Travel & Holiday

They had been scheduled to open today, January 18th, but it wasn’t to be with Covid-19 cases remaining stubbornly high. NEW

The government will decide by Wednesday if and when the ski resorts can run their lifts. Some fear if there is another delay then the season will effectively be a write off, but it may be necessary to save lives in the battle against Covid-19. NEW

Mandatory Covid testing will now be introduced for everyone arriving in England om Monday 18th January. People will need a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than three days before departure. UPDATED

British-owned ski companies in the Alps are re-inventing themselves to provide a lifeline in these difficult times. Two business owners in France tell PlanetSKI how they’ve been forced to adapt to survive. 

They were supposed to open on Thursday 7th January but the authorities in Paris have said they must stay closed.  It is a bitter blow for the resorts, many of whom had prepared their slopes. The government said it is necessary to defeat Covid-19.

Ski Total and Flexiski holidays are also cancelled. All brands are run by the Swiss company, Hotelplan.  It follows the UK lockdown and there are serious doubts about much of the rest of the season for all UK ski companies.

Italy has postponed the reopening of its ski resorts until later this month at the earliest. January 18th is the date pencilled in. In the Pyrenees Andorra has open some slopes for local residents only. UPDATED

With this season looking like it could be a write-off, UK ski tour operators and travel agents say key dates for next winter are selling fast.

Some cantons have ski areas open, others have shut them. The Federal government has closed restaurants, but some were allowed to open. Now they are closed. It is, to say the least, a confusing picture.

The authorities had ordered UK skiers into isolation if they arrived after December 14th. Now flights resume between to the two countries but only for nationals returning home for Xmas.

All flights are banned for the foreseeable future and all people who have arrived from the UK since the 14 of December are required to go into a 10-day quarantine.

Which ski resorts are open, what are the restrictions and when might we see the others opening? Check out our weekly review of where we now stand as the situation changes across the Alps, the Pyrenees & beyond. UPDATED

The lifts may not be running but hotels can open and ski touring, cross-country and snowshoeing are allowed. It’s all looking very different in these Covid-19 times.

Quarantine for people arriving in England is to be reduced to five days. Then people will need to take a test and, if negative, they can end their self-isolation. There are reports of problems though. NEW

Plenty of restrictions remain in place from Tuesday with lifts not turning in ski resorts, but now people can travel to the mountains. Locals have been skinning up, though some districts have banned touring as so many are heading uphill and threatening extra pressure on hospitals.

Which ski resorts are open, what are the restrictions and when might we see the others opening? Check out our weekly review of where we now stand as the situation changes across the Alps, the Pyrenees & beyond.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. UPDATED

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

There are only a handful of glacier resorts open but the apparent breaches of Covid-19 rules in Cervinia as the pandemic spreads in Italy are being taken very seriously. It’s an indication of what things may be like next winter across the Alps. UPDATED