J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Sonofapreacher wrote:
Will this split lead to local tourist agencies to lobby their governments.

Yes particularly in France and Italy. Protests in many resorts and mountain towns. Legal moves by regional governments to try to overturn national decisions. Austrian areas seem more sanguine about it and focussed on the Xmas Eve opening for Austrians and Jan 7 for everyone else. Also see: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-09/french-ski-resorts-challenge-macron-in-a-bid-to-save-christmas

Ski areas in France and Italy forced to close over Christmas by their governments have warned of dangers to a growing numbers of ski-tourers and hiker heading out on to their slopes after large snowfalls over the past week.

A statement from Italy's largest ski region, Dolomiti Superski, this morning sums up the issue:

"Attention! Due to the heavy snowfall of the past days, the avalanche danger is particularly high! We would like to inform ski tourers, snowshoe hikers and winter hikers that all ski resorts of Dolomiti Superski are closed until January 6, 2021. This means of course, that the slopes are also closed and accessing them is not allowed, because they are not yet secured and are therefore on a par with the open alpine terrain. Preparatory work is currently ongoing: snow groomers with winches are at work and pose a high risk. Mountain rescue teams have issued a strong warning to ski tourers due to the extreme amounts of fresh snow and the increased risk of avalanches!"

Similar warnings have been issued in Austria, where slopes open to locals on Christmas Eve, and in France, where they're closed until January.

It has become clear in recent days that most European ski nations have rejected calls from France, Germany and Italy to close over Christmas and New Year.

Ski areas in Eastern Europe all appear to be opening (centres have opened in Poland, Romania and Slovakia so far with Bulgarian areas saying they aim to open closer to Christmas).

In Scandinavia all of Finland's leading resorts have opened with the first of Norway's bigger centres, Geilo, opening at the weekend and Hemsedal set to join it next weekend. The regions' biggest area, Are in Sweden, say they'll open on December 18th.

More and more resorts are opening in Switzerland and Scottish centres have begun opening too, initially providing uplift to ski tourers at Glencoe.

Andorra has joined France in closing its slopes over the holiday period but Spanish centres still hope to open, they say, although none have as yet as they await the official go ahead (or not).

Elsewhere in the northern hemisphere ski areas are opening for the season across Asia and North America.

Seeing that ski areas in Romania and Slovakia opening tomorrow so seems they have not got the German/French/Italian memo.

Yes I got it in March after a Swiss trip - not sure if it was in resort hotel, on train, at Zurich or Heathrow or on plane, so mixed feelings about it all and can see both sides. Basically don't think one right, one wrong. Just looking forward to vaccines being widespread and not having to think about it all the time.

It is quite interesting the different approaches to the same issue around the world. US has the worst total infection and death numbers but there almost all resorts are opening under strict pandemic measures (Not like the maskless Trump stadium rallies but actually much stricter than in Europe) and the view is it's better for people's physical and mental health to go skiing under strict restrictions than staying home. Resorts in Scandinavia and Japan also opening for season. Oh, and Scotland! French and Italian resorts questioning why cramped commuter public transport OK in cities if ski lifts a big problem in the mountains. Hmmm...

Very sorry to hear that. Am a bit nervous the Swiss will crumble as under so much pressure but so far they seem to be holding out. Yes it does seem a bit mad that hotels etc can open and winter holidays can continue, just without downhill skiing. In Austria there's to be skiing for locals but no hotels open - kind of the opposite. In France they say a lot of resort businesses won't get financial support as they can open - there just won't be many customers as no skiing.

Posts from Grandvalira and Vallnord yesterday evening indicate ski areas in Andorra won't be opening until January either, joining France, Italy, Germany and (for non residents) Austria.

Although most ski areas in the Alps are currently closed due to coronavirus concerns, Swiss resorts are determinedly staying open so far, with more than a dozen open for the season.

However this coming weekend at least one has announced it will be shutting down operations. It's for the old-fashioned reason of a big snowstorm hitting though, not because of the virus.

Andermatt, which often posts some of the deepest snow depths in Europe, and closed some lifts and runs last weekend at its Gemsstock freeride area due to avalanche danger, plans to close completely this weekend.

"The Gotthard region expects to get a huge snowfall, partly accompanied by a stormy south wind, resulting in an increase in avalanche danger. That's why we have decided to stop winter operations from Friday to Sunday (December 4. to 6.)," the centre announced this afternoon.

J2Ski's forecasting models currently predict Andermatt (pictured above in early November) should get around 75cm (2.5 feet) from the upcoming storm which should bring snow, in varying quantities, to a wide area of the Alps and hopefully transform conditions which have so far seen only limited snowfall on lower slopes for most areas.