International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) 2021-2022 Europe Resorts/Conditions/Meetups

[Bolder]

^^Dunno, that looks pretty good to me for December in the Dolomites....we'll be in Val G at the end of Feb but not really sweating any restrictions yet. Hoping France approves boosters for teens before then, though.

We just got back from a few days in Vienna. After 4 days in Mallorca (Paris-Mallorca-Vienna-Paris). We were holding our breath on travel restrictions but after paying 140 euros for 2 PCR test in Palma (Mallorca) for our 2 double-vaxxed teens, we were NEVER asked for their test results. Not leaving Palma, not entering Vienna, not leaving Vienna...grrr. Vienna was cold as f*** but we still had a good time.

The situation is pretty fluid so you just have to be ready for the worst, I guess.

We did see a fair number of people in the Vienna airport with skis/boots, guessing they were transiting to ski stations further west by train?

 

[Cheizz]

Yesterday (Tuesday, December 28th), we went to Val Gardena. A bit crowded, but still some very nice runs.

 

[Cheizz]

Today, we took a trip to Pozza di Fassa. Off the Sella Ronda, and much quieter because of that.
The lunch was exsquisite!

 

[Cheizz]

Lunch was braised beef cheeks with cauliflower puree and cabbage, by the way. With a very German looking espresso after...

 

[Cheizz]

The final report and pictures from the past few days here in the Dolomites. Sunny and high temperatures (+8 C in the afternoon at the valley stations, at 1500 m altitude) made for sping conditions.

 

[ted]

How’s the Serpo?

 

[Choucas]

Cheizz, Thanks for the report. Did you feel at risk for Covid exposure at any point during your travel or stay? I am scheduled to travel from the US to the Dolomites on 21 January. Covid is out of control in the US right now and getting worse. I'm thinking that I might be safer in the Dolomites than here. I am triple jabbed and current. Any talk of shutting the lifts down or closing entry to outside of Italy or EU residents? Thanks.

 

[Cheizz]

Cheizz, Thanks for the report. Did you feel at risk for Covid exposure at any point during your travel or stay? I am scheduled to travel from the US to the Dolomites on 21 January. Covid is out of control in the US right now and getting worse. I'm thinking that I might be safer in the Dolomites than here. I am triple jabbed and current. Any talk of shutting the lifts down or closing entry to outside of Italy or EU residents? Thanks.

Always felt safe, it's all done quite strictly in Italy. I have felt safe every minute. No talk of shut downs of any kind. But new daily cases are just beginning to rise in Italy, so no guarantees.

 

[Cheizz]

How’s the Serpo?

Haven't bought it yet.

 

[Choucas]

Always felt safe, it's all done quite strictly in Italy. I have felt safe every minute. No talk of shut downs of any kind. But new daily cases are just beginning to rise in Italy, so no guarantees.

Thanks for the info. I’m going to be in Switzerland for 2 weeks (1 touring week, 1 resort week) in March (unless things are worse by then), so I’m going to minimize the risk in January and pass on the Dolomites this time around. I can roll our hotel over to 2023 get a voucher for the air. Very bummed to pull the plug. Just too crazy right now and too many unknowns to feel comfortable going ahead with our plan.

 

[Bolder]

Thanks for the info. I’m going to be in Switzerland for 2 weeks (1 touring week, 1 resort week) in March (unless things are worse by then), so I’m going to minimize the risk in January and pass on the Dolomites this time around. I can roll our hotel over to 2023 get a voucher for the air. Very bummed to pull the plug. Just too crazy right now and too many unknowns to feel comfortable going ahead with our plan.

I would not travel to/from the US right now. The risk is that you'll test positive at some point and be stuck for 7-10 days. And you wouldn't find that out until you were on the way to an airport, so it's not like you'd be confined to, say, Val Gardena. More likely some suburb of Milan.

 

[James]

The final report and pictures from the past few days here in the Dolomites. Sunny and high temperatures (+8 C in the afternoon at the valley stations, at 1500 m altitude) made for sping conditions.

So I was asked by some people about the Dolomites versus Switzerland for a ski trip in March this year. Twenty somethings who are very good skiers and like challenging terrain. My brief “I think” response was Dolomites if you’re more into skiing place to place for food, Switzerland for challenge but you really want a guide at least a couple days either place.
Thoughts?

 

[Cheizz]

So I was asked by some people about the Dolomites versus Switzerland for a ski trip in March this year. Twenty somethings who are very good skiers and like challenging terrain. My brief “I think” response was Dolomites if you’re more into skiing place to place for food, Switzerland for challenge but you really want a guide at least a couple days either place.
Thoughts?

Seems about right. For challenging terrain being non-groomed: don't go to the Dolomites. Hardly any ungroomed skiable terrain. Sure, there are some lines you can do with a guide. But I would suggest 4 Vallées, Davos, Chamonix, Zermatt, Val d'Isère for anything off the groomers. Dolomites is basically groomers only.

 

[Choucas]

So I was asked by some people about the Dolomites versus Switzerland for a ski trip in March this year. Twenty somethings who are very good skiers and like challenging terrain. My brief “I think” response was Dolomites if you’re more into skiing place to place for food, Switzerland for challenge but you really want a guide at least a couple days either place.
Thoughts?

I would agree for the most part. There's plenty of great, challenging terrain in the Dolomites but most of it requires a guide. Most everything is pisted and none of the pisted slopes are super challenging. Better chance of good weather than Switzerland and great on mountain food at reasonable prices vs. CH. Awesome scenery. Expansive skiing. Better overall value. More skiing below treeline. Buy "Freeride in Dolomiti" by Francesco Tremolada to learn about off piste in the Dolomites.

Any big Swiss area will have plenty of challenging skiing. Keep in mind that there's no such thing as in bounds off piste. You're either on or off. Guides are a great idea there as well. You can spend a lot of time looking for the best snow, terrain, exposure, and safety and miss the good stuff. More expensive for food, lodging, and most lift tickets. Better chances of fresh snow. Better chances of low visibility.

Both are great. The cost of a guide is worth every penny if you don't want to log a lot of miles on groomers. Keeps 20 somethings from making bad decisions.

 

[Crank]

Thanks for the reports. Looks beautiful. We plan to meander around and enjoy the scenery and the food.

We are still scheduled to go to Val di Fassa mid-March. Hoping travel is available to us then. Right now, along with testing before and during the trip, it looks like we have to figure out how to use our US CDC vaccination cards to get EU Green Pass QR codes in order to access ski lifts.

 

[Rod9301]

Thanks for the reports. Looks beautiful. We plan to meander around and enjoy the scenery and the food.

We are still scheduled to go to Val di Fassa mid-March. Hoping travel is available to us then. Right now, along with testing before and during the trip, it looks like we have to figure out how to use our US CDC vaccination cards to get EU Green Pass QR codes in order to access ski lifts.

Just go to at pharmacy, it takes 10 minutes

 

[James]

Well here’s the French way. He’s going to Italy. People over 65 need boosters within 7 months in France.

Page d'attente Santé.fr

www.sante.fr

——————————-

• A passport
• The original vaccination certificate in paper format

These mandatory documents must include, in a legible way, the last name, first name, date of birth as well as the date of vaccination, the used vaccine, if possible, the batch number, the number of doses injected and the country of vaccination.
——————————-

 

[Crank]

Just go to at pharmacy, it takes 10 minutes

Testing in Val di Fassa is for return to US and is all arranged for. Just a bit concerned about getting the Green Pass. Does anyone know the process for that?

I should add that we have 42 people going and I was recently volunteered to be assistant trip leader. I absolutely refused to lead it, but agreed to help.

 

[James]

Seems like the Green Pass in Italy is just your CDC card. Note it’s now a “Super Green Pass” if you’re vaccinated. The Green Pass allows a neg test within 48 hr. Skiing now requires Super Green from what I see.

How Do I Get a Green Pass for Travel in Italy? - Italy Green Pass

Learn how to get a green pass for travel in Italy, including current Covid restrictions for tourists from the US, UK and Canada.

italygreenpass.com

Maybe @Jacob or @Nobody has specific info on US travelers.

 

[Rod9301]

Well here’s the French way. He’s going to Italy. People over 65 need boosters within 7 months in France.

Page d'attente Santé.fr

www.sante.fr

——————————-

• A passport
• The original vaccination certificate in paper format

These mandatory documents must include, in a legible way, the last name, first name, date of birth as well as the date of vaccination, the used vaccine, if possible, the batch number, the number of doses injected and the country of vaccination.
——————————-

Right now booster 4 months after, soon will be 3 months after