J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Engelberg is opening its Titlis glacier for skiers and snow boarders on Saturday, 10th October, for its usual eight-month ski season which typically runs to Mid-May the following year, virus-permitting.

The area has seen some good snowfalls in recent weeks and reports excellent conditions. It will be open daily from Saturday subject to daily weather conditions.

The centre's opening comes as virus restrictions tighten again across Europe. Restrictions are tending to become more localised according to the incidence of the virus region by region rather than country by country and there's a gradual move towards testing travellers for the virus rather than seeking to stop them travelling in the first place. But this varies a lot depending on departure and arrival country.

For those skiers and boarders who can reach the slopes safely though and who wish to travel to do so, conditions on the glaciers are reported to be sublime following great snowfalls at the end of sept and the first week of October. Although resort marketing departments are eternally optimistic, words like "unprecedented" to describe the good snow quality in early October are being widely bandied about.

Engelberg will bring the number of glacier areas already open in Europe for the 2020-21 ski season to 14 from this weekend – around the normal number at this point in the autumn. A further five areas are open in Scandinavia.

Already open resorts include Hintertux, The Kitzsteinhorn glacier, Levi and Riuka up in Lapland, Saas Fee, The Stubai and Zermatt.

Solden will host the opening races of the 2002-21 Alpine Skiing World Cup next weekend (a week earlier than usual) and the French ski season is al.so due to kick off in Les 2 Alpes and Tignes from the 17th as well.

The results of a survey by The Ski Club of Great Britain carried out at the end of September has found that 86% of skiers still intend to go skiing this season with a quarter having already booked their holiday.

The survey was a follow up to a larger survey at the end of lockdown in June which had found 96% of skiers planned to hit the slopes this winter at that point – so it appears 10% fewer remain optimistic.

It's also worth taking into account that many of the 2,000 people who took the trouble to respond to the surveys are older, more dedicated skiers in southern England.

"Despite this positive intention by most skiers, in reality only 29% of skiers are confident they will be able to ski at all this season. This is mainly due to the latest government restrictions and travel advice. 79% of respondents said that the government's travel corridor/quarantine policy isn't fit for purpose," a Ski Club statement on the results explains.

Over half (57%) want to book within a month of travel (vs the 10% recorded having booked within a month of travelling last season). This indicated a huge rise in late booking intentions for the upcoming season.

According to the June survey, 86% of skiers travelled by plane last season. The latest survey shows that number will most likely drop with only 59% planning to fly. Other modes of transport showed 27% plan to drive using the Eurotunnel (being only 7% last season) and 8% by ferry (only 3% last season).

There were modest changes in terms of accommodation preferences with slightly more planning to self-cater and slightly fewer to stay in hotels or chalets, but it was only a few percentage points and there was no sign in the results of a big switch to self-catering apartments.

The numbers planning to travel independently versus with a tour operator were also almost the same as last winter.

The Ski Club plan to conduct another quick follow up survey towards the beginning of the winter season.

SwingBeep wrote:Several Austrian ski resorts are also offering own brand buffs. The Austrian COVID-19 regulations only state that you have to wear "mouth and nose protection", there are no other requirements so you can more or less use what you like.

I read that at least Ischgl and Obertauern are offering them free when you buy your lift pass.

The 20-21 ski season has got underway in Finland with two of the country's largest ski areas opening at the weekend.

Levi and Ruka both used snow farming techniques - saving the snow under cover from the previous summer then spreading it back out on the slopes - to create a few kilometres of ski slope plus terrain park features.

It's the first lift-served skiing in Finland since the spring lockdown, although its resorts were among the last to join the mass closure.

The centres are aiming to stay open to May 2021 for a seven month ski season. Snow-farming is being employed by more and more ski areas worldwide. The Norwegian ski area Kvitfjell has already opened in late September using it, although it is currently being used by the Norwegian ski squad for exclusive training. Idre Fjall in Sweden, pictured below at the weekend, aims to open in the same way on October 16th.

Kitzbuhel aims to open some terrain in a fortnight's time using the same technique to deliver a 200 day ski season to May 2021 and be the first resort without glacier skiing to open in the Alps.

Zermatt, which is already open for the 20-21 ski season, is offering 20% off lift pass prices for those who are prepared to buy their pass before 31st October, 2020.

The early bird discount is valid on all ski passes from 6 to 21 days for the full Zermatt-Cervinia lift pass bought online.

This brings the price of a six-day international pass for the first six days of 2021, for example, down from 462 to 370 Swiss Francs for an adult aged over 19. That's about £313 at current exchange rates.

However there does appear to be a caveat. For tickets sold at normal prices the lift company offers the chance of a credit note, valid 3 years, if the buyer gets coronavirus before arriving, or the resort is closed by Swiss authorities or the country where the buyer is based closes or restricts travel to Switzerland when the ticket is to be used. But the company states:

"Ski passes purchased at a 20% discount as part of an early-bird offer (presale: 1-31 October 2020) … are expressly excluded from these special conditions. Tickets booked as part of the presale offer are non-refundable and cannot be converted into a credit note and/or cancelled in any circumstances."

At full price the Zermatt-Cervinia pass is famously about the most expensive in Europe although it is also one of the most generous for children. Children aged up to 9 years of age are free and children aged 9 – 15 years receive half priced tickets. Teenagers aged 16-19 still receive a 15% discount. This can make skiing in the area cheaper for families (depending on the age of the children) than in other areas where adult tickets are cheaper but families pay a lot for children aged from four or five.

The Zermatt-Cervinia pass is also unusual in that it costs significantly less to buy on the Italian side than the Swiss side to use the same lifts and runs. The current 20% discount offer only applies to passes bought on the Swiss side.

We may still be at the end of September and the start of Autumn and the beginning of what promises to be a very 'different' ski season but Austrian ski centres are already jockeying for position for the 'Oktoberfest' skier market.

Several of the four Austrian glacier resorts that are now open (currently second only to New Zealand in terms of the number of areas open, and set to move to the top spot next week) have announced they're opening more terrain ahead of four more areas opening at the weekend, including big hitter the Stubai.

The Hintertux glacier, which has now been open for four months since Austrian skiing resumed in late Spring, plans to operate more lifts from October 1st following the recent snowstorms which brought around half-a-metre of fresh snow to the country's glaciers, greatly improving conditions.

It will open slopes 10 and 11a from Thursday then slopes 11 and 12 too from Saturday to increase the currently available terrain by 50% from 20 to 30km of runs.

The three other areas already open – the Kaunertal, Pitztal and Solden won't have as much terrain open yet but are also opening more runs, extending opening hours to around 4pm and planning for gear testing and terrain park opening events. In Solden's case hosting the opening Alpine World Cup races of the season is also coming up fast.

Besides the Stubai glacier, which is re-opening for the first time since lockdown, the Kitzsteinhorn and Molltal (pictured top today) glaciers, which had both re-opened over the summer too, will now open for their 20-21 ski seasons. The Dachstein Glacier which was previously only open for cross-country skiers, is also expected to start running its downhill lifts.

The eight Austrian areas are joined by three already open in Switzerland, the same number in Norway, two in Italy and from Friday the two Finnish centres of Levi and Ruka opening thanks to snow-farming and taking the number of areas open in Europe to 18.

Yes I'm playing the waiting game too but having skied the past 39 seasons I realise, would be a shame to miss this one so fully intend to go. It is quite interesting tour ops, though bookings are down terribly, are still selling holidays/offering deals in December/January so are clearly either hoping things will be better despite the current trend or there are some people happy to go skiing then quarantine on return (or according to a BBC story I read this morning, just ignore the quarantine requirements!). Or they are gambling that 'travel corridors' will stay open to the few remaining ski countries not yet on the 'must quarantine on return' list.

Chemmy Alcott has announced that she will be hosting Ski Sunday this winter, the show which has run for over 40 years now on the BBC.

Regular presenter Graham Bell has been announced as a competitor for the Dancing on Ice TV show and Chemmy Alcott will fill his role.

"As a kid I was a huge fan of the show. As a racer it was a complete honour to be interviewed first by Hazel and later by Graham. In retirement to have a junior hosting role and help share my passion and interviews from the women's World Cup tour was amazing. So now, 6 years later, to have been asked to step up and be the lead presenter next to the incredibly talented and passionate Ed Leigh is an absolute dream," said Chemmy, adding,

"…It is Ed and I's job to keep this winter alive. A winter that will be a fight and struggle for us all - for skiers, snowboarders, competitors and holiday goers, those working abroad in the snowsport industry- for everyone who pines for snow. It is a challenge I hope to rise to."