Although Telluride Ski Resort is closed, die-hard skiers have another option if they\u2019re willing to sweat.<\/p>\n
After the end of each season, the Telluride Ski Resort allows skiers to hike or ski up the slope for some downhill runs at their own risk.<\/p>\n
About 50 locals climb up each day, Telluride resident Steve Pruett said at the end of a run.<\/p>\n
Specialized removable skins on the bottom of their skis allow for the ascent, then it\u2019s all downhill.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Earn your turns\u2019 as the saying goes, no more laps of 16 runs per day using the lifts,\u201d Pruett says. \u201cThere is plenty of untracked snow now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Locals are grateful for the option to skin up, said another skier. But all the avalanche precautions, including a beacon, probe and smart mountain travel, are still necessary because there is no avalanche control after the ski area closes.<\/p>\n
Masters worries inexperienced backcountry skiers will venture into avalanche-prone mountain areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a small county and don\u2019t have the staff for a lot of search and rescue, so please use caution,\u201d he said. \u201cStay away from avalanche areas. The inexperienced need to be on flatter ground. Do not all travel in the same vehicle together or have dinner parties later.\u201d<\/p>\n
What about the economics?<\/div>\n
The loss of business and jobs has been severe.<\/p>\n
Sky Brueske was laid off from his three bartending jobs in town because of the restaurant closures and restrictions.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuckily I have some savings. I\u2019m not sure what I\u2019m going to do,\u201d he said. \u201cNormally we would be slammed right now with the spring break celebration. Now, it\u2019s a ghost town.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social distancing has been hard for the tight-knit town, said Brueske.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough that we can\u2019t interact and relate to the problem like we usually do,\u201d he said. \u201cThat camaraderie is good, whereas pure isolation is detrimental to our mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sky Brueske, of Telluride, talks about how life changed after the ski area closed and San Miguel County sheltered in place.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>The shutdown came a few weeks before the usual off-season slowdown, but it still hurts.<\/p>\n
At Brown Dog Pizza, business is down about 80%, said manager Mike Courter. The downsized staff is cooking pizzas for takeout and delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty devastating, but we\u2019re getting more customers in each day as they discover we are still open,\u201d he said. \u201cNormally this time of year, the restaurant is full, and there is a waitlist in the evening. It\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barista Anna Mills was laid off when the Ghost Town Grocer coffee shop cut back staff after the ski resort closed. The owner is continuing to pay unemployed staff to help out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very grateful for that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mills is adjusting to the shelter-in-place rules but understands their role in slowing down COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe social distancing can be a little challenging in tight spaces of restaurants and coffee shops. It takes some creative adjustments,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At the Bottle Works liquor store, business has been down without all the skiers, but it\u2019s holding on, said employee Brandon Williamson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pushing some reasonable numbers,\u201d he said. \u201cIt seems like every fifth customer is stocking up with a $100 sale. Everyone is forced to entertain themselves at home now, so stocking your bar is just as important as toilet paper!\u201d<\/p>\n
Local reactions vary<\/div>\n
While many saw the need for state and local restrictions, others felt they were extreme.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou guys in the media pumped it up more than needed,\u201d said one man who did not give his name. \u201cIt\u2019s been blown out of proportion. They took down the entire local economy, and (the virus) is not hitting us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others said less drastic restrictions could have saved jobs and had less impact on the economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit too authoritarian for me, seems extreme for how many cases we have,\u201d Williamson said.<\/p>\n
Keeping tourists out to keep out the virus, and allowing locals to work and ski would have been a better compromise, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not overkill if we come out safe,\u201d said Tammy, of Mountain Village. \u201cThe testing will provide valuable data. I\u2019m taking the time to reset and keeping active with yoga and cross-country skiing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Isolation isn\u2019t as new to Rico<\/div>\n
Meanwhile in tiny Rico, the shelter-in-place order did not appear to have a huge impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already do that,\u201d joked Tom Rowles, who works in snow removal and logging. \u201cI\u2019m kind of a hermit anyway. It\u2019s kind of strange they way it worked out: We all moved out here into the mountains to get a way from civilization, and something like this, then we\u2019re the first ones to get quarantined!\u201d<\/p>\n
Employees of the Mountain Top Fuel convenience store said locals were grateful they are open.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re staying stocked and doing a lot of sanitizing,\u201d said Cori Marvin. \u201cWe\u2019re used to being sequestered here. The challenge for me is home-schooling the kids. They think if we\u2019re home it\u2019s time to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
People are helping one another, putting up messages on bulletin boards offering to help. Others are checking in on the elderly, said co-worker Nita Bedwell.<\/p>\n
Rico locals said the sad part is they can\u2019t socialize much, have a drink and play pool at the Enterprise Bar, which is now limited to serving to-go orders.<\/p>\n
Mills said the vast backcountry around Rico makes social distancing a cinch, and many people are out cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.<\/p>\n
Local real estate agent Frank Strachan said the real estate market stalled because of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost two deals, but I\u2019m optimistic it will rebound,\u201d he said. \u201cThree weeks ago, I had three full-price offers, but buyers are backing off now to see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lynn Reafsnyder, who visited Mountain Top Fuel on Saturday, said he\u2019s practicing Zen Buddhism.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps me grow and deal with change,\u201d he said. \u201cI got this charcoal grill for cooking in case all the power goes out.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article was republished March 30 to correctly state that the photo of the masked stature was photographed in Telluride.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"and snowboard gear and clothing adorn shop windows. Bicycles are parked on clean town sidewalks, ready for rent and a ride through town. Snow-capped mountains reach toward an overcast sky. It\u2019s a picture of a Colorado resort town. But there is an eerie quiet. Mountain Village\u2019s plaza, full of restaurants, bars and outdoor shops, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":89724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[685,21,11,13,28,2248,445,668,497,1561,97,770,1187,4549],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-89723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-coronavirus-covid-19","tag-cortez","tag-economy-general","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-headlines","tag-mountain-village","tag-newsletter-lead","tag-public-health","tag-rico","tag-san-miguel-county","tag-telluride","tag-telluride-ski-resort","tag-tourism","tag-unemployment"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89731,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89723\/revisions\/89731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89723"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=89723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}