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Editor’s note: This story was updated at 8:50 p.m. on Saturday.
UPDATE: Vail Resorts — the owner of the Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow ski areas in Vermont — is closing its resorts for a week starting on Sunday, according to a message from the company’s CEO Rob Katz.
Jay Peak and Burke Mountain became the first Vermont ski resorts to announce plans to cease regular operations due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak Friday.
Both resorts will close for the season at the end of the day Saturday.
Middlebury Snow Bowl will also end its season this weekend when lifts stop spinning at 4 p.m. Sunday. The mountain, along with the nearby Rikert Nordic Center, are part of Middlebury College campus, which sent students home this week.
Jay Peak President and CEO Steven Wright said in a statement announcing the mountain’s closure that restrictions on travel imposed by the Quebec government on cross-border travel was the “most recent tipping point” in deciding to end operations for the season.
The resort had seen an increase in bookings from Canadian travelers until recently, and had expected a large week ahead when Ontario schools would be on break. He noted the mountain has an “obligation” to look out for the safety of the members of its community.
“This is obviously a difficult decision for us and one that we have not made without hours and days of deliberation and predicated on hourly updates from federal agencies, state offices and international health organizations,” Wright said.
Burke General Manager Kevin Mack cited safety concerns in the reason for closing the mountain early.
“We have an obligation to our guests, friends and family, the larger Burke community and ourselves to prioritize safety above all else,” he said in a statement. “It was this respect for one another that we have made this decision.”
Both resorts are offering guests full refunds or will allow people to rebook for next year. Jay plans to keep janitorial and housekeeping staff to clean the full campus, including the Pumphouse Indoor Waterpark, and Burke will also undertake a deep cleaning.
For workers, both resorts will pay the difference for hourly year-round employees between short-term unemployment compensation and their full pay rate. Benefits like vacation time and the 401k program will continue to accrue through the shutdown. Housing, for Jay Peak employees who use it, will continue to be available.
Both areas say they hope to reopen May 1.
The COVID-19 virus, which first surfaced in the public consciousness in December, has closed businesses, schools and other institutions around the globe and sickened thousands. In Vermont, which has two confirmed cases, almost all of the colleges and universities in the state this week moved to online instruction and asked students to leave the dorms to reduce the chances of infection. To slow the transmission of the disease, reduce the social and economic impact of the epidemic, and to reduce illness and deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are strongly promoting handwashing and the disinfection of frequently touched surfaces.
So far, no other Vermont ski areas have closed as a result of calls for social distancing to mitigate the risk of infection, though a few are likely to cease operations in coming weeks because of poor snow conditions, according to Molly Mahar, the executive director of the Vermont Ski Areas Association.
This week, most Vermont ski areas were responding to the outbreak by adapting to CDC recommendations. A statement from Win Smith, the former owner of Sugarbush Resort, reflected the new emphasis on disinfection and also contained a shot in the arm for area businesses that rely on the resort’s visitors.
“Personally, Lili and I, along with our children and grandchildren, plan to continue skiing and enjoying our wide-open spaces, fresh mountain air and thousands of acres of wilderness here in the Mad River Valley,” said Smith, referring to his wife, on Thursday. “We’ll also continue enjoying après and dining in our various establishments here at Sugarbush and throughout the Mad River Valley while making sure to wash our hands more frequently.
“And, of course, if any of us are not feeling well, we will stay home,” he wrote.
In response to queries at Mount Snow, Stratton and Stowe, Vail Resorts issued a short statement saying the company is closely monitoring guidance from local, state and federal health agencies. Like other Vermont resort owners, Vail said it is properly disinfecting its facilities and instructing workers to take the appropriate precautions. (Update: Vail Resorts has closed all its ski areas in North America for a week, from March 15-22. Lodging is available for those who are in residence now and who have reservations for this week. The company says it will fully pay all scheduled workers for the week. See its website for more information.)
Killington, Vermont’s largest ski area, is also open, although the Special Olympics Vermont or SOVT, following the advice of Special Olympics International, cancelled the Winter Games it had scheduled for March 22-24 at Killington.
“COVID-19 has multiple implications for SOVT,” said the event organizers. “One of the benefits of Special Olympics programming is to bring athletes out of social isolation and into active, inclusive communities that promote both physical and emotional health. Special Olympics Vermont encourages athletes to stay active and exercise at home, and is working on virtual engagement opportunities.”
Sugarbush, which was purchased by Alterra Mountain Co. last fall, has added hand sanitizing stations at high-traffic locations; upped its cleaning and disinfecting schedule for its buildings; and is asking workers who have traveled to high risk areas or who appear to have symptoms of the coronavirus to stay home.
“We would ask guests to do the same,” said Smith, who has continued on at the resort.
Sugarbush is also offering a deal to visitors who book directly with the resort between now and its expected closing of May 3. If the visitor cancels, they’ll get a 100% refund with no cancellation fee for lodging, tickets or ski lessons, Smith said.
