Skiing During the Pandemic



We know that many people would have been looking forward to their annual skiing holiday, escaping the grey skies of the British isles for white powder and snow-capped mountains of the Alps and the Pyrenees. 

How is it looking like for skiing this year?


Before we get into this, I want to start by mentioning that the pandemic will pass, and mountains are still going to be there when this is all over, so please do not fret too much and look ahead to the future where no matter what you'll be flying down the slopes soon enough.


Strictly speaking, it depends on where you want to go, countries of Europe are closing down for lockdowns on a rolling basis, so while some countries may be wide open for trade and travel, others will have closed their borders for travel.


You need to check out the latest travel advice, as well as calling ahead to a travel service of your choice to know what is possible in these uncertain times. However, let it be known that people are indeed travelling and skiing in the mountains right now and so long as you follow the restrictions set in place by the governments and ski resorts, you can too.


Funnily enough, the Scottish skiing scene is seeing a bit of a boost, with skiers and snowboarders flooding to ski resorts in the Cairngorms, Nevis Range, Glencoe, Glenshee and the Lecht. And however, some personal research should be made in that, for example, the Nevis range resort would not be opening come to the start of the season. 


If you are someone with enough disposable income and time to isolate if necessary then you too can surely go skiing. Your best bet is to call a travel specialist who can advise you on the current ski options.


Has the skiing industry given up this winter? Ski resorts across all regions are planning for a busy season, the reason being that a majority of countries have a  strong domestic market, and many alpine resorts experienced a bumper-summer season of people coming to enjoy the mountains as nationals holidayed closer to home rather than venturing abroad.


It is true, however, that UK based package holiday operators are having a  much harder time planning. Ordinarily, they book charter flights for the season ahead. And need to decide whether or not they can commit to them over the next two months, many people have already decided to downsize their offering, this is especially true for large chalets where different households normally group together, and operators are also recruiting much fewer seasonal staff.


Resorts themselves will be behaving differently, regulations like wearing masks in lift queues, enclosed lifts, communal areas as well as public spaces located indoors. There is also touted to be a restriction of a social distancing procedure of 1 or 1.5 meters. Many of these resorts will request any visitors to download a regional app that will help them to order food etc.


Do your research, and good luck hunting for your 2020 ski holidays flaine.

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