Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com from April 13-19. 

1. Skier in critical condition after ‘serious incident’ on East Wall at A-Basin

A skier involved in an incident on the East Wall at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area was in critical condition as of Monday, April 14, according to information provided by the ski area and CommonSpirit Health.

Ski patrol responded after a 46-year-old man was involved in a “serious incident” that occurred on the East Wall, Friday, April 11, A-Basin communications manager Shayna Silverman confirmed in a statement. The man was transported by Flight for Life helicopter to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood after the ski incident, Silverman said.

The helicopter touched down at A-Basin around 2 p.m. Friday, CommonSpirit Health mountain region communications director Lindsay Radford said in an email. As of Monday evening, the man’s condition remained “critical,” Radford said.

— Ryan Spencer

2. Skier injured after sliding about 1,100 feet in avalanche at Sky Chutes in Summit County

A skier suffered injuries in an avalanche Saturday, April 12, in the K Chute of a popular backcountry spotin Summit County known as the Sky Chutes, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The Sky Chutes, a line of avalanche paths that get their name because they appear to spell out the word “sky,” are located on the west side of the Tenmile Range’s Peak 6. The backcountry chutes are on the opposite side of the mountain from Breckenridge Ski Resort and are visible across the highway from Copper Mountain.

The avalanche triggered by the skier Saturday was a wet slab avalanche that was D2.5 in size, or large enough to bury, injure or kill a person, according to the avalanche center. The CAIC had rated avalanche danger as moderate in the Tenmile Range that day, with the forecast warning of slides possible on west-facing slopes near treeline. While the forecast listed wet loose avalanches as a potential problem, it did not list wet slab avalanches.

CAIC deputy director Brian Lazar said that wet slab avalanches occur when a cohesive piece of snow breaks at a weak layer due to meltwater reducing the strength of the weak layer, causing the slab to release out of the snowpack.

“A good mantra for spring conditions is to start and end your days early,” Lazar said. “Spring is a very dynamic period.”

— Ryan Spencer

3. Breckenridge is likely to see a drop in summer tourism, but experts say it could see silver linings other US destinations won’t

Similar to most travel markets in the U.S., Breckenridge is anticipating a dip in summer visitation, yet it won’t have to deal with a drop in a key visitor demographic other U.S. destinations are having to worry about.

Breckenridge Tourism Office president Lucy Kay painted a picture of uncertainty at a summer tourism outlook event on Thursday, April 10, referencing the evolving impacts of events like President Trump’s administration announcing the 90-day pause on tariffs just the day before. 

She said foreign travel to the U.S. currently looks grim, pointing to a projection put out by international firm Tourism Economics demonstrating a drop in visitor expenditures of about $18 billion in 2025. This is causing U.S. airlines to alter their 2025 financial forecasts, like Delta Airlines, which did so Wednesday, April 9. 

— Kit Geary

4. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is on the cusp of advancing a key part of his housing agenda with new bill

A high-priority housing bill for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is nearing his desk as state lawmakers move to approve final changes to the legislation. 

House Bill 1272 would overhaul the state’s construction defects laws in an effort to reduce the number of lawsuits filed against developers. Lawmakers say the high risk of costly litigation has stifled condominium development, reducing the amount of starter homes available to first-time buyers. 

“Colorado is making historic progress to break down artificial barriers that block housing Coloradans can afford and unnecessarily increase costs, and I’m excited that we continue to build on that progress with this legislation,” Polis said in a statement shared through a spokesperson. “There’s no silver bullet, but this bill will help increase the supply of homes in Colorado, lower costs and increase attainable ownership opportunities for Coloradans.”

— Robert Tann

5. ‘I don’t see the demand decreasing’: Summit officials get candid with Sen. Hickenlooper about workforce’s struggles with affordability

 U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper hit stops in Colorado’s High Country on Tuesday, April 15, for what he said was an effort to collect stories from his constituents to help refine his understanding of the area he represents. 

His Breckenridge stop was paired with a tour of an upcoming nonprofit hub, and the story he got from local officials lifted the veil covering the historic mountain town with an affluent appearance to show the local workforce’s struggles with affordability.  

Breckenridge’s tourism economy has helped the town, which has a population of nearly 5,000, wrangle yearly tax collections upwards of $35 million over the last several years. Breckenridge and Summit County local officials and government staff members told Hickenlooper, who was a former restaurateur, that local employees who might fall in the middle class elsewhere deal with food and housing insecurity — and they’re not sure there’s a sure fix. 

— Kit Geary