While we are again in a wave of contagion by the COVID-19 ski-related companies are take another look and seek to resolve with a plan for contingency Covid-19 reopen with all the necessary biosafety standards for sliding on the snow is again safe and fun.
This plan of “guarantee COVID” is offered by several operators in the sector and consists of the return of your money for cancellation in any eventuality by COVID-19.
This is the case of Aramón, the administrator of the ski resorts in Aragon, which offers its season ticket with a free “COVID guarantee” to cover the eventualities derived from the pandemic. Season pass skiers are guaranteed 15 days of skiing in the coming season. In case of impossibility to ski due to COVID circumstances, the amount of the unused days up to those 15 guaranteed will be refunded.
Baqueira Beret offers the same, and recommends that if you are going to contract accommodation, it should be in a hotel “COVID Guarantee” and so can be cancelled without charge for any reason relating to the COVID-19 that stops you from enjoying your stay. Also for this season you can buy the Passes online, which makes the process much easier and safer.
While different measures are proposed to return to the slopes, Germany, Italy and France are some of the countries that say NO to the opening of the stations.
Snowmaking continues and many resorts in Europe have good weather conditions to start the new season, but there are still mobility restrictions due to the Covid-19 that are delaying the opening of the resorts to the public. Germany and Italy are some of the countries that, according to the European Commission (EC), recommend caution in order to avoid an upsurge of infections, recommending NOT to open the slopes for the rest of the year, but the competence on the opening of the resorts lies with each Member State.
The Spanish government has left the decision to each autonomous community. So the Catalan communities have decided to open on December 14th, as communicated last Friday December 11th by the Catalan Association of Ski Resorts and Mountain Activities (ACEM).
In the case of France, it has focused on seeking European coordination to obtain the closure of ski resorts in neighboring countries, at least so that their citizens cannot use them. Some of the ski resorts, such as Gourette and La Pierre Saint Martin, Val Thorens, Courchevel, Luz Ardiden,Cambre d’Aze, Font-Romeu Pyrénées 2000 and Porté-Puymorens, will be closed until January.
Austria, on the other hand, will open its ski resorts from December 24th, although it keeps the whole hotel and gastronomic sector closed until at least January 7th, while Switzerland is already in operation for everyone who wants to enjoy its resorts. Let’s not forget that Switzerland is home to the Best LAAX Resort awarded at the eighth annual World Ski Awards.
In the case of Andorra, the government has not changed its mind and will not open until the first week of January, the decision has been taken due to pressure from economic sectors and especially because of the weather conditions. “We remain loyal to the European concert” to open after the Christmas holidays, this has been said by the Minister of Health, Juan Martinez Benazet.
Protocols on the Covid-19 in the stations and on the slopes.
While the use of masks is mandatory, the social distance between users in transports such as ski lifts, chairlifts or gondolas, and especially at access and landing. Signage will also be implemented to illustrate to the general public the distances and capacities. The development of necessary information materials to guide users as well as the training of workers. Without forgetting the reinforcement of cleaning and disinfection measures adapted to each space in the facilities. All this is a common protocol, to which we can add all the measures that each resort decides to incorporate, as for example in the case of many reducing the capacity of the restaurants and bars of the resorts and the activities after skiing that includes the world of snow.
Dispute over the closure of ski slopes and the million-dollar losses this causes in the sector.
We cannot be naive and not know that the final closure of the ski slopes would bring important economic consequences to the tourism and winter sports sector.
We know that skiing is a practice in which contagion is unlikely due to the fact that it is outdoors and that on the slopes social distancing is mandatory in order to practice winter sports. We cannot forget about the social or leisure areas that would allow contagion. In TransSport we are optimistic and we believe that following the safety measures we can enjoy to the maximum with all the care for ours and those who surround us, this winter season 2020/2021 can be very good for all the sportsmen who wait it with anxiety.
