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Switzerland ignores rising cases – and reopens its ski resorts

verbier switzerland - verbier.ch
verbier switzerland - verbier.ch

As quarantine for British arrivals is dropped in Switzerland those looking to escape to the slopes still have a few options as the snow starts falling and lifts start turning

As winter fast approaches, coronavirus cases in Europe are spiralling upwards, lockdowns are being reintroduced and travel is becoming increasingly difficult.

However, despite this the Swiss ski resort of Verbier is bucking the gloomy trend and opening the first part of its ski area today – offering a glimmer of hope to skiers and snowboarders who yearn to return to the slopes this season.

The resort’s Lac des Vaux slopes, which run between the Chassoure (2,740m) and Attelas (2,727m) peaks, will welcome the first skiers of the season today. They will be open on weekends only during November and then daily from December 5.

“After a magnificent summer season, the cold and the snow arrived very quickly on the heights of Verbier,” said a spokesperson from Téléverbier, which operates the ski lifts in the resort. “The recent precipitation has blanketed the mountains with a beautiful white carpet. We are therefore pleased to announce that Lac des Vaux will be open to the public from this Friday.”

Once snow cover permits the remaining parts of the local ski area will be fully open – it’s hoped this will be by December – before the entire 4 Vallées area, which spans a total 412km, covers the neighbouring resorts of Nendaz, Thyon, Veysonnaz, Bruson and La Tzoumaz and is Switzerland’s largest, opens in time for the festive season.

verbier - melody sky/verbier.ch
verbier - melody sky/verbier.ch

The news comes as resorts in France enter the first day of the country’s second national lockdown, set to be in place for at least a month, and ski lifts in Italy stand still under orders from the Government, until November 24 at the earliest.

“Téléverbier is committed to welcoming skiers in the best possible conditions, taking into account the health situation. Wearing a mask will be mandatory at all facilities as well as in the queues. The company has obtained the Clean and Safe label supported by Switzerland Tourism,” said resort bosses in Verbier.

The country-wide Clean and Safe label showcases businesses that have committed to new rules to keep guests and employees safe. These include social distancing measures, mandatory masks indoors, on lifts as well as in queues, encouragement to pre-book lift passes online (with new refund policies in place) and sanitisation stations across the mountain. Last weekend the Italian resort of Cervinia faced criticism as images appeared to show large crowds of skiers gathering to access the slopes in full-to-capacity lift cabins.

In another encouraging step, Switzerland has also dropped its mandatory 10-day quarantine for anybody visiting the country from the UK, meaning skiers and snowboarders now just face two weeks of isolation on their return home. Cases in Switzerland are on the rise however, with a rate of 563 per 100,000, more than double that in the UK (232).

A small price to pay for fresh tracks on the slopes and to escape the UK’s own tiered lockdown system? Many would agree so. Research by the Mountain Trade Network found that three quarters of skiers would be willing to quarantine this season if it meant they could go on a ski holiday – this obviously relies on them being able to get the correct insurance cover.

The latest images from Verbier show pristine white slopes, thanks to a number of recent snow storms that have blasted the Alps. There’s currently close to 3 metres of snow in the resort with the next snowfall, and at least 10cm more, due on Tuesday.

Verbier joins the growing line-up of resorts in Switzerland that are now open for snow-sports. Zermat, which sits in the shadow of the famous Matterhorn mountain, has been open for skiing on its glacier since the summer, so too has Saas-Fee. Similar to Verbier there are also limited slopes open, mainly at weekends, in St Moritz and Davos-Klosters.

Andermatt, two hours from Zurich, will also open slopes on the Gemsstock mountain this weekend. It's the resort's earliest opening in 10 years, thanks to new snow-farming technology that has preserved 130,000m3 of snow over the summer. The Gemsstock slopes will be open at weekends throughout November, then daily from November 29 before the rest of the Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis ski area opens in December.

Where can I go skiing?

As the threat of further restrictions in the UK loom and resorts are forced to close in France and Italy, skiers and snowboarders, who are willing to accept a 14-day quarantine on their return home and who can get the appropriate travel insurance, still have some (but not many) options for an early-season trip.

However, it’s worth noting that while it’s advised to book with a major operator such as Crystal Ski and Inghams for financial security, many of these have confirmed they will not run ski trips if the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office’s advice against all non-essential travel remains in place.

Skiers willing to take the risk will therefore need to book independently or through a bonded agent or smaller operator. Luckily many of these are now offering Covid guarantees and flexible booking policies too. Be warned though, flight schedules have been significantly reduced further limiting options – alternatives such as driving to the Alps could solve this problem.

Switzerland

Those tempted, by the current conditions and openings, to escape to Switzerland have a number of options for a snow-sure early-season break.

In Verbier the three-star Hotel Bristol offers rooms from CHF 132 per person per night on a bed and breakfast basis, booked direct. It’s a stone’s throw from the centre of the resort and is a 10-minute walk to the Médran lift station.

zermatt
zermatt

In Zermatt the Schweizerhof Zermatt is one of the resort’s longest-standing hotels. It’s close to the train station and Gornergrat lift and punches above its four-star rating. Prices start from CHF 310 per room per night on a bed and breakfast basis, booked direct.

SWISS airways operates weekly flights from numerous UK airports from £52 one-way. Train transfers are popular in Switzerland with many resorts having railway stations at their centre – the Swiss Transfer Ticket covers return trips from all airports to destinations, from £122.

Austria

While ski lifts have stopped turning in Italy and France, there’s still fresh tracks being made across the borders in Austria, where Britons face no barriers to enter and cases are 249 per 100,000, compared to 232 on home soil.

Sölden is one of Austria’s most snow-sure resorts and skiing here kicked off on the glacier at the end of September, with plans to be fully open by November 19. A week at Das Central, the resort’s leading five-star hotel, costs from £1,370 per person, including half board and a six-day full-area lift pass, with SkiLine, departing December 5.

solden
solden

In Kitzbühel, which began to open its slopes this week with the majority of the ski area due to be in operation by mid-November, four nights bed and breakfast at the Berghotel Ehrenbachhohe, which is ski-in/ski-out if conditions allow, costs from £312 per person, including a three-day lift pass, with SkiLine, departing December 5.

EasyJet, British Airways and Lufthansa operate direct flights to Innsbruck from £40 one-way in December. It is also possible to drive to Austrian ski resorts in under 10 hours from Calais, or catch the train directly into resorts.

Finland

With a case rate of 23 per 100,000, Finland remains one of the few places to be deemed as safe by the FCDO and has held onto its travel corridors – meaning no quarantine on your return home. From November 23, current entry restrictions into Finland are being replaced with a testing model, meaning UK visitors will be able to avoid quarantine on their arrival too.

levi finland - robert moiola
levi finland - robert moiola

Levi is Finland’s largest ski area with 44km of pistes and lifts there have been open since the start of October. More than 160km north of the Arctic Circle, a holiday in Finland is about more than just skiing, with the chance to see the Northern Lights and brush shoulders with Santa. Seven nights half-board at the Levi Hotel Spa costs for £1,868 per person, including flights and transfers, with Inghams (which will still run the trip if the FCDO remains the same), departing December 20.

Bulgaria

Skiing in budget-friendly Eastern Europe is often overlooked by many British skiers and snowboarders, but with the seven-day case rate in Bulgaria currently at 188 per 100,000 and no restrictions on place for UK arrivals, this could be its winter to shine. Snow cover is less reliable than in the Alps, but those willing to take a punt might be pleasantly rewarded.

Borovets is the country’s oldest resort and plans to open its lifts on December 19, if not earlier if the snow arrives. A week’s stay at the four-star Rila Hotel at the foot of the slopes during the opening week and for Christmas costs from £75 per person per night, including breakfast, booked direct.

Bankso
Bankso

Bansko is Bulgaria’s biggest resort and it also plans to open its 75km of slopes in mid-December. A week’s half-board stay at the St Ivan Rilski Hotel costs from £500 per person, including lift pass, with Snowtrex (Germany’s largest operator who is not subject to the rules of the British FCDO), departing December 19.

EasyJet, RyanAir and British Airways are all operating flights to Sofia airport, from £14 one-way in December.