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It’s not a normal sight: Purgatory Resort touting a base depth of 5 feet of snow during the spring break season, but with untracked slopes and not a skier to be seen.

But these are not normal times.

“It’s been really disappointing,” said Purgatory Resort General Manager Dave Rathbun. “There’s a lot of snow up there. But the bustle and energy is completely gone right now.”

Purgatory has been closed since March 15 after Gov. Jared Polis issued an order temporarily shutting down all Colorado ski areas, which at the time, were the primary draw for tourists spreading the coronavirus to mountain communities in Summit, Eagle and Pitkin counties.

“While we will be temporarily closed for business, we will be saving the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Coloradans in the days and weeks ahead,” Polis said.

In response to the closure, Purgatory had to let go of its 800 or so seasonal workers. The resort has gone to great pains, Rathbun said, to keep its 100 year-round staff employed, but it has had to lay off about five staff members.

While it’s still unknown whether Colorado’s ski areas will reopen, if only for a few days or weeks left in the season, Purgatory is bracing itself for losing as much as 25% of its revenue for the year.

It has been a rough couple of years for Durango’s local resort. The winter of 2017-18 brought one of the worst droughts in recorded history. The next summer, in June 2018, the 416 Fire broke out, forcing the resort to close yet again.

But despite it all, Purgatory will make it through, Rathbun said.

“I don’t believe there’s any worry,” he said. “I think there’s enough safety nets.”

Hotbeds of super spreadThe need to close Colorado’s ski areas was dire, health officials say.

Ski resorts draw people from all over the country, even the world, who congregate in lodges, restaurants and bars. Locals intermingle with travelers, and the chance for spreading the coronavirus is significant.

The four counties with the highest cases per capita all have ski resorts: Chaffee, Eagle, Gunnison and Pitkin. And, Eagle and Gunnison, home to Vail Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort, respectively, had rates eight times the state average.

Glenn Mays, a professor at the University of Colorado’s School of Public Health who specializes in large-scale public health threats, said ski resorts essentially function as “super spread entities,” accelerating widespread outbreak.

“Resorts are fairly small, with a diverse population funneled into limited areas,” he said. “That plays a special role in accelerating disease spread.”

Beating the crowdsLiane Jollon, executive director of San Juan Basin Public Health, said it was important to close Purgatory before spring break brought an uptick in tourists to the Southwest Colorado resort.

Purgatory brings in about 300,000 guests a year, Rathbun said, with a significant portion of that amount during the spring break weeks.

“We prevented a lot of spread,” Jollon said. “We did the right thing by not having three weeks of a packed ski area.”

As of Tuesday, 23 positive cases of coronavirus had been recorded in La Plata County. But even health officials say that’s likely a drastically low reflection of the actual amount of people with the virus in the community because of the lack of testing.

And though health officials are tracking the past interactions and travels of people who do test positive, SJBPH declined to say whether any of the confirmed cases had a connection to Purgatory.

“We do not have info on that and we are not allowed to report out details like that,” SJBPH spokeswoman Claire Ninde said. “In small communities, it is easier to identify individuals with data that may result in identification than in larger communities.”

Significant economic impactUnraveling how the closure of Purgatory affects the local economy is nearly impossible, as additional state orders in the ensuing weeks forced all “nonessential” businesses to close to prevent further spread of the virus.

But there’s no denying Purgatory is one of the main tourist draws in winter, Rathbun said. Throughout an entire season, he said the ski resort is responsible for an economic jolt that is likely hundreds of millions of dollars.

“It’s significant, there’s no questions about that,” he said.

Dave Woodruff, president of the Colorado Restaurant Association’s Durango chapter, said the restaurant industry feeds off the resort’s winter tourism.

“Purgatory is a great draw, and we are reliant upon them in both summer and winter,” he said.

Chris Linsmayer with Colorado Ski Country USA said the economic impacts across the state are going to be substantial. Last year, 14 million people visited a Colorado resort, with the industry generating $5 billion to $6 billion.

“March is a busy time, so to be shut down is unfortunate and a challenge,” he said. “And the economic impacts are going to be substantial in our resort communities.”

Congress recently signed a $2 trillion relief bill to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus. Ski resorts, however, are not eligible for any financial assistance as part of the package.

“Certainly, we’re in touch with the congressional delegation,” Linsmayer said.

Holding out hope for a few more turnsSki resort operations across the state are suspended until at least April 6. But despite the doom and gloom, Rathbun is still dreaming of skiing the slopes.

“I think everybody knows James (Coleman, owner of Purgatory) pretty well, and if we get a chance to reopen, and there’s still good snow and we can offer a safe experience, we’d consider it,” Rathbun said.

Options across the region to ski are limited. Ski resorts are closed and prohibiting uphill travel access. San Juan County closed its backcountry. And search and rescue personnel are asking people to stay home to avoid emergency situations.

Holding out hope for a few more runs this season, however limited or short, is at least something to look forward to in these unprecedented times, Rathbun said.

“We’re just going to hang tight and be ready,” he said. “We’re skiers at heart. If we can do it, we’ll do it.”

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