Ski resorts in France and Italy have become increasingly vocal in their campaign to block plans by the French, German and Italian governments to close ski areas into January. The resorts argue they have adequate measures in place to operate safely in the pandemic and say the damage the closures will cause livelihoods is disproportionate to the risk. “We ask the Government to come to its senses and listen to the mountain professionals who have shown their professionalism in the management of the health crisis,” a statement from Alpe d’Huez today says. A Facebook post by the resort received over two-and-a-half thousand likes and nearly 2000 shares within an hour of it going live. Larger protests are reported to be

Last Updated: 30 November 2020 at 13.10 GMT (Updates so far since 5 May: 354) The web's most comprehensive guide of ski resorts opening around the world during the pandemic. Around 130 Ski Areas Are Currently Open Worldwide In 10 Countries on 3 Continents: Asia: China, Japan, Kazakhstan. Europe: Finland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland. North America: Canada, USA Browse by country: North America: Canada USA Europe: Austria Bulgaria Czech Republic Finland France Italy Norway Poland Scotland Slovak Republic Slovenia Sweden Switzerland Asia: China Japan NEW: Anger at plans to close French and Italian ski areas over Christmas is growing in the Alps from the people who work there (30 November)The Portes du Soleil ski region which straddles the border between France and Switzerland says its Swiss side

The Portes du Soleil, one of the world’s largest ski areas with 600km of slopes, will have its slopes half-open for Christmas and New Year. The giant ski region straddles the French / Swiss border with ski runs accessed from around a dozen separate ski resorts on either side. On Thursday the French Prime Minister appeared to confirm that French ski slopes will definitely be closed until January, whilst Swiss leaders said they expected their slopes to remain open. The result is, what the Portes du Soleil summarise as, “an unprecedented situation.” “In Switzerland the ski lifts will be open in December above the resorts of Morgins, Champéry, Val d'Illiez Les Crosets Champoussin and Torgon.  In France the ski lifts

Although nothing is certain from one day to the next in our pandemic-ruled world, Switzerland’s health minister has said it will keep its ski resorts open for the time being. Speaking at a news conference today Health Minister Alain Berset said this would remain the case  so long as there were strict safety measures in place to stop and virus spread. Earlier Swiss officials had said the wintersports industry was too vital to the country to consider shutting it down. The announcement came as three of the most powerful Western EU nations -  France, Germany and Italy – are putting pressure on the entire EU block (and in some cases the implication is on non-eu neighbours like Switzerland too) to

They say a week is a long time in politics. For the travel industry, just 24-hours is enough to flip the entire industry on its head, and then back again. So what has happened? Well firstly, for months the UK travel industry has been waiting for the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to announce a  reduction in the number of days required for self-quarantine when returning from an overseas trips (the current 'safe-travel-corridor list', where no quarantine is required, includes only a couple of ski nations).  The change means skiers and snowboarders returning from their holidays could abandon the 14-day obligatory quarantine, and instead enlist in a “Test and Release” system. Those paying for a private test after just five days isolation