an emergency “shelter-in-place” order order due to the surge of Covid cases. It is posted on the Ski New Mexico web site.
As a Covid resurgence seems to already be starting, a related question is how additional virus-related restrictions, short of a lockdown, especially those involving travel, will impact the quality of the experience and if it can be attained at all.
Optimistic predictions of a readily available vaccine by this time next year abound. Some health professionals say that about 70% of the population should be and possibly may be vaccinated.
In the meantime, the state of Colorado is taking the pandemic very seriously by implementing new restrictions pertaining to Covid now.
Summit County could be moving into the state’s new level red phase of response to the novel coronavirus as soon as Friday, Nov. 20.
Effective Friday, the state will be adding two new levels to its COVID-19 dial: a restructured level red, which is now labeled “severe risk,” and the new level purple, which is labeled “stay at home,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said at a news conference Tuesday.
Below is a direct quote from the web site for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
“Colorado has slowed the spread of COVID-19 through Stay-at-Home and Safer at Home orders, and we must keep it up. The virus is still present in Colorado and can re-surge at any time. Everyone needs to do their part for themselves, their loved ones, and our community. Right now, we are in Level 2: Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors. While we are all still safer at home, we are also able to practice greater social distancing in our vast outdoors than in confined indoor spaces. Much of Colorado is now open with restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect those at highest risk for severe illness”.
Ski Vermont had previously announced rather strict Covid-adherence guidelines issued by that state and New Hampshire’s government web site displays Covid information for ski resorts in the Granite state. One of the hardest hit states early in the pandemic, the state of New York is continuously updating its Covid policies. Pennsylvania , another ski resort plentiful state, has instituted travel restrictions on people in 35 states.
While it is not specifically related to ski/snowboard resorts, California, Oregon and Washington state recently announced a restrictive travel agreement that was widely reported in the media including CNBC. The Visit California web site provides extensive information on Covid-related issues including a special section on the state’s ski and snowboard reports. The Travel Oregon web site provides details on the state’s policies including a “Two-Week Freeze” starting November 18 which may or may not be extended depending on the situation. The governor of Washington state continues to tighten Covid-related guidelines pertaining to travel and indoor gatherings.
Sadly, Covid cases are rising quickly in many states that have ski resorts. State resort associations and individual resorts are closely monitoring government mandates issued by each state. As previously noted, the governor of Utah recently issued an emergency order restricting gatherings and mandating mask wearing. No travel restrictions have been imposed so far. Idaho is taking similar precautions. and are posting up-to-date information on their web sites as are the government health departments for each state. The operative mentality is Plan Ahead.
For additional information see:
A Handful of Ski Resorts are Open; Others Itching to Follow Despite Covid and Warm Temps
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