Slippery Slope: Covid Concern Shuts Down Area Mountain

An area ski resort that suspended skiing on Tuesday over Covid related concerns announced that they will also shut down the slopes on Wednesday.  Hunter Mountain officials issued a statement on their Facebook page temporarily ceasing ski operations because ski patrollers were "out of work relating to Covid-19."

It's unclear whether or not the the ski patrollers actually have Covid-19, or if this was a walk-out staged by the employees who play such a vital role in the safety of the mountain.

The Times Union reported the story on Tuesday that Hunter Mountain ceased their operations for the day while employees of the resort in Hunter, NY were updating their future as the day went on.

At about 7PM on Tuesday evening, they posted this message to their Facebook page:

"Hunter Mountain will remain closed tomorrow, Jan. 6. The safety of our employees and guests is our top priority and we will always ensure that we have sufficient safety personnel available for mountain operations prior to opening." -Hunter Mtn Facebook 

According to the Times Union, many people showed up prepped for a day on slopes, but instead were turned away when staff informed customers on Tuesday morning that they would not be operating.  Full refunds were granted.

As reported in the Times Union, the resort was unclear as to how many of the Hunter Mountain ski patrollers actually have Covid or if they came into contact with those who did. And that only added to speculation.

Some comments seen on the Hunter Mountain Facebook page speculated that this may have been an arranged walk-out over a labor or contract dispute between the patrollers and management.  The Times Union added in their story that attempts to reach out to Hunter Mountain for clarification had netted them no return phone calls.