Mental Health Stressors Peak in Colorado Mountain Communities as the Winter-That-Wasn’t Melts Into Offseason

Mount Crested Butte — The mountains closed early. The skiing was not great. Workers dependent on ski crowds didn’t bank the cash they wanted to cover things like the soaring cost of health insurance and housing.

The pressures on mountain-town workers are high this spring as the high-country transition season descends.

“There is a lot of anxiety. People are stressed and they are anxious with limited resources,” says Meghan Dougherty, the executive director of CB State of Mind, which helps Gunnison County locals better address their mental health. “I’m worried.”

Her peers in other mountain valleys are equally concerned this offseason as a growing tangle of stressors take root. Demand for counseling is high, with a surge in the first months of this year. That’s a good sign that people are recognizing their own need for help and seeking assistance but it also indicates that trouble is brewing.