High country braces for social, economic impact
The Mountain View Sports Rental shop sits right across the road from Keystone Ski Resort, and for 28 years owner Scot Jardon has relied on the tourist bustle to sustain himself and the group of employees he refers to as his family.
But on Thursday — a classic Colorado blue-bird day with springlike skiing conditions — the rental shop was eerily silent. The night before, Gov. Jared Polis recommended that people 60 and older or those with underlying health issues avoid the high country, a precaution for the novel coronavirus spreading rapidly throughout the state. Two days later, the region’s largest resort owners — Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company — announced they were shuttering mountains for at least a week, if not longer.
“The reality is setting in,” Jardon
said. “People are hunkering down and hiding.”
As he spoke about the economic implications of the global outbreak for his business, an employee handed the owner an envelope.
“Another cancellation,” Jardon said with a sigh.
Colorado’s high country — an international destination for those seeking alpine thrills, cool mountain air and postcard-level views of snowy peaks — braced for a major disruption to its tourist-centric economy as people cancel flights, hotels, ski rentals and spring break outings in light of the COVID-19 virus. Some schools have been canceled, while major conferences and international ski competitions have been dropped as mountain counties move to ban large-scale gatherings to limit community spread.
Saturday evening, Polis ordered all downhill skiing operations shuttered for a week. Sunday afternoon, the state announced that Eagle, Pitkin, Gunnison and Summit counties were experiencing extensive outbreaks and all residents and visitors should minimize all social contact.
“The economic impact is going to be extreme,” said Mary Ann
Morrison, administrator for the Eagle Chamber of Commerce.
Hoping for spring break
In Dillon, the community recently said goodbye to the ice castles, the towering sculptures in the center of town that bring visitors from all over.
In a normal year, the ice castle rush rolls right into spring break season, when college students and families come up for extended ski vacations. But now that’s all up in the thin air.
“If spring break kids don’t show, we’ll definitely feel it,” said Mike Stys, manager of the Dos Locos restaurant near Keystone.
John Jordan, owner of Pug Ryan’s Brewery in Dillon, said his staff is trying to remain light and upbeat concerning the coronavirus, but beneath the laughs lies an underlying seriousness. He worries about his staff, people who rely on tips to make ends meet.
“If I’m unable to work, I hope my landlord takes pity on me,” said Miranda Simmons, a bartender and manager at the brewery.
If tourists were to stay away from Dillon, the impact would ripple throughout the community, said Kerstin Anderson, spokeswoman and director of economic development for the town. She said she was disappointed when Polis announced that mountain communities would be unable to handle medical needs in light of the virus.
“I have tremendous faith in our health organizations,” Anderson said.
Eagle and Pitkin — home to international ski destinations such as Aspen and Vail — have been two of the counties hardest hit by the outbreak, with nearly three dozen people testing positive for the respiratory illness.
“We’re taking really aggressive and proactive responses to social distancing,” Karen Koenemann, director of Pitkin County Public Health, said on a Friday afternoon conference call.
Those aggressive responses — including the closure of resorts and cancellation of events — mean major dollars will not be coming to the area in the near future.
Jonathan Reap, spokesman for Vail’s Four Seasons Resort, said hotels around the region — including his — have taken a hit as the coronavirus spread. The Four Seasons and other hotels are also trying to figure out what to do with their seasonal workforce, many of whom come from other countries. And the future for some workers is murkier as airlines and governments restrict travel to and from certain countries.
“It’s been recommended that we possibly send these kids home,” Reap said, noting this would be about a month earlier than usual. “We’re still in the process of figuring that out, but it could be sooner rather than later.”