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International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Skiing in Europe...off to a bad start

Nobody

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Well, in any case, only people already living within the boundaries of the region(s) involved , would have been able to travel to the mountains (and/or, second home owners, if the "from" region was a "yellow" graded region as well), kind of "Locals only". No tourism from abroad or from other regions would have been allowed (but, Lombardy alone has 11 millions or such inhabitants, a "consitent" portion of whom takes to the mountains every winter). Everyone had understood that and accepted the folds of such decision.
To the extent that, if plans were to go forward, the "local" resort I ski at ("Ponte di Legno - Tonale", formerly known as "Adamello Ski") , being spread over two provinces of two different regions (Lombardy, province Brescia and Trentino Alto Adige, province Trento), only the Lombard part would have opened (imagine as an example, taking the gondola from the Tonale Pass up to Paradiso Pass, reaching the top of the same named piste - Pista Paradiso, and not being able to reach all the way to 3000mt to passo Presena, because form there - Paradiso Pass to Presena Pass, the province changes. and lift would be closed as per dispositions)
 

James

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Well, in any case, only people already living within the boundaries of the region(s) involved , would have been able to travel to the mountains (and/or, second home owners, if the "from" region was a "yellow" graded region as well), kind of "Locals only". No tourism from abroad or from other regions would have been allowed (but, Lombardy alone has 11 millions or such inhabitants, a "consitent" portion of whom takes to the mountains every winter). Everyone had understood that and accepted the folds of such decision.
To the extent that, if plans were to go forward, the "local" resort I ski at ("Ponte di Legno - Tonale", formerly known as "Adamello Ski") , being spread over two provinces of two different regions (Lombardy, province Brescia and Trentino Alto Adige, province Trento), only the Lombard part would have opened (imagine as an example, taking the gondola from the Tonale Pass up to Paradiso Pass, reaching the top of the same named piste - Pista Paradiso, and not being able to reach all the way to 3000mt to passo Presena, because form there - Paradiso Pass to Presena Pass, the province changes. and lift would be closed as per dispositions)
Wow that’s really too bad for Italy. Super frustrating. And with the world championships going on.
Would you be allowed to go to Switzerland without quarantine?
 

Nobody

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Althought I haven't personally given the possibility a thought (I have all my equipment up in the mountains...not too far from Switzerland, as is my current home in the flatlands, still, to cross a couple of mountain passes in winter to reach Diavolezza, it is not really appealing to me, as is something I'll have to do alone leaving the family at home...) because basically, I have written this season off myself, I know of some people commuting to/fro Switzerland daily to have their dose of AT skiing. So, I guess it is really possible to cross borders with Switzerland without being quarantined...
 

Nobody

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@James ...
After your inquiry, as if on clue, yesterday on the evening news the same matter was raised, and today one can read this
The jist of which is : If one is traveling privately (in own car motorbike etc) and/or coming from the bordering italian regions ( Valle d’Aosta, Piemonte, Lombardia e Trentino-Alto Adige). ) can enter Switzerland nearly freely. If travelling by bus/train/airplane/boat, one must register declaring "from" "to" and destination in Switzerland; if coming from countries considered by the Swiss health authorities "at risk" must present a negative swab test (not older than 72 hrs) and quarantine. There are , at the moment, three italian regions in the list : Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto. This is what the newspaper is reporting. Wether it is accurate or not, I do not know.
In any case, even if we won't take into account the italians (many or few, whaterver it is, it is) that own a second house in the Swiss mountains and thus would have gone there anyway, the dent into the Italian mountain economy looks big, and double.
 

Ulmerhutte

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St Anton, ie Arlberger Bergbahnen, closed their lifts yesterday "until further notice". They apparently decided it was not feasible for them to police the new regulation requiring all lift users to show a valid covid test result that was no older than 48 hours.

As it was, the resort was effectively open to only locals and day trippers because all hospitality was locked down. So, only a few lifts, but largely deserted pistes. It would be reasonable to assume that ABB was probably losing money on the deal, especially with their mountain restaurants closed, so it could not have gone on for too much longer? I guess the new onerous test requirement was the proverbial nail in the coffin.

The chances of them reopening this season must be slim to zero, especially given the hospitality lockdown is not scheduled to end until the start of April.

The Arlberg resorts in the Vorarlberg region, ie Lech, Zürs, Warth / Schröken, and Sonnenkopf, are still running, albeit only a handful of lifts.

On better news, though I have not seen an official press release, the replacement of the Zugerberg and Madloch lifts will take place over this coming summer. Madloch will be 6-seater and Zugerberg a 10-gondola. Prep work started last summer.
 

SSSdave

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Sad they could not find a way to open up when so many other ski regions have at this point proven hardly anyone has been catching the virus while out on ski slopes, even at resorts where mask compliance has been modest that tends to show how unlikely contagion is outdoors skiing. It is all the off and after slope activity that authorities are afraid of and apparently afraid to enforce in ways known safe with people that will not on their own do so safely considerately.
 

Cheizz

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The province of Tyrol now requires proof of a negative COVID test for skiers (only locals anyway). For most skiers, that is a hassle, since the test result cannot be older than 72 hours. So getting tested every few days is too much trouble for most. Skiers won't come and running the lifts becomes too high a cost I think. Sölden, St. Anton closed.... I suspect more Tyrolean resorts will follow.
 

fatbob

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The rules aren't really in the hands of the ski areas and in Austria at least there are state and federal rules being made. A friend in the Tirol has described the requirement for a 48hr negative test to ski as a way of keeping working people off the slopes because who has time to wait for potentially hours on a workday ahead of skiing at the weekend.

Everywhere is worried about spread vectors particularly for new variants and, rightly or wrongly, it has been decided that cutting down discretionary travel is a way to limit this.
 

Nobody

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The rules aren't really in the hands of the ski areas and in Austria at least there are state and federal rules being made. A friend in the Tirol has described the requirement for a 48hr negative test to ski as a way of keeping working people off the slopes because who has time to wait for potentially hours on a workday ahead of skiing at the weekend.

Everywhere is worried about spread vectors particularly for new variants and, rightly or wrongly, it has been decided that cutting down discretionary travel is a way to limit this.
Absolutely. What is enraging the "mountain" people , at least here in Italy , are not the rules per se, imho is a combination of :
1) perceived total lack of respect by the government(s), regional and country-wise, toward them, their families and lives in the way, the decision making processes has reached decisions and communication handling of said decisions (e.g. with a protocol prepared with shared understanding and collaboration between the lifts companies and the regions in December, the advisory board has waited until mid Feb to express a position, which has been mistakenly read as a "go" to open, an ambiguity which both state governments, the ending one and the newly instated one, have "taken care" not to clear up tempestively, feeding the false expectations of many, only to be negated at the very last moment)
2)The fact that it is now clear that the Italians are going to ski abroad, for daily trips mostly, but in doing so "exporting" what de facto should/could have been "their" share of the winter market to get in these times.
3)The fact that , when looking back at the past summer, beaches (and mountains themselves) were not shut down at all to tourism. In fact even now, seaside communities near the border (with France), "enjoy" some (albeit very minor) level of daily tourism from the other side..
 

Jacob

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Sad they could not find a way to open up when so many other ski regions have at this point proven hardly anyone has been catching the virus while out on ski slopes, even at resorts where mask compliance has been modest that tends to show how unlikely contagion is outdoors skiing. It is all the off and after slope activity that authorities are afraid of and apparently afraid to enforce in ways known safe with people that will not on their own do so safely considerately.

The thing you have to remember about the big European resorts is that they are towns/villages at the base of the mountains, not stand alone skiing facilities. Also, most outside visitors tend to go for week-long stays.
So, you can’t really open them up to outside visitors without all of the associated off-the-slopes activities like eating in restaurants, drinking in bars, or even just shopping at the local grocery stores, because people need to eat.

The ones that can’t cover their operating costs without those week-long stays are the ones that are shutting down to save money.
 

Nobody

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Getting worse, if possible.
In Lombardy, the province of Brescia has been declared Orange+ zone. It means that there is no hope that lifts there (included Passo del Tonale / Ponte di Legno) will open this season. Have just had the possibility to spend two days at Passo Del Tonale, nice weather, fresh air, no skiing but enjoyed the fair ,sunny weather and fresh air, and the bobsleighing with the kid and wife. Ws planning to get vack up there this coming week end, but there is more; day travellers and second house owners in the area, coming from a different province of Lombardy, have now been prohibited to move to their second houses or to the area. BTW , other regions have been putting specific provinces or even single towns or villages in various degree of orangeness/redness too, like in Liguria the towns of San Remo and Ventimiglia. Skiing? Fuggedaboutdat!
 

Nobody

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The tombstone has been placed. At least for DolomitiSuperski. Friday they announced that were not going to sell system-wide passes this season. Passes could still be sold for single valley area , but that is a decision left in the hand of each valley lift company (Gardena did already announce back in December they would not have opened for 20-21 Season). (edited to cleanse grammar/spelling a bit)
 
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Noodler

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Italy and Switzerland at the Matterhorn

Truly crazy. So the Swiss skiers can go to an Italian restaurant on the border that is open and has indoor seating, but the Swiss restaurants can only do take-out and there are no Italian skiers permitted on the Italian slopes.
 

Nobody

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Dunno. Here in Lombardy, restaurant can provide only take away food to passsers-by.
I suspect it depends on :
-Whether the region is autonomous
or plain "regular"
-Covid infection rates (e.g. "colour")
 

PowHog

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The Alps are having a great touring season due to a lot of late spring snowfalls. Sadly travel restrictions are just easing up.
 

Nobody

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Yeah, right, Presena Glacier did open to the general skiing public this past Saturday and Sunday (had opened to "registered" athletes since the beginning of May). From Monday, the Glacier covering action have been started...
Stelvio, which was scheduled to open on May 29th, will open, it is announced, on Juen 12th.
Madesimo will stay open in its highest portion (Val di Lei) until mid June (something that was not happeneing since years).
But, hell, I'm going to the seaside (and will do some open waters swimming and skin diving along with SUP and the likes). Will think snow later on.
 

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