CALGARY -- Resorts of the Canadian Rockies has temporarily shut four of its ski hills and Canada Olympic Park is closing in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to guests posted online early Monday morning, John Shea, RCR's president and chief resorts officer - western resorts, announced the suspension of ski resort operations for the period of one-week.

The closure is in place for the following resorts:

  • Nakiska Ski Area in Kananaskis Provincial Park
  • Fernie Alpine Resort
  • Kimberley Alpine Resort
  • Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden, B.C.

"Here at RCR our number one priority is the safety, health and well-being of our guests, team members, and the communities which we live, work and play in," said Shea in his letter. "As tough a decision as this has been, we feel it is the right thing to do under the current circumstance. We sincerely apologize to you, our guests for this inconvenience.

"As always, we truly appreciate the support which we receive from you and thank you for that. We will evaluate a possible re-opening date for our resorts later in the week, and will look forward to welcoming you back to our resorts as things permit."

If the week-long suspension ends as scheduled, the resorts would resume operations on March 23.

The end of the ski season at Fernie and Kicking Horse Ski Hills is tentatively scheduled for April 13 while Nakiska is slated to end seasonal operations on April 19. Kimberley Alpine Resort has not posted a date for the end of the resort's season.

WinSport also announced Monday its ski hill will close indefinitely, effective noon Monday.

"WinSport is suspending all of its operations of the ski and snowboard hill and the Markin MacPhail Centre, including the Performance Training Centre and the arenas, until further notice," read an release.