TOPICS & TIMES:
- Have you ever seen anything like this before? (1:36)
- Explain what’s going on? (3:51)
- The Executive Order from the Governor of Colorado (6:30)
- What does this mean for mountain towns? (15:18)
- What should we be doing? (26:00)
This past weekend, something happened that has never happened in the history of resort skiing: in the span of 12 hours, most ski areas abruptly suspended operations.
This mass closure of ski areas came in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this has all happened so fast — and with new information coming out and changing almost every hour, that many of us are shaken, left with lots of questions, wondering what, exactly, is going on, and also wondering … what’s next?
So last night I spoke with veteran ski industry reporter, Jason Blevins, about these truly unprecedented events. Jason is a reporter at the Colorado Sun, he is one of the most respected and well-connected reporters in the ski industry business, and he has been keeping close tabs on this evolving situation.
So let’s get to my conversation with Jason about what, exactly, is going on, what is likely to come next, the impact on ski towns, and what each of us should and shouldn’t be doing right now.
I worry for the (few) independent mountains left in the US ski landscape. Vail Corp can afford to weather this, but an area like SIlverton might not have such deep reserves and/or credit.
This is also going to be unspeakably rough for a lot of ski-town locals who depend on service-industry incomes. Hopefully the rest of us can all pull together and provide what we can to support our mountain culture. Might it be a good idea to provide more (and more specific) information about opportunities along those lines in a future episode?
Do not underestimate the importance of your work Blister team. As a European in lock down, your ski reviews are a ray of sunshine on an otherwise …. lack of descriptor … day.
If you can, keep up the good work!
Thank you very much. And we definitely intend to keep the work going.
Agreed! If Blister went the way of lift served skiing and the NBA it would be a very sad day indeed. Here’s to hoping Luke can give us a review of dragging the black ops up hill on frame bindings.
Ha, well he didn’t do that today, but I was out getting more time in next season’s Lange XT3. Using this time to A/B/C/D the XT3, the Atomic Hawx XTD, the K2 Mindbender AT boot, and the Zero G Tour Pro. We’ve got plenty to do around here.
Oooh really looking forward to reading that comparison! I’m in need of new 50/50 boots for next season!
Looking forward to that!
Well, since you’ll be spending quite a bit of time on the skin track….
I’m looking for a 50 / 50 ski in the 108 to 112ish range. Something lite for touring but can handle in-bounds firm gnar as well. 180 – 185 length and I think in the 1800 – 2000 gram range with the right construction can be damp enough to pull double duty….
Skis I’m considering so far…
V-werks Katana
Wildcat 108 (reg. or tour ?)
Deathwish (reg. or tour?) although I think the mount point is too far forward for me.
Volkl BMT 109
Black crows Corvus Freebird
Black Crows Ferox
Whitedot… possibly
Hoji?
Look forward to reading reviews 0n other skis coming out!
Unless is misheard, all of Asia is NOT shut down. Here in Japan they are OPEN as of today Mar 18th.
Nailed it with the best practice right now comment. Same as a minor injury, much better to end your season and heal than keep pushing it resulting in a major injury that eliminates next season too.
Enjoy the backcountry but please do it responsibly. Things are shaping up to be the same as Europe right now in North America. Here in Switzerland, the are lots of stories of people who got injured and can’t get any treatment or surgery because the hospitals are overwhelmed, and we’re not at the peak of it yet.