DENVER (AP) — On March 14, Colorado's governor issued an executive order shutting down ski resorts across the state. The coronavirus had arrived and was spreading rapidly in small mountain communities that were attracting hordes of spring break revelers.

The next day, with chairlifts and gondolas hanging idly overhead, a large group converged on Aspen Mountain, passed a closure sign and "skinned" up the slopes under their own power to get in a few hard-earned turns.

In the following weeks, skiers and snowboarders with nowhere else to go were increasingly lured by the untouched powder of the ba...