General News

Whether there is a deal between the UK and the EU, or whether there isn’t, travel and working will look very different in three weeks. The free movement of labour is ending and for many UK nationals working in the mountains will be a thing of the past.

On January 1st the border will be closed as Covid-19 restrictions coincide with Brexit changes. Skiing will be off limits for people from the UK. There are growing concerns that UK citizens might be barred from all EU countries in three weeks. UPDATED

The organisation Domaines Skiables de France has taken its case to the courts this week. Observers believe it will have little chance of success. NEW

There’s alpine skiing, ski cross and cross-country. Check out who’s in action, and where, in snowsport competitions in Europe over the coming days.

Current Covid-19 rules only allow people from the EU, European Economic Area and Schengen countries to cross the borders. There are a handful of exceptions, but newspaper reports claim the EU has indicated the UK will not be exempt. The Foreign Secretary has played down the reports.

The ski tour operator has been going for 23 years. It went into administration on Tuesday, blaming Covid-19 and a lack of government support. But the owner has bought the brand and hopes to continue trading. He’s been speaking to PlanetSKI.

It was carrying out a training rescue operation in poor weather in the Savoie area. A pilot survived the accident. UPDATED

Swiss Federal Railways has said that the connections would be halted at the border crossings in the Alps as its staff simply did not have the capacity to carry out the coronavirus checks required by Italian authorities.

Most have closed but some are open after a hectic week of decision making and high drama.  Which are open, what are the restrictions and when might we see the others opening?

The team at PlanetSKI is reporting all the news & developments as it affects the snowsports world in our ever-popular rolling blog. If you want to see its impact and the response of skiers & snowboarders then read on… UPDATED

It looks like some will and some won’t, with final decisions expected this week. Elsewhere in the Pyrenees Andorra and France are not opening until January. NEW

The announcement has been made by the Federal government. Many will welcome the move and many others will worry about it helping to spread coronavirus in a country that continues to have a high infection rate.

Andorra has announced the ski lifts will not run over Xmas. Resorts in the French Pyrenees will be closed until January at the earliest. There are restrictions in Spain.UPDATED

The company runs Inghams, Ski Total and Flexiski. It has already axed the entire season for its other brand, Esprit Ski.

Italy has just had its highest daily death toll, surpassing the number at the height of the pandemic in March. New restrictions are announced, with more to follow, to try to beat the current spread with ski resorts closed. Other alpine countries except Switzerland have closed ski areas as Covid-19 spreads across the Alps. NEW

Travel between regions has been banned over holiday period stopping many from going to second homes in the mountains or visiting family & friends. The government has singled out ski areas in particular. Further measures to battle Covid-19 to be announced later. UPDATED

Strict quarantine rules are set to be imposed making the slopes out-of-bounds to most foreign holiday skiers. Resorts can open on Xmas Eve for locals only as hotels remain shut.

The alpine regions see it as a way to preserve the winter and reduce the spread of Covid-19.  The authorities are yet to react.

President Macron said on Tuesday he will take measures to dissuade people from skiing in neighbouring Switzerland. Details have now been revealed. UPDATED

It is the latest UK ski operator to cease trading amid the impact of Covid-19 and tough conditions ahead with Brexit.

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Several more demonstrations have been held today in the French Alps. Resorts are urging the government to change its mind. The authorities say the closure is about stopping hospitals becoming overwhelmed and saving lives. UPDATED

The team at PlanetSKI is reporting all the news & developments as it affects the snowsports world in our ever-popular rolling blog. If you want to see its impact and the response of skiers & snowboarders then read on… UPDATED

Some ski nations want the slopes to remain closed until January in a co-ordinated effort to fight Covid-19. Others say ‘No Way’. Talks this week will likely decide the outcome.

All five indoor slopes in the England are set to open as the country comes out of lockdown and goes into the Tier System. The outdoor ones can open too.

The lifts are set to be closed across Xmas and New Year but the authorities are allowing resorts to offer other forms of skiing and travelling in the snow. You just can’t use a lift.

 Austria has indicated it will not support the move led by Germany to stop resorts opening in December and postpone any openings to January. Switzerland will likely keep its resorts open. Pressure is mounting and it is getting highly political. UPDATED

The Prime Minister, Jean Castex, has made an announcement that slightly waters down what President Macron said on Tuesday. Resorts say it is not enough. UPDATED

Italy has got the ball rolling and France says it is in discussions.  Germay is fully supportive. Austria and Switzerland appear rather less enthusiastic. PlanetSKI examines the chance of success. UPDATED

It follows the likelihood that French resorts will not open until late January. There is also the matter of isolation required when arriving back in the UK.

President Macron has indicated they will close but a final decision will be taken next week. It will come at a huge economic price, but some resorts say they will be open, and though the lifts may be closed there is much else to do.

France has passed the peak of its second wave of Covid-19, but tough restrictions remain in place until at least January and ski resorts will likely remain closed. It is a bombshell for the French ski industry. UPDATED

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said Italy “can’t afford” the risk of further infections from people taking ski holidays. He is urging Europe-wide rules. Ski resorts are seen as super-spreaders of the virus back in March.

Thousands of ski workers who thought they would be able to work in the EU after the Brexit transition period ends on 31st December are being told that may not now be the case.

The announcement has been made by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps.  With a vaccine on the horizon, hopes rise in the world of snowsports. The self-isolation changes mean skiing is more attractive but there are still significant obstacles.

The team at PlanetSKI is reporting all the news & developments as it affects the snowsports world in our ever-popular rolling blog. If you want to see its impact and the response of skiers & snowboarders then read on…

The new rules have come into force this weekend and include travel restrictions. The resorts are not due to open until December, but an impact is already being felt.

It is the question on many of our lips as winter approaches. Some operators have gone bust, and others have called off the whole season. There are grounds for some optimism, but the realistic ones know it will not be for a while.

Hotelplan UK runs Inghams, Ski Total, Esprit and Flexiski.  Holidays to Finland go too. It is another body blow for UK skiers and snowboarders in these Covid-19 times.  

The company had been going for 30 years and has been unable to survive the Covid-19 crisis. UPDATED

The team at PlanetSKI is reporting all the news & developments as it affects the snowsports world in our ever-popular rolling blog. If you want to see its impact and the response of skiers & snowboarders then read on…

The alpine nation is seeing a sharp rise and measures taken so far do not appear to have worked. Ski resorts are already closed to the general public and it is grim news as winter approaches. UPDATED

UK Shortbreak Specialist is closing its main base in France, but it will act as an agent selling hotel rooms in its resorts. Other operators are under pressure and are considering their plans for next winter as the pandemic spreads and restrictions are tightened.

Shops in Austria now need to shut at 7pm. Last week it introduced tighter rules and further measures are expected to be announced on Saturday. Elsewhere in the Alps Covid-19 is spreading as the ski season approaches, but news of a successful vaccine trial has brought much optimism.

The operator has been working in the Aosta Valley in Italy for almost 40years, but has decided to suspend all operations next winter due to Covid-19.

Inghams, Ski Total, Esprit and Flexiski have announced they will not be running any ski trips this year, including over the Christmas period. The UK’s largest operator, Crystal Ski, says it still plans to operate in December.

The team at PlanetSKI is reporting all the news & developments as it affects the snowsports world in our ever-popular rolling blog. If you want to see its impact and the response of skiers & snowboarders then read on… UPDATED

The restrictions aim to “avoid saturation of the hospital system” as the virus runs rampage. Switzerland is one the the major coronavirus hotspots in Europe.

A decision on whether the Canadian city should bid to hold the Games 20 years after it last did so has been delayed until next March. UPDATED

With the Alps looking increasingly difficult and North America near impossible some skiers and snowboarders are looking at following their passion in the UK this winter. Resorts are preparing but Covid-19 restrictions remain unclear.

The team at PlanetSKI is reporting all the news & developments as it affects the snowsports world in our ever-popular rolling blog. If you want to see its impact and the response of skiers & snowboarders then read on… NEW & UPDATED

Snow centres in England are closing as the government orders another lockdown. Skiers & snowboarders express their disappointment & sympathy with many pragmatic to get Covid-19 beaten. UPDATED

Austria has imposed new new lockdown measures with resorts closed on Tuesday. It is a severe below for the snowsports industry. Nine resorts were open offering some skiing with excellent early season conditions.

Almost the whole of the alpine country has turned red on its four-level traffic light system. New measures are expected to be announced tomorrow.

The current numbers make grim reading with forecasts even worse. Resorts have coronavirus policies in place, and hopefully skiing can happen, just in a different way to normal. But perhaps not till 2021.

The resort is following all the regulations and has obtained the “Clean and safe” label in collaboration with Switzerland Tourism. Some question the wisdom of opening as Switzerland, and the Valais Canton, is one of the Covid-19 hotspots in Europe.