Several Colorado Ski Resorts Forced to Shutter Indoor Dining as COVID Cases Surge
With a substantial and alarming rise in COVID cases across the state over the past few weeks, Colorado plans to move 15 counties into the state’s Level Red (Severe) COVID risk tier. The order goes into effect Friday, November 20 (although new reporting indicates that Summit County may receive a postponement to Sunday).
At Level Red, all indoor dining and seating will be prohibited. In addition, gatherings between members of separate households will be banned. However, ski resorts may remain open, and grab and go dining will still be available.
The following Colorado ski resorts will be affected by the order:
Eldora (Boulder County)
Loveland (Clear Creek County)
Steamboat (Routt County)
Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper, and Keystone (Summit County)
If case counts don’t go down, these counties risk moving into the state’s new Level Purple (Extreme) COVID risk tier, which would force resorts to close entirely. Summit County says it plans to issue its own public health order in the coming days, which may place additional restrictions on short-term rentals and ski areas.
As of today, A-Basin, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Loveland are already open for the 2020-21 season. Copper, Eldora, and Steamboat plan to open within the next couple of weeks.
Our Take
At this point, we’d advise resort visitors to prepare for a season without public indoor lodging (if the season truly happens at all). Many areas will be providing outdoor alternatives, but if your ideal ski day involves nice, warm indoor breaks, it’s going to be a disappointment. Hopefully, people less serious about skiing and snowboarding choose to stay off the slopes this winter, keeping resorts less crowded.
With indoor dining gone, on-site lodging may sound like an incredibly desirable option this season. However, with the possibility of more lockdowns on the horizon, booking a new trip may not be the best idea right now.
These COVID numbers are not looking good for the ski season, especially as resort towns eye substantially higher traffic in the upcoming core-season weeks. We sincerely hope that Colorado’s new orders can effectively reduce case counts in and around ski areas. Summit County’s public health order announcement suggests that even tougher restrictions may be coming sooner rather than later.
A few Colorado ski counties—most notably Vail and Beaver Creek’s Eagle County and Telluride’s San Miguel County—have not moved to Level Red with this order. However, cases have not been slowing down in these areas either, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see stricter guidelines imposed on these regions soon as well.
