Ski resorts stay open while trying to prevent virus spread

Ski resorts in United States are grappling with how to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus as most planned to stay open as ski season nears an end.

Some resorts are closing enclosed gondolas or aerial trams while others are encouraging skiers to ride lifts with only people they know as they adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Nearly every resort is promising extra cleanings of public spaces, more hand sanitizer stations and vowing to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A few resorts, including Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico, Jay Peak Resort in Vermont and Shanty Creek Resort in Michigan, have decided to close for the season.

Still, some ski resorts are touting the popular winter activity as a relatively safe option for diversion as concerts, sporting events and museums close.

“Skiers are pretty well covered from head-to-toe and being outdoors, the contamination factor is minimized,” said Tom Watkinson, spokesman for Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado.

Snowbird resort in Utah said it will close its aerial tram but stay open. It explained in an online post that skiing is “beneficial for the soul to live and enjoy the adventure lifestyle— and this is particularly the case in times like this, when anxiety and stress are high.”

Avid back-country skier Michele Dauber strongly believes that resorts should be shut down to contain the spread of the virus.

“This is why Disneyland closed. This is why cruises don’t make sense. A ski resort is just a cruise ship in the snow,” said Dauber, who has a house in the Bear Valley area in California and is a professor at Stanford University. “People are just constantly wiping their noses and they’re wearing gloves so hand sanitizer isn’t the issue.”