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

[anders_nor]

its 20 hours, doesnt help that if I go by car, I will probably bring my racecar on a trailer, I usually service it in Austria... so 20+++ hours, but ... I have taken 4 days off work in 2020!!! so yeah I need some time off, I had 3,5 weeks of skiiing planned in march and taken time off, that didnt happen, my april to the US for ski didnt happen, and my summer ski trip that was ssupposed to last for 10 days, one of my coworker that I share office with, showed up with covid and put me in quarantine, now shit is shutting down again, this is not my year. I've spent 10k USD on holidays I've not been able to go on this year. travel insurance refuse to pay out every time. even the ones booked way before. Kinda ironic since I've pretty much done home office since march... getting really tired of it. at least when snow comes here I can go skiiing at resorts here, there are rarely any lines and capacity is good.

 

[dbostedo]

its 20 hours, doesnt help that if I go by car, I will probably bring my racecar on a trailer, I usually service it in Austria... so 20+++ hours, but ... I have taken 4 days off work in 2020!!! so yeah I need some time off, I had 3,5 weeks of skiiing planned in march and taken time off, that didnt happen, my april to the US for ski didnt happen, and my summer ski trip that was ssupposed to last for 10 days, one of my coworker that I share office with, showed up with covid and put me in quarantine, now shit is shutting down again, this is not my year. I've spent 10k USD on holidays I've not been able to go on this year. travel insurance refuse to pay out every time. even the ones booked way before. Kinda ironic since I've pretty much done home office since march... getting really tired of it. at least when snow comes here I can go skiiing at resorts here, there are rarely any lines and capacity is good.

I'm with you! Though your situation sounds worse than mine. I only cancelled one one-week trip so far... but I'm looking forward to this season, and hoping my trips don't get cancelled.

Whatever you decide, I hope your season starts going better eventually and you get to have some fun out on the slopes!

 

[Tricia]

@cem is reporting shut downs in the UK.

 

[fatbob]

Yeah Brits are screwed now. New lockdown no doubt which will end up extending past the scheduled end of 2 December then a brief release for Xmas so the PM can look like a hero and the pattern repeats.....

 

[RobSN]

Yeah Brits are screwed now. New lockdown no doubt which will end up extending past the scheduled end of 2 December then a brief release for Xmas so the PM can look like a hero and the pattern repeats.....

Currently only England and therefore Scotland and Wales are not included in the lockdown. Scotland claiming that it is doing better. However, don't hold your breath.

 

[anders_nor]

Austria is going in shutdown, no tourist, hotels beeing forced to shutdown etc.

Here the "drastic" measure is you need to use masks indoor when you go to the store, but only 50% seem to do it.

 

[cem]

ok so from the other side of the pond

England is going into "full lockdown from 00.01 on thursday until at least the 2nd december non essential retail closed, pubs bars cafes restaurants closed except for take away.. schools colleges uni's to remanin open so a bit like brushing your teeth whist eating a bag of cheetos.......... pointless!!

scotland and wales have their own rules, wales currently locked down but comes out in 2 weeks, scotland has a multi tier system which i suspect will fail pretty soon.. they key to any of these things working is people actually following the rules

here is the broad strokes of some of europe, not 100% details as i dont have them

austria, much the same as england, but regionally the lift companies can stay open for "professional training" most haven't
france, all closed up, only allowed out of your house for exercise within 1km and for 1hour per day
germany tightening restrictions day by day
italy lifts open for professional teams, the dolomites still seem to have remained open somehow but everything else is masks and restrictions

so honestly this thing it is a shit storm over here, and for you guys on that side of the pond, i suspect things will start to change from ... lets say.... maybe Wednesday when there are no more votes to be won or lost

 

[Cheizz]

Most alpine countries in Europe (and the Netherlands too) are trying to save Christmas for tourists and families to come together. Lockdown now, hopefully a few more possibilities during the holidays. Hope that it works.
In the Netherlands, a partial lockdown (closure of bars, restaurants, amateur sports, working from home as much as possible) has pushed the daily count of new positive cases down. Early October, figure were rising. In the past week, new daily cases have stabalized and now there is a daily decrease, it seems. I have good hope that if this trend holds, resaturants may open again for the holidays (with measures and group size restrictions). Whether ski areas will be operational during the school holidays and whether or not we can travel abroad for skiing remains to be seen.

 

[fatbob]

Most alpine countries in Europe (and the Netherlands too) are trying to save Christmas for tourists and families to come together. Lockdown now, hopefully a few more possibilities during the holidays.

Yeah I'm not hopeful on the tourist part - what I suspect here is a great political fanfare made over how Xmas has been "saved" for families (really couldn't care less myself - Xmas is for skiing in my book and having granny killed by Xmas get together seems a bit daft but I recognise the emotional need for something in mid winter). But I suspect there will still be posturing over quarantine and recommended travel plus logistical issues of getting to travel over that period when clarity comes very late.

 

[RobSN]

i suspect things will start to change from ... lets say.... maybe Wednesday when there are no more votes to be won or lost

That is a thought of mine too ... but I try to suppress it.

 

[Nobody]

Alto Adige (South Tirol) governement, the autonomous province where the Dolomites are, has announced a lock down until Nov 22
Essentially curfew until 0500 am, and closure of non essential activivties, smartworking as much as possible, hotels to not accept tourists but only people moving for work reasons (this a the loop hole....IMHO), nothing about skiing, but I expect that with hotels not able to accept toursist...Again, the offical skiing season start usually on Dec 8th, so there's time...and hope.
Basically only one location was opened for skiing there, after the stop issued by the italian central government last week (Alto Adige claiming its provileged position as autonomous province elected not to abide to the decisions, not only skiing related, taken then) the Val Senales (Schnastal) glacier...
And now they too are in lockdown-lite like the rest of us, unless today or tomorrow the central governement won't announce a strictier, total lockdown...

 

[James]

what I suspect here is a great political fanfare made over how Xmas has been "saved" for families (really couldn't care less myself -

A Christmas get together so someone in the family starts the new year in a hospital.

 

[fatbob]

A Christmas get together so someone in the family starts the new year in a hospital.

Exactly - I suspect the virus isn't going to be knocking off and hanging up its stocking around 20 December

 

[Eleeski]

A Christmas get together so someone in the family starts the new year in a hospital.

Statistics to prove this wild claim? What are the real odds that your family will be infected? San Diego is at 8/100,000 (per today's San Diego Union). A family get together of 10 people suggests a .08%chance of getting infected - with a corresponding decrease in the odds of hospitalization (very few infected people need hospitalization).

Europe's rate is higher in places - but not 100 times more (where 1% might get infected - still a small fraction). And families vacationing to ski aren't likely to bring along people too old to ski - reducing the illness and hospitalization rates even more.

Too much is happening based on unsupported projections and a need to just "do something". If "doing something" now allows a Christmas ski season, at least we will be able to ski.

Eric

 

[dbostedo]

This is a thread about skiing in Europe, not a general COVID discussion thread. If it doesn't tie back to skiing in Europe, please don't post it. Let's stay on topic folks. Thanks.

 

[fatbob]

Skiing in Europe is ONLY about COVID this year. The weather, snowfall, everything else is secondary. Even transport options and accomodation are highly susceptible to whatever COVID and its reaction causes.

 

[James]

Europe's rate is higher in places - but not 100 times more

San Diego is at 8/100,000 (per today's San Diego Union).

8 x 100 = 800 cases/100,000
France is well over 2k cases/100,000

According to your San Diego Union, 10% of cases are hospitalized. Looks like 7% to me.


www.statista.com/statistics/1110187/coronavirus-incidence-europe-by-country/

Tracking coronavirus data in San Diego County

Here are the latest COVID-19 trends. Coronavirus cases, deaths and vaccinations in San Diego County.

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

 

[Eleeski]

Are those active cases? The ones where transmission is possible? Looks cumulative to me. Belgium must be doing something really wrong if they are that bad again. Where's Sweden?

Are you worried about getting infected by someone who had it last spring? Hopefully the ski resorts don't share that fear. And can find data regarding how many are contagious to make a reasoned response to real risks.

Eric

 

[crgildart]

Where's Sweden?
Eric

They all died already..

kidding, but not looking good

Sweden COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer

Sweden Coronavirus update with statistics and graphs: total and new cases, deaths per day, mortality and recovery rates, current active cases, recoveries, trends and timeline.

www.worldometers.info

 

[Nobody]

Well, as of now we are Royally F...ed up here.
Along with Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and Calabria , Lombardy has been ordered an as complete as it can come lock-down; as it is, starting tomorrow (friday) I would not be able to even cross my village's boundaries to move within the province/region.
Forget skiing.
This until Dec 3rd...