CBS News chronicles what for Americans in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID shutdown is a devastating way to start the year for many businesses that rely on Colorado tourism.
International was blocked, citizens stayed home and workers were difficult to retain, especially when federal unemployment paid more than the hourly wages of many.
But now, many commercial homeowners feel they have survived the worst and are ahead of winter.
Dustin Dyer, co-owner of the Kent Mountain Adventure Center (KMAC) in Estes Park, said this spring and summer’s business was bigger than I expected, despite COVID, it has still dropped 30-40 percent compared to previous years.
Dyer said one of the lasting effects of the pandemic was the difficulty in hiring staff, which put pressure on employees.
“We’re running with this skeleton crew, ” he said.
Dry cleaners are guilty of protecting customers, so they want exercise and certification. The more time he spends for under-staff, the less time Dyer has to exercise new workers before a season begins. At this point, he says he still wants more staff, but he still doesn’t have time to bring in new members before winter.
Recently, one of his guides sprained an ankle, spreading the load on the other team members. “We all paint so hard. It takes a little bit to create a big enough challenge to plan now,” he said.
Dyer’s not alone. Steve Beckley, owner of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, used to rely on foreign academics to take a look at the park at the end of summer, but the J-1 visa program that helped his team was shut down through President Trump in June. in an effort to make the hard labor market less crowded for Americans amid COVID.
Beckley is thinking of making up for his painter deficit; He plans to rent out to retirees who nationwide in camper vans and paints seasonal jobs in a practice known as “camping paints. ” Employers provide a camp for new painters in exchange for their paintings.
“We’re making plans to build a dozen recreational vehicle connections near [the park] so they can get in, camp there and then have a trail [to work on],” Beckley said.
The park has noticed an increase in school visits to the house. Beckley says it’s a way for adults and young people to get out and get out of Glenwood’s caves and hot springs. Even with the new distance measures, the park had a record near Labor Day Weekend.
Beckley, who relies basically on traffic during the hot season, says he feels “very lucky” to be in his place, even though the company generates 85% of the profits it would normally generate.
“It’s like a blank whiteboard. We’re going to re-develop our model,” he said.
But the prospect of a COVID peak and a closure is still looming.
“If it’s January, February, March, we could possibly handle that. But if it were June, July and August, it would surely devastate us. “
Ski towns such as Vail and Aspen are home to some of the most sought-after slopes in the world. Winter is the high season there, and it will be the first winter that companies will have to bypass the pandemic. Caleb Sample, director of acquisition skill at Aspen Skiing Company, said this summer’s changes “have been made smoothly,” which makes it positive about the future.
“Everything that could have happened is gone this year, and I think we’re still in the other safe aspect of ourselves for this winter,” Sample said.
“There’s a joke in Aspen right now: we’re running in the first place. We’re making all those plans, reinventing our business, just to start the season. “
Almost every facet of the service in Aspen will replace this year, so much so that new jobs are being created because of it. Example: Face-to-face interactions between the visitor and the worker will change to contactless delivery or pickup whenever possible.
“[He would usually] appear at the box office, point out all his exemptions, and then get his image for his pass, and all that sort of thing; that kind of day is over,” Sample said.
Complexes will now require consumers to sign up for everything in advance. Skis or rental equipment will be left in safe boxes for pick-up or delivery at your door. It will also rent new stalls in restaurants, such as “capacity managers” to keep the distance and size of the crowd.
There will also be cultural changes. Any interaction between strangers, such as ski school and shared ski lifts, is this year, so expect fewer beginners on the hill.
And corporate-owned ski resorts are unlikely to offer day passes this winter, as companies now want protection protocols to be complied with. This can leave it in the hands of locals, who are used to appearing spontaneously when there is a new gunpowder, to look for new tactics to practice winter sports.
Dustin Dyer is getting ready for this. As a local, he looks next winter and realizes that he has a schedule that allows him to book in advance before skiing. He also said that he and many of his friends were short of cash due to COVID.
But now you’re making big profits this winter because your company offers cross-country skiing.
“My head is already in winter. Most of my time today, I’m already in December and after,” he said. Hope that if the locals can’t get to the stations on a whim, they’ll see something new. KMAC.
On the other hand, Dyer, an avalanche educator, fears that the influx of cross-country skiing is dangerous. Off-piste skiing requires years of skill development. More green skiers on the slopes can pose risks.
“Most people are preparing for one of the worst avalanche mortality seasons that ever existed,” he warned.
Assessing and managing threats is what Dyer does all day as a mountain and guide. High-risk adventure has made your network and business agile and adaptable, even at COVID, you believe.
But no matter what the long term stops, Dyer is in a position with several plans to evolve its operations as needed.