Abstract: The second symposium of the Colorado Alphaherpesvirus Latency Society (CALS) convened May 16-18, 2012, at the Christiania Lodge in Vail, Colorado.The CALS mission is to provide a venue whereby researchers actively studying alphaherpesvirus latency can discuss current findings and future experimental approaches in a relaxed setting.In attendance were 46 clinicians/scientists who collectively traveled 83,000 miles to provide 29 presentations focused on various aspects of type 1 herpes simplex virus type (HSV-1), varicella zoster virus (VZV), and simian varicella virus (SVV) latency.The participants (Fig. 1) who assembled in the picturesque town of Vail in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains accounted for more than 191 PubMed-cited publications in the past year.Discussions at the second CALS have already led to collaborations that promise to advance the field.A brief summary of each presentation follows.