What May Apres Ski Look Like Next Season?

13th July 2020

Last modified on May 14th, 2021

If the example of some of the summer party hotspots in anything to go by then the answer is very different. Some may even not open.

Ibiza, the summer party capital of Europe, has closed its nightclubs and heaving bars as the authorities have decided that social distancing simply can’t work and would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce.

The beaches of Majorca, Ibiza and the Spanish archipelago’s smaller islands are usually busy with international tourists and party people, who make up the bulk of the more than 16 million visitors.

The area is looking towards less nightlife and more daytime experiences.

“The pubs won’t open this year. We are no longer going to receive or tolerate that kind of tourist, who can be a risk for themselves and others,” said Iago Negueruela, the Balearic minister for the economy, labour and tourism.

There are strict rules limiting opening times and conditions in pubs and clubs, and nightclubs are banned from operating at all in Magaluf and Palma Beach on Majorca as well as Sant Antoni on Ibiza – the resorts that have become notorious for so-called “booze tourism”.

Ski resorts face a similar situation as the apres ski bars of the Alps were super spreaders of the virus.

However no-one knows and the final outcome is a long way off, but it is perhaps worth considering the options.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has described ski resorts as “ just perfect for such a virus.”

Apres ski bars paid their contribution to that.

See here for the views of the organisations director, Andrea Ammon; Ski resorts contrubuted to wide spread of coronavirus in Europe

Ischgl in the Tirol in Austria is perhaps the best known resort for spreading coronavirus and has already said it is going to change its offerings and its image with less reliance on apres ski.

Ischgl set to try to change its image

Ischgl responds to criticism over its handling of coronavirus

1,800 cases of Coronavirus linked to Ischgl

Apres ski. Image © PlanetSKI.

Other ski resorts have not hit the international headlines in the same way, but saw large number of cases in the resort and covid-19 would have been taken back to the visitors’ home countries as they returned after their ski holiday.

Other resorts singled out include Verbier in Switzerland, Chamonix in France plus St Anton and Soelden in Austria. All big apres ski resorts.

The influx of tens of thousands of skiers and snowboarders into the French resorts on March14th who at 7pm that evening were ordered to leave led to many doing one thing – heading straight to the bars.

Here at PlanetSKI we’ve heard of countless examples of people going to France that weekend, coming back and then suffering the symptoms of covid-19; All French ski resorts close.

So, that brings us on to the question of what the apres ski bars will look like next season?

No resort has yet given any specific detail, but the crowded apres ski bars with people dancing on tables in ski boosts will likely be a thing of the past unless immunity has been achieved or a vaccine discovered & administered.

This, of course, does not mean all the bars will be shut, but they will likely be quieter affairs.

People sitting outside, socially distanced if from a different household.

Or finding quieter bars for a drink in the evening.

Already in England pubs & bars are open, but music has to be kept at a low volume so people do not have talk loudly over it as this help spread the virus.

In the lively apres ski bars people have to shout to make themselves heard usually just a few inches from someone’s ear.

Perhaps some sort of social distancing will occur naturally as many people will not want to go in to the bars – either for a fear of contracting covid-19 or because they will be altogether quieter affairs.

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