Ed Leigh's COVID Saving Snow Tips | Ep 41 | The Covid Teaser
So, this is already a crazy year… but the key question for a lot of us (me included), is still… can I definitely not go skiing and snowboarding this winter!? Given the news right now, you might imagine the answer is a quick and obvious no, but actually, this season might not be a total write off, even though I appreciate that’s hard to imagine at the moment.
It seems reasonable to expect resorts to open to domestic visitors on some level (the mountains are outdoors after all) though whether we can travel internationally will depend on governments getting the virus under control over the next few months. And beyond that loosening travel restrictions so we can visit the Alps again.
For this video series I’m going to talk you through how next winter might look (and no it definitely won’t involve dancing on the tables at apres ski in Ischgl, apres having understandably been banned in Austria given the facts in this piece https://www.theguardian.com/…/everyone-was-drenched-in…).
If travel restrictions are lifted and airport testing is up and running, should you risk flying or the train even or is driving and getting the Eurotunnel the only way to go? I’ll explore that next week.
The week after I’ll be looking at accommodation. Catered chalets are obviously out, but what about hotels? Or is self-catering in single-household apartments the best shout?
I’ll talk you through the best resorts for these Covid times. Ones with chairlifts from the base station, for example, or walkable resorts that won’t involve squishing onto a resort bus at any point. I’ll also talk about the provisions the resorts themselves will be putting in place this winter to make things as Covid-secure as possible.
If you make it to the mountains, this is certainly the year to get your hike on and dodge the slope crowds, so I’ll look at the best resorts for doing that. I’m also going to look at insurance and why you shouldn’t book anything without checking the Foreign Office advice first or it will invalidate your insurance. So, you obviously shouldn’t be booking anything now, unless it’s for 2022. I’ll be looking into your options for that as well, as boy will we need a week in the mountains by then.
Last up, I’ll look at what the best tactic is in terms of when to go this winter. Clue: as late and last minute as possible. This is the year to have your snowboard or ski bag ready by the door like expectant parents in case things get moving in the spring, or better still hire in resort. Intersport, for example, offer ski and snowboard hire refunds up until the day before you travel https://www.intersport-rent.fr/en/
Most of all, keep the hope alive, and remember one day we will ride again!
