The entire travel industry has suffered mightily in the COVID pandemic, but the ski and snowboard sector was especially hard hit.

The ongoing labor shortage continues to impact the mountain resort industry, with short-staffed restaurants, summer attractions, and a shortage of available lodging. And now, a ski area that has operated for more than 70 years has announced that it will close due to a lack of employees.

Despite the obstacles and challenges of operating a ski mountain during the COVID-19 pandemic, Titus Mountain Family Ski Center’s staff worked hard to ensure skiers and snowboarders had a fun and safe season on the slopes.

Following a season of masks, spaced-out lift lines, and other restrictions, several of the area’s ski resorts are heading into the final weekend of the year.

"People really wanted to ski," Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin said. "They didn't want this to be one of the things the pandemic took away from them."

Jackson Hole and other popular ski resorts in the West are up and running with varying Covid rules and limitations. For purists, that’s not such a bad thing.

Gigi Girard, an OB-GYN in Louisville, Ky., says she has been to Vail approximately 50 times over the last 20 years. So, over dinner during our overlapping visit this month to Colorado's largest ski resort, I figured she'd be a perfect person to ask about how much her Vail experience during this Covid-19 winter differed from the norm.

More than halfway through a snowy February, Colorado ski industry officials hope the momentum carries into the spring, a season beloved by regulars and visitors alike who know conditions to be most promising in the final weeks of chairlifts running.

After the majority of the 470 ski areas in the United States closed in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Ski Areas Association reported skier visitor numbers dropped 14% compared to the 2018-19 season. It was a blow to the resorts, the towns they call home and a multitude of businesses that serve the industry with everything from gear and accessories to hotels, shuttle companies and more.

With thousands flocking to the slopes from states with high rates of infection, Vermont’s 1,300 registered ski patrollers – like everyone else – are having to figure out how to do their job safely.

Tucked in the shadow of the Tetons, the town of Jackson, Wy., and surrounding Teton County is home to less than 25,000 full-time residents, but annually hosts over 2.5 million visitors.

Winter is here and that means ski trips are top of mind. But you may be questioning the merits of hitting the slopes this year. I certainly was before driving up to a handful of Colorado ski resorts for day trips and weeklong excursions. My biggest takeaway? The experience and potential risks vary from mountain to mountain. 

Mammoth and Lake Tahoe area ski resorts and mountain towns are reopening hotels and lodges to leisure visitors after California’s governor on Monday lifted statewide regional orders that had closed lodging to most travelers. The rollback coincides with fresh snow and good skiing and boarding conditions at Sierra resorts.

Health officials in eight counties have not traced positive tests back to lift lines, chairlifts or ski slopes.

Skiers are hitting the slopes in Southwest Colorado, looking for some exercise and a short escape from the whirlwind of the COVID-19 pandemic and polarized politics, but even so, a sense of normalcy is hard to come by these days.

COVID-19 is running rampant in Aspen and Pitkin County — unlike its neighbors — and members of the Pitkin County Board of Health knew Thursday that something needed to be done about it.

They just weren’t sure what.

Hoppin' a ride on a snowcat to get off the piste and into the powder stashes of the backcountry is a popular pastime at Colorado resorts. But this season, there are fewer options than normal.

Some ski resorts are operating at limited capacity inside their base lodges or asking guests to gear up in their car as a response to COVID-19.

Right from the git-go, the Pacific Northwest has gotten the lion's share on snowfall this season, and Oregon's nine mountains and resorts have opened with plenty of depth.

Cold feet: This was my biggest concern.