Mt. Spokane Ski resort to close, state parks, other area resorts remain open
Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park will close for the “foreseeable future.”
Brad McQuarrie, general manager of the resort, said the closure followed Gov. Jay Inslee’s closure of all bars, restaurants, entertainment and recreational facilities following the spread of the coronavirus.
“We have been scrambling to get the word out,” McQuarrie said in an email.
However, Mount Spokane State Park remains open, according to Washington State Parks. All state parks, including camping, remain open including all sno-parks, although there are some restrictions.
Those restrictions include the closure of visitor and interpretive centers, cancellation of most special activities and special permits, cancellation of planned programming, and restrictions on group camp and group reservations. For more information visit parks.state.wa.us/1177/Novel-Coronavirus—-COVID-19.
Meanwhile, 49 Degrees North announced on Instagram that it planned to stay open.
“We plan to continue operations until we feel we can no longer reasonably mitigate risks for our guests and staff or are told we cannot continue to operate,” the post states. “We hope to see you on the slopes tomorrow or in the very near future.”
Idaho ski resorts remained open, for now.
“This is definitely an evolving situation with everything surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Schweitzer Mountain Resort spokeswoman Dig Chrismer in an email. “At this point, we are taking precautions to protect our guests and staff from the spread and hope to continue operating until our closing date on April 12.”
Lookout Pass on the Idaho/Montana border also remained open, as did Silver Mountain.
On its Facebook page, Silver Mountain said, “We’re OPEN March 16th and hope to stay open through our closing date of April 12. Due to the dynamic situation we face with COVID-19, we are taking it day-by-day and following directions from local and national health organizations.”
Ski resorts across the country have started closing in response to the viral pandemic. Over the weekend, Colorado’s governor closed all ski resorts in the state. Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana closed Sunday. Resorts in California also closed. Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company closed 49 resorts Saturday.
Those closures included: Vail, Keystone and Breckenridge in Colorado; Park City Mountain Resort in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Stowe Mountain in Vermont; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado; Squaw Valley, Mammoth and Big Bear Mountain in California; Crystal Mountain in Washington; Stratton and Sugarbush in Vermont; and Deer Valley and Solitude in Utah.