Canadian ski resorts closing doors due to increase in COVID cases

 As of Dec 26th, Ontario entered a lockdown phase which is planned to last for a month. This lockdown was planned due to an increase in covid cases which have pushed many of the province's ICU's to their peak capacity. Ontario's ski resorts are not exempt from the lockdown, despite the relatively low risk of viral loading involved in a day of skiing if all precautions are followed. 

Blue Mountain; image courtesy of snowbrains.com

 The arguments in favour of the closure of ski areas are reasonable, though surely a bit frustrating for those keen on hitting the slopes. As with any other situation, there are those who will not take all precautions such as appropriate mask-wearing and social distancing. Why should the ski industry get a hall-pass if other similarly low-risk activities and small businesses are forced to follow the restrictions? 

 The other argument, which has been the main concern related to this pandemic, is the over-loading of the health care system. Whether we like to admit it or not, skiing and snowboarding are inherently risky activities and people regularly get injured and end up in the hospital. If the health care system is already being pushed to it's limit by the pandemic, any increased loading should be avoided.

 It's an unfortunate state of affairs and surely there are many who would disagree with the decisions made, but like it or not, the situation is unlikely to change until covid numbers decrease. 

 As for those in other places, perhaps this is a time to reflect on our own exposure to viral loading and do what we can to limit the spread of the virus. The ski industry is not immune to the effects of the pandemic and if we want to continue to enjoy our ski resorts we have to work together to do our best to follow the recommendations laid out by health authorities. Remember that the backcountry is not untouched by this either; last spring many backcountry areas were closed to the public and even into the summer we were asked to not recreate in the backcountry. 

 For more information on the Ontario resort closures, check out this article from snowbrains.com. 

 Stay safe, stay healthy, be patient, and please try your best to follow the recommendations of health authorities. For the sake of our ski season!