So, You Want to Ski During Covid-19? What You Need to Know

By: Nikki Ekstein

Updated on March 24, 1:11 PM EDT

What You Need To Know

The 2020 ski season has started much as the 2019 one ended—with a Covid-19-related shutdown.

In March, as cases started to rip across the globe, resorts in the Alps and Colorado became early hives of infection, resulting in superspreader events that would carry the virus to dozens of countries around the world. Fast-forward to late October: Austrian resorts have already gone through the exhausting process of starting and stopping the lifts, thanks to a governmental order aimed at containing Europe’s second wave.

This sets the stage for the most dramatic and unpredictable winter sports season in recent memory—one that carries the weight of an industry that generates $54 billion annually in the U.S. and France alone. In other parts of Europe, such as the Tyrolean Alps, the sport can represent as much as 18% of the local economy.

Getting up and down a mountain—whether it’s with skis, a snowboard, or showshoes—should be a natural fit for social distancing, and masks are as necessary for warmth as they are for public health precautions. But the conviviality of mountain culture, which includes everything from dining in intimate mountain huts to shimmying down at après ski bars, is a poor fit for pandemic times.

All this leaves mountain operators hoping that enough people will show up for the snow alone, assuming they can travel safely and that Mother Nature delivers. And it leaves hopeful skiers wondering whether a trip to the mountains will spell vacation bliss or viral contamination. It’s unlikely anyone will truly know those answers until the wildflowers bloom next spring.

Key Coverage

By The Numbers

$20 billion The economic impact of the winter sports industry in the U.S.
45 The number of countries with Covid-19 cases stemming from a single superspreader event in the Austrian ski town of Ishgl.
Up to 30% The amount that seasonal snowfall is likely to decrease by the end of the 21st century because of climate change.

Why It Matters

Even without the pandemic, the winter sports industry has suffered growing uncertainty with each passing year, thanks to climate change. Snowfall is generally declining, which makes for a shrinking ski season and a growing list of infrastructural expenses to keep up with artificial snowmaking needs. As a result, independently operated outfits in the U.S. and elsewhere have been swallowed up by conglomerates such as Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Co.

That’s a shaky foundation on which to enter a pandemic. Because skiers need assurances that lift ticket purchases will not be wasted, most companies will offer customers who opt for season passes insurance policies that cover unused days caused by Covid-19-related closures. Still, low turnout remains likely, thanks to ongoing border restrictions that will restrict tourism, largely to single regions.

The costs of an additional weak winter could be staggering.

According to research from the University of New Hampshire conducted in partnership with sporting goods company REI, reduced skier participation during low-snow years trimmed $1 billion and 17,400 jobs from the U.S. economy. How that radiates to other countries is difficult to calculate. Worldwide, billions of dollars in revenue and hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk in sectors that range from hotels to restaurants and gear shops.

Cumulatively, it’s not just wintertime fun that’s on thin ice. It’s the vitality of mountain towns and villages all around the globe.