The day skiing died: Inside the historic day coronavirus forced Colorado’s ski industry to shutter

[Philpug]

A must read:

The day skiing died: Inside the historic day coronavirus forced Colorado’s ski industry to shutter

On the morning of March 14, Gov. Jared Polis studied data on coronavirus infection rates in Colorado’s ski towns, which were 20 to 30 times higher than the rates on the Front Range. It was Saturday and the busiest day of the season for ski areas — the day when Colorado’s $5 billion resort...

coloradosun.com

 

[Steve]

Very interesting article. My home mountain, Berkshire East announced on Tuesday, March 10th, that they were closing that Thursday, first in the country. Jon Schaefer (one of the owner's) wife works in a Western Mass hospital, he knew what he had to do. Probably a harder decision for a small family owned mountain than for Vail. I was proud to know him and of the decision he and his family made.

 

[ADKmel]

My small home bump closed March 16th.. doing the right thing too even though We just got our first few cases this week, (but we have No testing so all with 1/2 a brain know there are more sick people out there)

 

[Steve]

Jon Schaefer then went on to found Goggles For Docs, which has become a national program that has donated 28,340 goggles to hospitals to date.

We learn a lot about people in times like this.

Goggles For Docs, a idea that sparked a solution - The Mountain Times

By Lisa Lynn, VT Ski & Ride On the night of March 10, Jon Schaefer read an article about the spread of COVID-19. He turned off the lights and went to sleep. “Five minutes later, I woke up and knew what […] Read More

www.mountaintimes.info

 

[Tricia]

I just read that article again for the second time. Very well done and gives some insight to the decisions behind the hard call.
The financial impact is going to go deep.

 

[jmeb]

Great article.

Misses one thing I heard from friends who live in ski towns -- which was that with everyone off the slopes, retailers, bars, restaurants were all packed well beyond usual that Sunday while tourists tried to figure out how to get home. I know at least one place in Vail had their highest alcohol sales of the season that day.

It's very hard to know what the right solution was. On the whole, I'm very impressed with how our gov has handled this crisis.

 

[crgildart]

We've been referring to 2020 as "the year of no fun" since early March. Clearly, THE most disruptive thing to happen to the world since WWII. Final global financial cost tally is going to be staggering.

 

[KevinF]

I was in Stowe the weekend of March 14/15. I wasn't comfortable standing in the usual Saturday lift lines, so I took a snowshoe tour instead with another family.

The "other" family was up from Florida (?) -- somewhere in the deep south. Their young son (8ish?) hadn't ever seen snow before and they were planning on learning to ski on Sunday and the coming days, etc.

I was chatting with Josh that evening when he told me that Stowe / Vail had just pulled the plug. No clue what the other family did -- Florida to Vermont is a long haul to just have to "go home". Smugglers Notch stayed open for a few more days I believe.

I'm still amazed at how quickly everything came crashing down that weekend. On Friday (the 13th!) at work we had a meeting where the bosses told us that "we're all adults; work from wherever you feel comfortable". On Monday afternoon the same bosses told us that the building was being locked up and that we should "immediately" prepare to work-from-home for the foreseeable future. I haven't seen any of my colleagues (except on video conference calls) since then.

 

[scott43]

I was in Stowe the weekend of March 14/15. I wasn't comfortable standing in the usual Saturday lift lines, so I took a snowshoe tour instead with another family.

The "other" family was up from Florida (?) -- somewhere in the deep south. Their young son (8ish?) hadn't ever seen snow before and they were planning on learning to ski on Sunday and the coming days, etc.

I was chatting with Josh that evening when he told me that Stowe / Vail had just pulled the plug. No clue what the other family did -- Florida to Vermont is a long haul to just have to "go home". Smugglers Notch stayed open for a few more days I believe.

I'm still amazed at how quickly everything came crashing down that weekend. On Friday (the 13th!) at work we had a meeting where the bosses told us that "we're all adults; work from wherever you feel comfortable". On Monday afternoon the same bosses told us that the building was being locked up and that we should "immediately" prepare to work-from-home for the foreseeable future. I haven't seen any of my colleagues (except on video conference calls) since then.

You know this was sort of our Ireland trip..it happened faster than I expected. I thought we'd have another week..just came crashing to a halt faster than I figured...

 

[Ski&ride]

I was in Stowe the weekend of March 14/15. I wasn't comfortable standing in the usual Saturday lift lines, so I took a snowshoe tour instead with another family.

I confess I was one of those who didn’t take it seriously.

I wasn’t entirely comfortable standing in the lift lines on Saturday, March 14. But I did it anyway. I skied all over the mountain looking for the lift having the least crowded maze, even if it wasn’t the most interesting terrain.

Basically, I kept my distance when possible but didn’t always keep the distance when it was difficult to do so.

My thinking was clearly a mix of denial with “justification”

Friday (the 13th!) at work we had a meeting where the bosses told us that "we're all adults; work from wherever you feel comfortable". On Monday afternoon the same bosses told us that the building was being locked up and that we should "immediately" prepare to work-from-home for the foreseeable future

My company did the “work where comfortable” on 1st week of March! Turned out NOBODY went to the office 2 days later!

Also on the same day, The office building stopped allowing visitors. Also banned inter-office visit too. (we have more than one office locations in the same city).

I wonder, had we gone into lockdown early March, how many fewer infections would we had. And how many fewer death.

We would never know though.

 

[Cameron]

I was at Snowshoe the weekend all this went down. Sunday was supposed to be the last day and Saturday evening I was looking forward to was supposed to be several inches of new snow. We had already put our son to bed for the evening and I was watching the closings trickle in via social media. I think it was about 8:30 when I finally say Snowshoe post that they were closed beginning Sunday March 15. I bummed about missing out on new snow but as it turned out it was blessing as it only rained and the weather was miserable when we woke up. We had made the decision Saturday night to get up early and get out of dodge but I wasn't sure what chaos laid ahead as thousands tried to leave on a 2 lane mountain road. When we rolled out about 8:00 I don't think most people had even realized yet as it was very quiet and there were only 3 or 4 people in the central check-in office to have their refunded processed. It was definitely a somber driver out of the mountains for me since we still had a trip to Copper Mountain that was 3 weeks out that I knew wasn't likely to happen.

 

[Ski&ride]

Misses one thing I heard from friends who live in ski towns -- which was that with everyone off the slopes, retailers, bars, restaurants were all packed well beyond usual that Sunday while tourists tried to figure out how to get home.

That may explain why the governor ordered hotels to close 5 days later.

 

[Ski&ride]

It was definitely a somber driver out of the mountains for me since we still had a trip to Copper Mountain that was 3 weeks out that I knew wasn't likely to happen.

My drive TO the mountain a week prior was already a somber one.

I had plan to ski the following week. But I could vaguely see the virus coming our way. So I moved up my trip by a week. (but I was wrong in that, in reality the virus was already around us, we just didn’t know yet).

As I loaded up the skis in my trunk, instead of feeling excited, there’s a strange feeling. I recognize it’s a vague feeling that I maybe coming home to a very different world. Sadly, my premonition turned true.

 

[locknload]

I'll be honest...my most selfish and immature feelings about all this was getting the season cut so suddenly short. Of course, I understand and think that life and death is way more important than my desire to ski and fully support what needed to happen. My own first feeling of "loss" was losing the rest of the season. Of course, I've moved on and acceptance set in and my thoughts with everyone suffering horribly right now. I just wish we had been better prepared and could've gotten out in front of all this....frustrating.

 

[Cameron]

My drive TO the mountain a week prior was already a somber one.

I had plan to ski the following week. But I could vaguely see the virus coming our way. So I moved up my trip by a week. (but I was wrong in that, in reality the virus was already around us, we just didn’t know yet).

As I loaded up the skis in my trunk, instead of feeling excited, there’s a strange feeling. I recognize it’s a vague feeling that I maybe coming home to a very different world.

I know exactly what you mean. We were loading up and heading out of town as the announcement that schools were closing for at least 3 weeks came and the real panic buying at grocery stores began. I felt like I was making the wrong decision in going, not that I was concerned about getting sick but because I felt like I should have been preparing for the unknown. On the other hand I also felt like a mountain top in West Virginia was about the safest place I could be. In the end we will never really know if we went too far or not far enough.

 

[Ski&ride]

I felt like I was making the wrong decision in going, not that I was concerned about getting sick but because I felt like I should have been preparing for the unknown.

I confess I even did the shopping before I left town. That was 10 days before the mass panic shopping began.

On the other hand I also felt like a mountain top in West Virginia was about the safest place I could be. In the end we will never really know if we went too far or not far enough.

That was my thought too when I headed out. That I was going to a ‘safer’ place. Like evacuating before a hurricane was forecast to make landfall.

(that’s why I did the shopping before leaving. I was half expecting to return to a ravaged home. Hence the heavy heart feeling)

Except, by the time I arrived, I heard they confirmed their first case! Knowing, due to the lack of testing, there’s likely more unconfirmed cases around me, made for a rather stressful week of skiing. Watching and wondering if the person sitting next to me were infectious.

The cruel irony was, *I* could have been that infectious person! I didn’t know then. Only 2 weeks later I realized I was one of those traveling from city “hot zone” to the mountain — when ”confirmed cases” exploded around my home area. Given the incubation period, I could very well had been infected before I left for the mountains.

Had I knew *I* could have been that infectious person, I would not have gone to the mountains. It’s one thing to “escape” it BEFORE it’s here. It’s something else to “take it with me” to a vacation spot.