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ARAPAHOE BASIN \u2014 There are a lot of words to describe skiing and snowboarding. \u201cMoral\u201d and \u201cvictory\u201d are not usually among them.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s how the staff at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area<\/a> talked about reopening Wednesday after being shuttered for more than two months because of the coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a moral victory,\u201d said Katherine Fuller, a spokeswoman for the Summit County ski area, the only resort currently open in Colorado. \u201cFinancially, it\u2019s really not (impactful). We took a big hit over the last two and a half months, and this really isn\u2019t going to make any of that up. For us, it\u2019s being able to get some people back to work, get some people skiing and riding again.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, only 600 people with reservations were allowed on the mountain and they had to wear masks and keep their distance from each other. And yes, A-Basin was not its normal, lively and festive self.<\/p>\n But the return of skiing and snowboarding in Colorado represents the promise of better days ahead as the state\u2019s tourism industry continues reeling from the impacts of the pandemic. The reopening could also provide a roadmap for resorts<\/a> across the state as they look toward the 2020-21 season and recoup some of their losses even with the pandemic still underway.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a big experiment in a lot of ways,\u201d Fuller said. \u201cThere\u2019s no precedent for this. We\u2019re going to learn a lot from this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Skiing has been shut down in Colorado since mid-March, when Gov. Jared Polis ordered closures to help keep COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, from spreading out of control. He said it was one of the toughest decisions he\u2019s made given how skiing and snowboarding are such a large part of the state\u2019s identity and economy.<\/p>\n Read more at The Colorado Sun<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n