Update: Colorado governor orders closure of all ski resorts due to COVID-19 outbreak
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Saturday night issued an executive order to close the state’s nearly 30 ski areas for one week amid the new coronavirus outbreak. “Never would I have believed that a global pandemic would force the temporary closure of our world-class ski resorts,” Polis wrote in an email announcing the news. He went on to say that he and his family, like many others, were planning a spring break ski trip. Earlier in the day Saturday, Vail Resorts was the first major ski area operator in the country to announce that it would close its resorts amid the outbreak.
Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz announced in a statement Saturday afternoon that the company would close all of its North American mountain resorts — including Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort in Summit County — and retail stores through March 22. Katz added that Vail Resorts will use that time to reassess its approach for the rest of the season.Arapahoe Basin and Loveland ski areas soon followed Vail’s lead, and Copper Mountain Resort finally announced its closure after 10 p.m. Saturday. All three ski areas initially committed to stay open but now will be closed through March 22. “We have every intention of reopening,” A-Basin Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth wrote in his blog. “As soon as it makes sense to reopen, we will reopen. It is unclear when that will be.”