THE decision by France to ban British visitors because of the ongoing covid situation was a blow to a UK ski travel industry looking to recover from last year’s ‘non-season’.
The ban took effect at 11pm UK time on Friday 17 December (midnight in France). All tourism-based travel for UK citizens, including visits to family and friends in France, is off – for now at least. French citizens, partners and children are still allowed to travel to France for visits.
Bookings for the coming season were coming in thick and fast but ski and snowboard holiday companies have had to react to the latest situation, especially because, at time of writing, there is no clear date when France is going to review the situation.
The rules and regulations surrounding travel being introduced by the UK and other countries have been changing on an almost daily basis and are causing confusion for travellers who are unsure what tests and paperwork they need.
Rather than keep providing information which can become out of date at a moment’s notice, we at the Skier & Snowboarder recommend you check with the Foreign Office website, the company you have booked with, and/or your travel agent.
But we also want to remain optimistic that there will be a ski season. It is estimated that somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 ski areas may now currently be open in more than 50 countries across the northern hemisphere.
Below is a roundup of the latest situation provided by some of the holiday companies and tourist offices. These are just a taster of what is happening so make sure you keep checking back on the Skier & Snowboarder website for more news of the coming season.
FRANCE
Following this morning’s announcement from the French Government, effectively stopping all non-essential travel from the UK into France, Travelski, which has reintroduced the ski train to the alps, has cancelled all guests arriving from the UK (covering the period 17 December to 7 January).
This also includes the first two rotations of the Travelski Express on 26 December 2021 and 1 January 2022. All clients booked are being contacted by e-mail and offered a full refund, or a chance to rebook their ski holiday for later in the season.
A Travelski spokesperson said: “Guests can rest assured that the situation is being closely monitored and we will be operating our full range of ski holidays, including the Travelski Express, as soon as restrictions allow us to do so in a safe manner.
Hotelplan operates Inghams, Esprit, Inntravel, and Santa’s Lapland in the UK wintersports market. Its UK CEO, Joe Ponte said: “Following the news that people travelling from the UK are only allowed to enter France for essential travel reasons, we’ve made the decision to suspend all Inghams and Esprit departures to France up to and including the 4 January 2022.
“We are hugely disappointed for our customers looking forward to a ski holiday in France in the coming weeks. However, without clarity on when the latest entry restrictions into France will end, it is sadly the right decision. For those customers impacted, we hope they will choose to join us for their holiday at a later date, but if not, they will be offered a refund.
“While we monitor the situation closely, we’re hopeful that our departures after 4 January 2022 will be able to go ahead as planned. We’re in touch with our customers currently in French resorts, and at this time, advising them to continue to enjoy their holiday as planned. “We’d like to thank our customers and partners for their patience throughout these changing times. We would also like to reassure everyone planning to travel with us that we intend to continue do the right thing by our customers.”
In Chamonix, fresh snow conditions provided excellent conditions for the opening of the resort recently (10 December 2021) Full lift opening details can be found here.
The Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley offers 155 km of exceptional skiing, 115 slopes, 67 lifts, the longest off-piste descent in Europe – the legendary Valley Blanche.
Free ski lessons are also being offered in the resort on selected dates this season.
See more details BY CLICKING HERE
The significant snowfall across many parts of the vast Portes du Soleil, which comprises 12 varied resorts spanning the Swiss-French border. means many of the region’s mountain lifts were in operation earlier than scheduled.
The slopes of Avoriaz 1800, Les Gets, Saint-Jean d’Aulps all opened over the weekend of 4-5 December.
SWITZERLAND
It was rather unfortunate timing, that the first major snowfall in Switzerland coincided with the arrival of the new Covid variant Omicron, leading to an introduction of quarantine regulations for arrivals from the UK.
The Swiss Federal Council did a quick U-turn and these regulations were soon lifted and from Saturday, 4 December 2021, entry into Switzerland was possible without having to quarantine. Instead, there are stricter testing regimes in place.
Vaccinated and recovered travellers have to present a negative PCR test before entry and take a second test (PCR or rapid antigen) between day four and day seven.
On December 17 the government made another announcement that only people who have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 will be able to go inside restaurants, cultural, sporting and leisure venues and attend indoor events. The new measures became effective from December 20.
PHOTO: SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental/Tim Marcour
AUSTRIA
Austria and Slovakia had both closed their ski slopes to tourists earlier this month, but both are now open and currently no other ski nation is known to be in lockdown.
The National lockdown measures in Austria have been eased, with vaccinated travellers able to visit the country without the need to quarantine. Ski facilities, plus bars and restaurants, across the Austrian Alps have been opening, with resorts in the Tirol loosening restrictions on Sunday (12 December). While some Covid measures remain in place, the region is now gearing up to welcome back Brits to the slopes
In Kitzbühel, holidaymakers are enjoying some of the best snow conditions in the region with 57 cable cars and lifts accessing 234 km of pistes.
For more info on skiing in the Tirol this season CLICK HERE
ITALY
Great snowfalls mean the Faloria ski area in Cortina was able to open early this season. Skiers and snowboarders have already been able to hit the slopes since 25 November, when the Falzarego Chairlift on Col Gallina started operations.
The Faloria Ski area in Cortina. PHOTO bandion.it
Since then, temperatures have dropped and fresh snow fell also in town. Up in Ra Valles, part of the Tofana ski area, two lifts have been substituted by the Bus Tofana, a 4-seater bubble chairlift making it much more comfortable and faster to reach the 2,742 m of Cortina’s highest slope.
Another new addition to Cortina’s ski lifts is the brand new 10-seater gondola linking the Tofana and Cinque Torri areas, thanks to which all of Cortina’s ski areas will be reachable from the town without the need for a car or ski bus.
For everyone to enjoy skiing safely, the slopes and lifts of Cortina follow the same rules as the rest of the Dolomiti Superski. Besides limited capacity on cable cars and gondolas and regular sanification, rules include skiers being required to have a valid green pass to access the lifts. The activation of the skipass is possible on the Dolomiti Superski website and app as well as directly at the skipass sales points.
Interski welcomed its first clients of Winter 2021/22 to the Aosta Valley for a week of performance training in Cervinia.
To check prices and availability, call Interski on 01623 456333, or email goskiing@interskiholidays.co.uk. There is also a live chat facility on the website at: www.interskiholidays.co.uk
SCANDINAVIA
SkiStar’s destinations in Lindvallen, Sälen, Åre, as well as Trysil and Hemsedal in Norway all opened for this year’s winter season on 3 December.
During the winter season, SkiStar Sälen and SkiStar Hemsedal will be holding Ski Test weekends, when visitors can test the very latest from a wide range of suppliers of skies and apparel for alpine skiing.
skistar.com/en/
ANDORRA
Inghams is encouraging British skiers to consider the ‘hidden gem’ of Andorra for their winter ski trip this year, with some great deals available on last minute bookings from December to April.
Andorra has duty-free status, which means that food and drinks are much cheaper than in neighbouring countries. Inghams operates in two regions, with a great choice of hotels in each.
Soldeu and Pas de la Casa are better known as the Granvalira super-ski area which offers more than 200km of slopes.
Arinsal is also a firm favourite for beginners and intermediates thanks to lots of sunny days and well-prepared runs to build your confidence. As well as a lively après-ski scene, it offers a wide range of activities in resort such as tobogganing, dog sledding and snowmobiling, making it great for families too.
For details of Inghams special offers to Andorra and other holiday bargains CLICK HERE
Backcountry skiing in Scotland’s Nevis Range
SCOTLAND
THE Scottish ski season is ready to return with a bang this month after two lost years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, claims Snowsport Scotland CEO Trafford Wilson.
More than 750,000 tickets are normally sold at Scottish snow sports venues every year, but the pandemic has significantly restricted the last two winter seasons, meaning the upcoming 2021/22 ski season is pivotal to the recovery and future of the industry in Scotland.
Mr Wilson hopes more people may look to Scotland this winter season. He said: “There’s a golden opportunity to get people thinking about coming to Scotland as concerns remain about travelling abroad. We hope that this opportunity allows more people than ever before to experience snow sports in the UK; and want to come back for more in the years to come.
Scotland’s five ski mountain centres – Cairngorm Mountain; Glencoe; Glenshee; Lecht 2090; and Nevis Range – were all scheduled to open in December.
There are also 16 artificial snow sport centres: Aberdeen Snowsports Centre; Glasgow Ski & Snowboard Centre; Midlothian Snowsports Centre – Hillend; Snow Factor; Bearsden Ski and Board Club; Newmilns Snow and Sports Complex; Polmonthill Snowsports Centre; Firpark Ski Centre; Alford Ski Centre; Glenmore Lodge; Huntly Nordic and Outdoors Centre; Lagganila Outdoor Centre; Loch Insh; and, RM-Condor Arbroath.
For more on Snowsport Scotland and its activities, visit: snowsportscotland.org
KAZAKHSTAN
If you want to try somewhere a bit different during these uncertain times have a look a Kazakhstan.
The Skier & Snowboarder magazine sent Lisa Young to find out what it has to offer.
You can read her report by CLICKING HERE.
NORTH AMERICA, JAPAN AND BEYOND…
Many of the ski areas in Canada and America are now open and Japan hopes to welcome back skiers and snowboarders from the UK.
A major snowstorm that hit the West Coast of America has led to accumulations of up to five feet (1.5 metres) of snow on ski slopes in California.
It’s a massive change after the region was impacted by a six-week warm and dry spell following an unusually heavy late October snowstorm.
* As mentioned, the above info is just a snapshot of the latest situation. Keep an eye out on the various country sections on the Skier & Snowboarder magazine website and social media platforms for more news throughout the season.
Categories: Holiday News & Special Offers, News