Safety issues mount as skiers hit backcountry in pandemic seattlepi.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from seattlepi.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thomas Peipert
Lexi Keim, from White Pine Touring, holds an ARVA Reactor 18 Airbag Backpack on Dec. 18, 2020, in Park City, Utah. With another ski season getting underway, avalanche forecasters and search-and-rescue groups are concerned that large numbers of skiers and snowboarders will again turn to the backcountry to avoid crowds and reservation systems at resorts. The increased interest in the backcountry has been a lifeline for the outdoor retail industry amid the pandemic, but it has also renewed a push among gear manufacturers and stores to sell responsibly. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) January 02, 2021 - 8:20 AM
DENVER - On March 14, Colorado s governor issued an executive order shutting down ski resorts across the state. The coronavirus had arrived and was spreading rapidly in small mountain communities that were attracting hordes of spring break revelers.
Safety issues mount as skiers hit backcountry during pandemic Share Updated: 1:29 PM CST Jan 2, 2021 By THOMAS PEIPERT, Associated Press
Safety issues mount as skiers hit backcountry during pandemic Share Updated: 1:29 PM CST Jan 2, 2021
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Show Transcript AND GOOD MEMORIES ARE WAITING . THE FACT THAT WE ARE OPEN IS PRETTY EXCITING. WE ARE HOPING TO STAY OPEN. THAT MEANS CUTTING WAY BACK ON THE NUMBER OF TICKETS AND THE PEOPLE WE CAN HAVE ON SITE, WE WILL DO THAT TO GET THROUGH THIS YEAR. AMY: IF YOU DON’T LIKE CROWDS, LIMITED TICKET SALES, REDUCED LINES, AND WIDE OPEN TRAILS BROUGHT TO YOU BY COVID. THE STORY IS GOING TO BE THAT THE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE A LOT LOWER, BUT WE KNEW THAT. AMY THE CRANMORE INN IN NORTH : CONWAY IS OPERATING AT 25% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. SUSTAINABLE? NO. THE OWNERS ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF FEDERAL PAYROLL MONEY AND SAY THEY MISS THEIR GUESTS. WE ARE WAITING FOR THE HEAVY SNOW TO
DENVER (AP) On March 14, Colorado s governor issued an executive order shutting down ski resorts across the state. The coronavirus had arrived and was spreading rapidly in small mountain communities that were attracting hordes of spring break revelers.
The next day, with chairlifts and gondolas hanging idly overhead, a large group converged on Aspen Mountain, passed a closure sign and “skinned” up the slopes under their own power to get in a few hard-earned turns.
In the following weeks, skiers and snowboarders with nowhere else to go were increasingly lured by the untouched powder of the backcountry. In the nine weeks after resorts closed, 32 people were caught in avalanches, including two who were killed, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. During the previous four months, 65 people were swept up in slides.
Simple, affordable and socially distanced, snowshoeing gets hot
As biking was to spring, snowshoeing is to winter as exercisers adapt to cold weather. 122 Shares
Snowshoeing is poised to become one of this winter’s most popular outdoor pastimes, as people look for activities that offer plenty of social distance. (Provided by REI Co-op via New York Times)
By Elaine Glusac,
The New York Times
When the pandemic struck in the height of the 2020 ski season, closing the downhill ski mountain in Breckenridge, the Breckenridge Nordic & Snowshoe Adventure Center found families turning to its snow sports, which were, by their natures, socially distanced, pandemic or not.