Last winter, the skiing community was devastated to find out that their season was not going to end with spring break parties on the mountain. As everything began to shut down, skiers and snowboarders hoped to take advantage of their offices and schools being closed by spending their days on the snow. This dream was quickly shut down as Colorado resorts announced a full closure of their slopes. All we could do was wait and hope for a better 2020-21 season.

Even with the closure, the avid skiers still found ways to send it. Many ditched the lifts and went back country skiing, despite governor Polis’ urging them not to go far from their homes as it could result in serious injury.

With the summer coming to an end, many are asking if and how ski resorts will be open this winter. Usually, ski resorts race to be open as soon as weather permits. This year the opening dates are already set for early November across the board. The plan is to open on a reservation basis. This means that there will be a cap on the number of people allowed on the mountain per day.

The fact that there is any debate about how ski resorts should open is ridiculous. Aside from the park rats ending up in the hospital after attempting triple corks, skiing is the safest possible sport regarding COVID. Most people wear masks anyways when skiing, and it is safe to say that a mountain is big enough to host a large amount of people and maintain distance.

Furthermore, the ski towns of Colorado rely on the tourists and the Texans who ski in jeans to make a living. Before making the tough decision to close down, Governor Jared Polis had this to say about the impact of the closure on the people in ski towns: “There were many, many mountain communities that said, ‘This is our livelihood. This is our business. We need the tourists.'”

With many Colorado businesses opening up, skiing should make a solid comeback. Even though it will not be back in full force, it is a great beacon of hope to the skiers and riders all over the state to return to the slopes.