All four ski mountains in Aspen have been closed, restricting the public and locals of the slopes to prevent the spread of COVID 19. Locals have been forced to find other ways to get exercise and still be a part of the Colorado outdoors.

On March 26th, Aspen Skiing Co stated the mountains will be closed to the public until April 19th. The executive order issued by the state governor, Jared Polis, directs ski resorts to suspend operations for one week due to COVID-19

“Due to public safety concerns and restrictions on group gatherings during the COVID-19 outbreak, we have canceled all events until further notice. We will post updates as more information becomes available related to events being rescheduled,” said the Aspen Snowmass web page.

To keep the public and mountain personnel safe the mountains must close to prevent the virus from spreading.

“We think it is the right thing to do, ” said Mike Kaplan the CEO and President of Skico. “We see it as a vital public service to stay up and running.”

The four mountains are essential to the public when it comes to exercise and getting outdoors, especially with the virus forcing people into their homes. Now that the mountains are closed to the public, everyone is wondering what to do to get outside and be a part of Aspens outdoors safely.

Luckily the city of Aspen has other options to keep everyone busy. Besides skiing on one of the four mountains in the valley, visitors and locals can hike up and down the slopes any time of the year as well as skinning and going on a long cross country through designated trails.

There are plenty of trails that weave through forest areas and past town. “The seamless system of trails, connecting to Snowmass Village, and down valley, are perfect for beginners or advanced bikers’ ‘ States the Aspen bike and walk website. The Ute trail and Rio Grande trail are popular walking and hiking trails for beginners who might just need a quick and easy walk. These different areas have a lot to offer and provide a lot of trails that go through the valley. Depending on the trail, some are more difficult than others.

In addition to trails, there are sidewalks and bicycle-friendly roads that go into town and continue down valley, which is perfect for bikers. Beginners and experts will find plenty of off-road biking trails around smuggler Mountain.

Even though the mountains are closed there are still plenty of opportunities on other mountains, like the famous Maroon Bells or the majestic Independence pass.

Even though the COVID -19 pandemic is greatly affecting the locals of Aspen. The city of Aspen is fortunate enough to still provide safe activities for the public to enjoy. Even if the four famous mountains are closed.