2nd October 2021
At PlanetSKI we are looking at the rules and regulations in place in the main ski nations as winter approaches. All the main ski nations have confirmed that resorts are set to open. First we look at the situation in Austria.
9th September 2021
The Victorian Government has announced that the lockdown will lift in regional Victoria, and the ski areas are able to open from Friday 10 September. Resorts in New South Wales remain closed.
2nd September 2021
Kirkwood and Heavenly say they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ as the battle against the Caldor fire appears to have been won – so far. The resorts, volunteers and fire crews have put in an heroic effort and there is now hope as the wind eases. UPDATED
31st August 2021
The cannons were turned on at Sierra-at-Tahoe ski resort and with the help of fire fighting teams the resort has been saved. Kirkwood is under threat, Heavenly has been evacuated and Squaw Valley has been partially closed due to smoke. UPDATED
28th August 2021
A handful of glacier areas in the Alps have once again been protected by coverings this summer in an attempt to slow the melt. It may though just delay what is looking increasingly inevitable and it comes at a cost.
26th August 2021
PlanetSKI’s intrepid Switzerland reporter, Catie Friend, has been on a women-only expedition to the summit of the Breithorn. It was part of a wider challenge for all-women teams to climb the 48 4,000+ meter mountains in Switzerland this summer: Part Two.
23rd August 2021
PlanetSKI’s intrepid Switzerland reporter, Catie Friend, has been on a women-only expedition to the summit of the Breithorn. It was part of a wider challenge for all-women teams to climb the 48 4,000+ meter mountains in Switzerland this summer. Part One.
23rd August 2021
Some areas in Chile and Argentina have seen over 1m with ski areas that had been forced to close for lack of snow re-opening for the final month of the season. UPDATED
23rd August 2021
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country needed to be “cautious”. The nationwide lockdown has been extended by three days until midnight on 27 August.
18th August 2021
Large numbers of French people are opting against travelling abroad and taking a holiday in their own country. The Alps and the Pyrenees are proving to be particularly popular.
15th August 2021
The rules change means some late summer travel is now easier if people have been double vaccinated or meet other health requirements. It bodes well for the start of the ski season with some glacier resorts opening in October.
12th August 2021
People who discover archaeological relics revealed by retreating glaciers in the Swiss Alps can now use a new app to log the location and help preserve their findings.
10th August 2021
Parts of the Andes are seeing little fresh snow according to a report from the Reuters news agency.
10th August 2021
Local DJ Arthur Monné (AKA FastArthur) is performing an hour long set this Friday (August 13th), performed from a spectacular viewing platform at the summit of Pointe de Nyon. NEW
5th August 2021
Travelling from the ski nations of Europe is now a little easier for those of us in the UK. However there are still some tough restrictions on entry as the UK has one of the highest current number of cases of Covid-19 in Europe. UPDATED
22nd July 2021
Scientists say the glaciers are melting at ‘worrying rates’. The temperature at 3,000m is 6 degrees above average with large amounts of ice melting. Glaciers are melting at alarming rates across the world. UPDATED
15th July 2021
Living Wage is an independently set hourly rate, calculated to ensure a decent standard of living can be achieved by an individual.
6th July 2021
The French resort has issued this summer’s news and information to the press as a quiz. It may be currently difficult to travel there but it is still possible to find out about what’s on offer.
6th July 2021
The warm weather has been blamed on climate change, but the temperatures have now dropped with more ski areas opening.
6th July 2021
70m long strips of reflective material are being placed over the ice on the Pressena glacier to try to preserve it. Other glaciers in the Alps have also been covered with some limited success.
22nd June 2021
The authorities are urging caution after a person was caught in a summer slide earlier this month near Verbier. The 36-year-old local remains missing and the risk continues to be high in places.
10th June 2021
The lifts opened for summer skiing on the Pisaillas glacier above Val d’Isere in France at the weekend. Les2Alpes is already open and Avoriaz also opened some slopes at the weekend.
9th June 2021
There are plenty of options in the Alps – if you can get there. Our friends at Maison Sport have produced a guide to five main European glacier resorts for summer skiing.
4th June 2021
Mt Hutt in New Zealand opens on Friday with resorts in Australia firing up lifts on Saturday. However the ski state of Victoria in Australia is extending its lockdown to control the latest Covid-19 outbreak. Australia has see significant snow fall. UPDATED
1st June 2021
A landing ban comes into force in Austria and the UK is put on the list of variant virus areas. France has introduced strict new measures. Germany has done the same and we look at the rules in the other main mountains countries of Europe with the potential impact on summer tourism to the mountains.
27th May 2021
It’s June but snow conditions in the Alps are exceptional at altitude. With several resorts open and more due to open soon, there is some great skiing and snowboarding for those lucky enough to get on the slopes. UPDATED
27th May 2021
Anyone heading to the Alps or the Pyrenees mountain ranges will need to quarantine for 7-days and prove their visit is essential. The new measure comes into force on Monday due to the spread of the so-called Indian variant in the UK.
21st May 2021
A few resorts are firing up their lifts this weekend, some for the first time in more than a year. Unusually wintry weather for late spring looks like providing some excellent skiing and snowboarding.
13th May 2021
The Austrian ski area joins three others in the Tirol that are currently open for spring skiing and snowboarding.
8th May 2021
More walking routes and terrain for mountain bikers, a wider selection of hotels, villas and campsites. There’s a lot that’s new for summer 2021 in the Austrian Tirol.
30th April 2021
If you like your summer holidays as active as your winter ski trips, here are some mountain ideas for when travel opens up.
28th April 2021
Hotels, accommodation providers and businesses can reopen on May 19th. Some glacier skiing is hoped to be on offer too with other summer activities available. We also look at the situation in some of the other ski nations of Europe. UPDATED
24th April 2021
The Austrian resort of Ischgl and the Paznaun Valley provide the backdrop for these summer adventure hikes.
23rd April 2021
Winter was cancelled. Summer is a hope. If you are able to head across the Channel in 2021, Morzine in the French Alps is a great choice. It’s easily accessible by car and a short hop from Geneva. And there’s a whole lot to do there in summer.
22nd April 2021
The Transport Select Committee says a report by the Government’s Global Travel Taskforce gives “insufficient” detail to allow for travel on 17th May.
20th April 2021
Scotland is open, with a further easing of Covid-19 restrictions coming into force on Monday 26th April. The nation is an option for spring and summer holidays, but it’s come too late for the Scottish ski industry.
9th April 2021
People in England can start thinking about booking foreign holidays again this summer. The government has unveiled further details of its traffic light system, though there is criticism of the testing costs and most European countries still have high levels of Covid-19.
6th April 2021
It bodes well for the approaching ski season Down Under and could be a model used in Europe as well to help people get to the mountains later in the summer if cases fall in Europe. No quarantine will be required.
20th March 2021
The card will be for vaccinated people, those who have had the virus & people who have tested negative. It’s hoped it will help re-start tourism but much depends on whether countries will allow their citizens to visit Austria as it has rising levels of Covid-19, with only 9% of the country vaccinated.
14th March 2021
British Airways is the latest and follows Ryan Air, plus others. Will this mean summer travel from the UK is more likely to the mountains and other destinations?
22nd February 2021
Skiers will be looking at whether it might possible to make some end of season turns or visit the mountains this summer for glacier skiing. Plus, what will be happening to the indoor snowcentres & the outdoor artificial slopes? Might skiing in Scotland be possible in the Spring?
8th September 2020
The ski resort in California has been forced to shut down its summer operations as a massive wildfire burns out of control nearby.
1st September 2020
It is a surprisingly simple formula that gives an indication of which country may be going on and off the list. Much of the Alps and Pyrenees are out of bounds unless you are prepared to go into 14-day quarantine, but not everywhere.
30th August 2020
PlanetSKI has recently been in Switzerland. It would have been rude not to pop over the border to one of our favourite places in the mountains and where we lived last winter – Aosta. And take a few pictures.
30th August 2020
The cold snap across much of Europe has brought some dustings of snow. It may only be the start of September, but it’s a sign that winter is on its way. UPDATED
29th August 2020
Once again the mountain stages will be fascinating but it will be strange without the crowds. And costly for the resorts as they loose out on valuable income.
17th August 2020
There’s not much of it around so it’s great to see some fabulous photos and video footage coming out of New Zealand. The Obsidian team event that is replacing the 2020 Winter Games NZ looks like it’s delivering.
14th August 2020
Despite the new quarantine regulations from France it is possible to drive across France from another country in a private vehicle as long as people do not get out, or allow anyone in. And use the Channel Tunnel.
13th August 2020
The Foreign Office is warning against “all but essential travel” to France. It’s dealt a body blow to UK visits to the French Alps and the French Pyrenees this summer. It remains possible to drive across France to reach or return from another country.
12th August 2020
The resorts closed with immediate effect on Wednesday but now feel they can operate under Level 2 restrictions. The new cases are in Auckland on the North Island.
10th August 2020
Good weather and the attraction of a staycation has brought thousands of people to the mountains of Scotland this summer but they’re not all following the rules.
9th August 2020
A former soldier who lost both of his legs in Iraq has become the first above-the-knee double amputee to reach the summit.
8th August 2020
An ice block of 500,000 cubic metres is threatening to fall. Some people have been evacuated from their homes and hotels on the Italian side of the mountain. Footpaths and areas of the mountain have been sealed off.
7th August 2020
As cases rise in many parts of Europe Italy seems to be currently on top of the pandemic. PlanetSKI looks at the situation in Italy and considers a summer visit to the Italian Alps.
5th August 2020
Falls Creek and Hotham Alpine Resort in the state of Victoria will not re-open for Spring skiing, the owners, Vail Resorts, have announced.
4th August 2020
Austria has had some snow and there’s been a dusting elsewhere. Summer snow is not unusual and has helped refresh the glaciers open for skiing.
3rd August 2020
Australian police in Jindabyne, close to the ski areas of Perisher and Thredbo, have again broken up illegal gatherings and issued fines as revellers continue to defy rules on social distancing.
27th July 2020
Officers in the Australian ski resort of Thredbo and the nearby town of Jindabyne handed out fines totalling more than AUS$20,000 at the weekend for breaches of social distancing rules.
19th July 2020
The resort of Cerro Catedral opened last week amid covid-19 restrictions. Another man was injured in the accident. It was the only resort open in South America and we have been following conditions. The resort remains closed.
19th July 2020
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
