With Coronavirus wreaking havoc across the country, ski resorts are starting to catch on and are actually doing something to help “flatten the curve”. While I do believe skiing is one of the less riskier activities as people are outside, wearing gloves, ski masks and typically a few feet away while on the snow, there is still a social responsibility to help out the nation. Although it is business as usual at many of the Vail Resorts, there are many other resorts around the country that are taken action.
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Ski resorts closing due to Coronavirus
On the east coast, there are a few mountains who have already cut the season short. Some of them were already facing not great ski conditions due to warm weather, so it made sense as they were expected to close soon anyways. Although others currently have great snow and potentially snow in the forecast.
As of now, the mountains to close include:
- Catamount Mountain Resort, Hillsdale, New York
- Berkshire East Mountain Resort, Charlemont, Massachusetts
- Jay Peak Resort, Jay, Vermont (temporary closure)
- BIG SNOW American Dream, Rutherford, New Jersey (indoor ski resort)
- Taos Ski Valley, Taos, New Mexico (closing early on March 22)
Where ski resorts are still open, many of them have closed gondolas or reducing capacity to 50%. Many are also not forcing skiers to ride chairlifts with other skiers — skiing alone at some resorts are permitted. Many resorts have also canceled events, closed lodges and moved tables in the dining room to be further apart from one another.
Of course not all resorts have yet followed suit, but things are changing day by day. If you have a ski vacation that you have not yet canceled, make sure to check out the resort ahead of time to ensure they are still operating. Some resorts have also canceled for just a day, but then are back to business.
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As of now, most resorts have not communicated what will happen to season passes. (Unlike Disney World and Disneyland pass holders who will just get extra dates added to their current expiration date). We also haven’t heard anything around the Epic and Ikon pass, although their resorts have yet to close early. With most resorts still open, pass holders can technically still ski.
We are Epic pass holders, but have made the decision to not be in large groups and that includes skiing. We just canceled a ski trip for this weekend and next. Although we love skiing, it looks like ski season might be over for us. I truly hope Vail Resorts does something for pass holders, but I have pretty low expectations.
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I just talked to Sundance in Utah, our local resort, and they say they’re open. Snow looks awful though. Might be a great time to hit the empty slopes, even with local schools closed the next 2 weeks