Resort News

The Scottish resort shuts at the close of play on Xmas Eve following new rules announced by the First Minister. Glencoe & the Lecht say they will remain open as Scotland goes into Level 4 restrictions from Boxing Day.

9 out the 26 cantons have decided to close their ski areas – the well-known resort of Andermatt will see some of its slopes shut. The rest are smaller resorts. The majority of ski resorts in Switzerland remain open. The Federal Government has said they may have to close if the R-rate goes above 1.2. New restrictions have been announced. UPDATED

The Saslong lift company operates part of the slopes in Val Gardena and it has said it will not open due to the chaos and confusion of Covid-19 restrictions.  It highlights the extra pressure put on hospitals if ski areas open and criticises the handling of the pandemic by the regional and national authorities.

The actor founded Sundance Mountain Resort more than 50 years ago. It offers a unique mix of skiing balanced with art and nature and is a firm favourite of PlanetSKI. UPDATED

The Council of State made its decision as the government says lifts may open on January 7th if conditions allow. Lifts will not be turning in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Jura or the Massif Central over Xmas. Resorts are set to open on January 7th but strict criteria will need to be met and it remains uncertain. UPDATED

Photos have been posted on social media showing people apparently not social distancing. The resort has now put barriers in place, but questions remain as other resorts are set to open. Switzerland has decided to allow all its resorts to open despite many European countries keeping them shut.

A fire severely destroyed the iconic lift in Argentiere in September 2018.  A new project is rising from the ashes.

The Nevis Range is to stop the sale of season passes and will not be opening the resort at the start of the season. It blames Covid-19 with growing uncertainty over restrictions. Others are reviewing their positions with Glencoe saying it will open as planned in December.

It has been crowned the best ski resort in the Alps.  Here at PlanetSKI we can only agree. It remains our personal favourite for a variety of reasons.

The Aosta Valley, Piedmont and Lombardy have been declared “Red Zones”. People can only leave their homes for essential reasons and skiing is not one of them. Covid-19 is surging in many parts of Italy as winter approaches.

The glacier ski resorts of Tignes and Les2Alpes are closing at the end of today. Val Thorens and Val d’Isere have cancelled their openings in late November. We have all the news and latest reaction.

Normally four resorts are able to offer skiing and snowboarding at this time of year. After crowded scenes in Cervinia the national government ordered them to close except to racers and professional skiers. Some though claim autonomous powers.

The Italian resort opened for autumn skiing on Saturday 24th October. Then on Sunday it announced it was closing temporarily after an Emergency Decree from the Italian government. Some claim crowded scenes at the resort are to blame. UPDATED

The largest lift-connected ski area in the world is bracing itself for a significant drop in the number of skiers and snowboarders.

The VSV consumer association in Austria has launched a class action lawsuit. 6,000 skiers and snowboarders have contacted VSV believing to have caught Covid-19 in a ski resort. UPDATED

The resort of St Anton is the main one in the Arlberg and it saw a significant outbreak.  PlanetSKI was in the resort as it shut back in March and we report on how the lifts will operate next winter.

Stubai, Pitztal and Kaunertal in the Tirol plan to fire up their first lifts by the end of September. Then its Ruka and Levi in Finland. It will be a somewhat different experience with Covid-19 restrictions. UPDATED

Details of the new black run have been unveiled and it seems PlanetSKI readers are itching to give it a go and test their ability. Are you up for it?

We’ve heard from the mighty Vail Resorts, looked at other resorts in the Alps & kept across developments in the southern hemisphere over summer. But what about closer to home? Yad Moss in the Pennines to be precise.

Falls Creek and Mt Hotham in Victoria have closed after local restrictions have been put in place and the border with the neighbouring state of New South Wales is shut. Could similar openings and closures happen in Europe next winter?

Thredbo and Mt Buller were first out of the blocks and Perisher is now open. Some have delayed opening as there is not enough snow. It will though be a far from normal season with Covid-19 restrictions in place. UPDATED

The governor, Jared Polis, has banned lift served skiing until at least May 23rd in a new executive order.  Some resorts had hoped to re-open this weekend and one is still holding out hope.

This time it is Wolf Creek in Colorado. Two other areas in the state are looking at the possibility and one resort in California has already done so.

Myrkdalen opened at the weekend and says it will open next weekend too. Social distancing measures are in place and the resort claims they will be enforced. Some question the decision.

Mt Baldy in California has re-opened even though it appears to be against the rules. Now two in Colorado are considering their position, but says they will only do so if allowed to.

The ski resort claims that if some golf courses in the state can open, then so can a ski resort. The announcement of skiing and snowboarding re-starting amid covid-19 has met with mixed reaction.

All five mountain snowsports centres are open but precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Rumours are that this will be the last weekend.