August’s Skiing Snippets

1st August 2022

Last modified on August 10th, 2022

– Climate Crisis Drives Tourism Boom
– The Snow Centre is Hiring
– Italy Drought Continues
– Alta Upgrades Avalanche Protection Measures
– Esprit Ski Backs Snowcamp …LIVE

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Here we cover anything that takes our fancy.

Short news stories, eye catching videos, amusing cartoons, things that make us smile/things that make us shout at the screen… in fact anything that catches our eye in the world of snowsports.

Check out all the ‘snippets’ from the past few months:

We’re mixing it up:

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Climate Crisis Drives Tourism Boom

Visitors are reportedly flocking to Greenland to see its retreating glaciers and icebergs.

It is driven by fears they might soon be gone forever.

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The Snow Centre is Hiring

The indoor real snow centre in Hemel Hempstead to the north of London is on the look-out for ski & snowboard instructors.

Interested?

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Italy Drought Continues

Areas in the Alps and the Dolomites are affected as the River Po dries up in places.

This year has so far been the driest since records began in 1800 according to the National Research Council’s climate unit.

We reported on the drought earlier on PlanetSKI:

Italy declares state of emergency over drought

As well as a current lack of rain there was 70% less snow last winter, so the level of snow melt filling rivers and reservoirs was considerably down.

Passo Tonale, Italy, Winter 2022. Image © PlanetSKI

Low levels of winter snow lead to worst drought in 70 years

Rainfall is down by 46% across the country, with the north worst affected.

In Milan, at the foot of the Alps, elderly people living alone are having volunteers deliver food and medicines.

Italian Alps. Image © PlanetSKI

In the past 20 years Europe has experienced its five hottest summers since 1500.

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Alta Upgrades Avalanche Protection Measures

Alta Ski Area in Utah is installing new avalanche towers to better protect skiers and to phase out old military artillery.

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Esprit Ski Backs Snowcamp

This is a big shout-out to @EspritSki for their incredibly generous donation that has given 30 young people the amazing opportunity to join us on the First Tracks course! 🏂 Many thanks to the team at Esprit for choosing to support Snow Camp 💙 pic.twitter.com/VLjf6htwzw
— Snow Camp (@SnowCampInfo) August 4, 2022

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Vail Resorts Drops Compulsory Covid-19 Vaccination for Staff

It is the largest ski operator in North America and it says it will no longer require its employees to be vaccinated.

It will continue encouraging them to do so, but it will not be mandatory.

US Federal authorities have withdrawn a temporary order that called for large companies to have a compulsory vaccination policy.

Skiing in the USA. Image © PlanetSKI

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Dave Ryding Back on Snow & Training in Saas-Fee

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How About Skiing in Norway Next Winter?

Some of our ski experts visited a selection of @visitnorway
ski resorts this summer. A tour of the mountains on E-bikes was a great way to get know the area. 🇳🇴 🚲️⛷️ ⁠
Find out more about our new ski resorts in Norway for this winter season: https://t.co/MIDLyNVjpi pic.twitter.com/wbXuGaClGs
— Ski Solutions (@skisolutions) August 1, 2022

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New Zealand’s Borders Fully Open

It is the first time since March 2020 when they were closed to try to keep out Covid-19.

International skiers and snowboarders heading to the NZ ski areas now face no restrictions.

The NZ Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, said that it was an “enormous moment” and part of a “cautious process”.

Most visitors will still need to be fully vaccinated, but there are no quarantine requirements.

In May New Zealand started allowing in tourists from more than 50 countries on a visa-waiver list.

Skiing now on this summer for international visitors

Tourism was one of the industries hardest hit by New Zealand’s tough Covid measures and the snowsport industry suffered.

In the year ending March 2021, the tourisy industry’s contribution to the GDP dropped to 2.9%, from 5.5% the year before.

The number of people directly employed in tourism also fell by over 72,000 during this period.

Skiing and snowboarding are now well underway:

Now it’s the turn of New Zealand as more snow falls

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Crystal Ski Holidays Reveals the Best Value Lift Passes

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Austria Mountain Destinations Come Out on Top

According to a guest survey, Austrian mountain destinations are ahead of other alpine holiday regions when it comes to customer satisfaction with summer offers.

This is the conclusion of market research from the company “Mountain Management Consulting” in cooperation with the University of Innsbruck.

In the summer of 2021, almost 40,000 guests in the leading mountain destinations in the Alps were surveyed.

The Austrian mountain destinations score particularly well in the areas of friendliness, bike offers, offers for children and families, accommodation, hiking trails, wellness offers and gastronomy.

The results underline the trend towards year-round destinations

“It is striking that in contrast to the surveys in winter, where Swiss or Italian ski areas tend to be at the top, in the last summer study 2021 Austrian areas were ahead in terms of guest satisfaction,” said the author of the study, Mike Partel.

” We see this as confirmation that the continuous expansion of the summer offer and investments in the quality of offers and services in Austrian mountain destinations are bearing fruit.

“This also underscores the current trend in the direction of development towards year-round destinations.”