This is what the table of Europe looks like:
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Italy
Italy is on red. Skiing at Christmas is not possible. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced this this week. “We can’t afford that,” he said.
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Normally, the season would start in early December, but the country’s corona figures are still far from good. In addition, a number of regions in the north of the country, the areas where there is normally a lot of skiing, have been colored red by the Italian government. This means that the risk of the virus spreading there is high.
The local authorities in the north of the country were greatly disappointed by Contes decision. They had already taken extra safety measures, such as a mask requirement, a maximum number of people on the slopes and a maximum number in ski lifts. It didn’t change Conte’s mind.
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He wants the winter sports areas to remain closed until mid-January. Italy wants to make agreements with France and Germany on a joint opening date to prevent the virus from spreading through the tracks of other countries.
France
In any case, that call seems to be being heard in France. French President Emmanuel Macron announced yesterday that the slopes in France will not open before the end of the year. According to him, it is impossible to start the winter sports season in a short time.
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France is also aiming for an opening date in January. It remains to be seen whether that will succeed. The corona figures in France are slowly moving in the right direction, but in the ski departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie the figures are rising rapidly. Haute-Savoie even had the highest infection rates in all of France last week.
Macron hopes to be able to tell more about the start of the season within 10 days.
Germany
Germany is the second country with which Italy wants to make agreements. The state of Bavaria in particular is interested in a Christmas ban. Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder announced yesterday that the slopes would be closed for Christmas. “I would like to participate in a European cooperation. Ski lifts closed and no ski holidays”, said Söder.
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Bavaria is therefore participating in a joint approach with Italy and France. But there are still a number of ski areas in Germany that are not located in that state, such as Winterberg and an area along the Czech border. It is not yet known whether they will be open at Christmas.
Switzerland
The odd man out: Switzerland. No plans there to close the slopes for Christmas. In fact, a number of areas are already open and will remain so for the time being.
There are stricter rules on the slopes. It is mandatory to wear a mouth mask in both gondolas and chair lifts. The same applies to the queues that arise at those elevators. You cannot take ski lessons in groups and après-ski is prohibited.
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The Swiss can therefore simply go on a skiing holiday in their own country at Christmas. And the Swiss are also open to foreigners. This can also be seen in the fact that the Swiss government has ended the quarantine obligation for almost all Europeans.
The fact that areas are already open in Switzerland is against the sore leg of Italy in particular. Some governors of Italian regions bordering Switzerland have expressed frustration that people are already skiing nearby. This only increased the call for a joint European approach.
Austria
Then Austria, the most popular winter sports country among the Dutch. What Christmas will look like there is still a big mystery. The Austrians are now in a strict three-week lockdown, because the infections rose sharply in a short time. The lockdown will last until at least December 6.
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The numerous ski areas, most of which were scheduled to open on November 26, were forced to relocate their opening. Some areas were already open, but had to close again in a hurry. Now they hope to be able to reopen after the lockdown, around mid-December. But with corona numbers barely going down, the chance of that happening is getting smaller.
Still, the authorities are trying to make winter sports possible with strict measures. Après-ski is prohibited and alcoholic drinks may only be consumed seated in restaurants. Several ski resorts are already trying to attract tourists by giving them money back after booking a holiday if the slopes are found to be closed.
Once the slopes open, all eyes will be on Ischgl, the ski village that grew into a corona flames last year. The director of the village’s tourism office has said they have invested about 700,000 euros in hygiene measures to prevent contamination.
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All in all, it is not yet clear whether skiing will be possible in Austria at Christmas. In any case, Bavarian Prime Minister Söder does not want to wait for it. He has announced that Germans who go skiing in Austria in December must be quarantined for 10 days upon their return.
Spain
Most Dutch people ski in the Alps every year, but there are also other places in Europe where you can ski. Such as in the Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada in Spain. Whether you can ski there at Christmas depends on two factors.
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First of all, whether the autonomous communities in Spain where ski areas are located are in lockdown or not. For the time being that is the case. But many of those areas will decide in the coming weeks whether the lockdown can be ended or not. If that does happen, most areas in the Pyrenees will open on December 10th. The Sierra Nevada opens even earlier on November 28 when the lockdown ends.
The second factor that plays a big role is snow. Because if the lockdown is lifted in the various autonomous regions, there is still a chance that there is not enough snow to open. Because for the time being there is no snow at all in many places.
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Sweden
For the time being, there are no restrictions on skiing in Sweden at Christmas. The same rules apply for ski areas as for the rest of the country. This means that groups larger than 8 people are not welcome in restaurants. And after 10 p.m. no more alcohol can be served.
Norway
About the same goes for Norway. There are no rules that make skiing in Norway impossible during Christmas. In particular, there are some general rules. No more than 20 people are allowed in public places and no more alcohol is allowed after midnight.
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For tourists it is currently very difficult to come to Norway. Anyone arriving at a Norwegian airport must present a negative corona test. In addition, everyone who does not live in Norway or does not come there for business must be quarantined for 10 days. Winter sports are therefore also included.
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