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It was suggested on another thread that France may try to hold back any mass closures for another week because of the local elections on the 15th and 22nd. If that's right, next week is possibly the last definite week of the season.
Locally to me they've today announced that schools are closing in 16 towns as of now (not in the Alps) for the next 3 weeks (let's wait and see see if the EWS in Olargues gets the bullet shortly)
We've just taken the decision to cancel our family trip to Kaprun 🙁 Was supposed to be flying on Saturday but decided based on the worsening situation in Austria. Basic wooden accommodation built for asylum seekers has been repurposed for quarantining infected tourists, which reports suggest is not particularly luxurious. Not a great prospect of potentially being stuck there with young children...
@turboferret that's the correct call. My pre-easter week has also succumbed to the same fate, but hey ho.
We're a bit torn, Crystal have just emailed to say refund will be with us in 5 days with no action or chasing on our part, which is good. They are offering for us to re-book for next year, which suggests they expect the situation to get worse.
But France still open and if what @ocrider says holds true then we'd be alright next week. Or we'll be stuck getting home from a closed resort. Driving to France is option, possibly even in the campervan so we have somewhere to stay.
Rock the Pistes is cancelled in Portes du Soleil though so they are starting to limit large events I guess.
Going to see what Johnson says after Cobra meeting and decide what to do.
@turboferret are you just taking the hit on the money? Presumably no refund unless they cancel it or the resort shuts?
@oldtennisshoes it's only money at the end of the day, it could be fine, or could descent into a nightmare. On the bright side I get to go to work instead...
@phil5556 we're assuming that we won't get anything back financially, unless something dramatic changes between now and Saturday morning. I doubt many travel insurance policies would pay out just because you decided not to travel. We might be able to get a refund on our airport parking, but that's not exactly the big-ticket item... On the plus side I only spent £9 on equipment, being an edge sharpening tool!
Heart goes out to people missing out on a planned holiday - Appreciate there's far more to life than skiing, given what's going on in Italy but I'd be gutted to miss out - lets hope the medical community and the immune-response of humans can beat this thing over the coming six months and we can go back to worrying about snow quality in 20-21!
@phil5556 that might have been optimistic on my behalf earlier. Macron is addressing the nation this evening, so I wouldn't pull the trigger on travel, accommodation, etc just yet.
I'm due to fly with the family to Geneva 2 weeks on Saturday. I don't see any point in cancelling and not getting any compensation. Better the governments take that decision for you so your covered for insurance. We would still like to go as its the same holiday we had last year and it was a great success. Its the consequences of quarantine with the kids for 2weeks ...maybe and then a difficult journey home if that's possible that's the crux. If we take it to the wire then we may just not turn up at the airport. Everything is booked independently so there will be no ABTA cover. Will just do the courtesy calls if it comes to that.
Looks like I've timed a day off well again!
Heading to Glenshee tomorrow and it's been snowing there pretty much all day!
All Austrian Tirol and Salzburgerland resorts closing after this Sunday. Looks like season is over. Apart from splitboarding 😢
Yup, looks like season over, might try and sneak a couple of days in Jockland but hotel cancelled our reservation FOC so worst case scenario is we lose flights and car hire.
Gutted but I guess in 6 months this will look like a drop in the ocean.
Last day in Mayrhofen, definitely shutting down behind us. Been a good week apart from that.
We've got a late March trip to Switzerland booked - not expecting it to go ahead now but fingers crossed...
My local resort is currently staying open based on advice from the swedish government. Others that they own (skistar) in Norway and Austria have shut.
Still, tis the season for splitboarding anyhow!
We're pretty lucky, as the operator has cancelled about 12 hours before we were going to, so full refund coming our way 🙂 Glad we didn't cancel yesterday, as we would have got nothing!
That's good news Turbo.
I'm supposed to be going to Deux Alpes on 21st March (i.e. in 1 week). It seems so unlikely I'll be able to go so now I'm really just hoping that the resorts get shut so I can get a refund.
We spent last year's holiday in quarantine due to Jr Superficial's chicken pox, and do NOT want a repeat of that. What is it with viruses ruining my snowboarding plans? 🙁
The quarantine potential was what really made the decision for us... Glad it's out of our hands now. Best of luck for you @superficial
Well that's our second cancellation in a week, first Gressoney and now St Christoph in the Arlberg. Can't see us re-booking anything now for the 21st, just take the refund.
Meanwhile, it snowed yet again last night in the west Highlands. Nevis & Coe once again having to dig out uplift tracks as the base is so deep and all the lift towers have shrunk.
The spring snow is going to be absolutely epic in a week or two...
Jet2 have just cancelled all flights to Austria https://twitter.com/jet2tweets/status/1238453180230443010?s=20
Looks like we'll have got refunds for everything now as Car hire cancelled FOC this morning
My planned trip to Samones on the 29th via Easyjet is not looking good from all the posts on this thread. If the plane cancels we could drive there, but if resorts are closing that might not be a winner, paid the chalet directly so not sure if that's an insurance claim or what, the owner is conveniently a mate of one of the group so it's not an impersonal online booking thing. I REALLY still want to go though, I like snow!
if the plane cancels we could drive there,
We very nearly decided that we'd drive down to Les Gets tomorrow but there's always next year. I think there's a very good chance France will be the next to start shutting resorts.
We've decided to blitz the garden instead, which is definitely not as fun.
And we've got Val Thorens booked for the 3 days at the end of the season, not sure how likely that's looking either now.
Andorra just announced that no ski lifts will be operating in the principality as of tomorrow.
dashed
Member
We’ve got a late March trip to Switzerland booked – not expecting it to go ahead now but fingers crossed…
All Swiss ski resorts also closed as of this weekend, except Verbier which has shut immediately. Sorry.
We were supposed to be flying out to Norway this morning. Even had the bags packed and sitting in the hall ready to go. At this moment I should be sitting in a log cabin wearing a big chunky knitted sweater and eating reindeer steaks. Stupid virus.
Perspective alert............yes thanks, I am aware that a cancelled skiing holiday is very much a first world problem.
Well, that worked out a little better than expected. EasyJet have waived the fee to transfer flights so have moved my flights tomorrow and the following Saturday to October for a weekend city break with Mrs Tub for a princely sum of £24. Got a full refund on the car hire and just had an email back from the apartment owner in La Plagne saying don’t worry he’ll refund me the full amount! I’m inclined to say keep the money for a booking in 2021 as wasn’t expecting a penny back with a cancellation less than 24 hours from arrival. There are decent folks in the world.
Yup, looks like season over, might try and sneak a couple of days in Jockland
Perhaps best to spare them your company...
French news are saying no plans to shut resorts at the moment.
I think flashy is back :o)
I'm supposed to be driving tow to Samoens on the 3rd April, for a week.
Just waiting for France to start closing resorts....
If it happens I'll probably just move my tunnel crossing and ferry home to sometime over the summer. Then just claim accommodation back on insurance.
Ditto ads except we were driving to Les Gets.
Les Gets Closed from Sunday.
Presume others too but that’s all I’ve looked at.
This is awful on many fronts. We were about to complete in a house in Les Gets about 5 weeks ago and something made us delay. We pulled out 3 weeks ago - thank goodness !
Awful for all the businesses, and obv for anyone who loses A family member, friend or otherwise.
Friend's daughter is working for the season in St Anton and they've put all the 'employees' literally under house arrest for 14 days and the entire resort is shut down.
Another friends son was on holiday there and he very nearly got stuck but managed to get a train to Munich last night, slept on the floor in the airport and got a flight to Gatwick this morning.... Lucky lad (although he is coughing apparently).
He's now in self-isolation with his mates in London for two weeks.
Oh and a good friend was in Val D'Isere this week with friends but was always coming home yesterday instead of Sunday.
She's very happy to be home (hadn't realised just how much it was kicking off) whilst the others may now be a little stuck!
We were about to complete in a house in Les Gets about 5 weeks ago and something made us delay. We pulled out 3 weeks ago – thank goodness !
Not seeing the connection TBH.
Were you buying a house just for this season? Or are you expecting France to shut down for the long term?
Alps shut. Grand massif, Cham, tignes, Les Gets and Morzine all now shut.
Found out last night that the two bus loads of Uni students from Sheffield have had their Easter trip to Andorra cancelled.
I'm disappointed for Abigale and her mates but quietly relieved.
😥
Bonsoir
Les maires de La Plagne Tarentaise et de Bourg Saint Maurice, en concertation avec le syndicat intercommunal de La Grande Plagne, ont pris la décision de fermer l’ensemble du domaine de Paradiski à compter de demain. Les vacanciers venus par leurs propres moyens sont invités à repartir dès demain matin. Des solutions d’évacuation sont en cours d’études par les services de l’Etat pour évacuer ceux venus en bus et en train. Les restaurants devant être fermés, les commerçants sont invités à écouler leur stock en vente à emporter.
Good evening
The mayors of La Plagne Tarentaise and Bourg Saint Maurice, in concert with the intercommunal union of La Grande Plagne, have decided to close the entire Paradiski area from tomorrow. Vacationers who have come on their own are invited to leave tomorrow morning. Evacuation solutions are being studied by state services to evacuate those who came by bus and train. The restaurants having to be closed, the merchants are invited to sell their stock for take-away.
Blimey - some bargains to be had... if you can get there
Les Deux Alpes closed. People who arrived yesterday being flown home.
My nephew went to Val Thorens yesterday. Half way thru dinner they found out the resort was shutting down at midnight...pistes, lifts, bars, restaurants the lot!
Just checked on the PdS (app), from where we returned on Friday and it seems Avoriaz is trying to squeeze one last day out. Surely they’ll be “ordered” to shut up shop soon?
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No, they're officially closed.
It turns out that Andorra haven't just closed the lifts. They've closed the border
https://twitter.com/Meteo_Pyrenees/status/1239143567924367363
NZCol
Can you elaborate a bit on the house purchase being binned please. I'm interested in your take on this to feed into our house purchase.
Ta
I think NZCol is wise. I've seen property prices crash in ski resorts twice in the last 30 years. I bought in the mid 90s dip, there was a run up to 2007 (paper values tripled) then a crash with values halving, and it's hapening again right now. Buy in two years time and only somewhere high.
I was in Les Arcs last week, by thursday Pierres et Vacances were shutting up, and the big gondolas were shut. In the accomdation I was in every booking for the coming months was cancelled by late friday when I left. I left to pick junior up from ENSA in Chamonix which was shutting half way through his training course.
I've just taken junior to Toulouse airport for the last flight home to Berlin before the border closes to non-essentail trafic tomorrow. 1700km driving in a couple of days of thanks to CV19, it's nice to stop. I hope feeling shit is just the fatigue.
Edit: I shouldn't complain I got one powder day and another day out on rando skis.
Edit 2: and junior's not complaining because he was doing 40 hour + weeks for ESF in the French school holidays; not much snow but great weather meant full classes.
Well, we were supposed to be in Italy this week - a cheeky week in Courmayeur so Mrs NBT could try her new boots that we bought in Feb. That got canned when Italy was affected, so we were thinking of France or Switzerland. We'd actually decided not to go to the continent before they closed too, but had pencilled in a long weekend in Scotland. Should have been driving up to Stirling tonight, then on to Glencoe and Nevis Range, staying in FOrt William. Sadly, I haven't dared stray more than 20 yards from a toilet since Saturday so that plan's been abandoned as well.
There does seem to be a good snow base so we will have to see how well it lasts, perhaps Easter might be an option if things are looking more optimistic by then.
Other than that, it's next season - if it happens. Wouldn't normally ski in school holidays but am tempted to book for Christmas, then I know we're sorted before the transition agreement ends on 31st Dec. Probably high in the Tarentaise - Tignes, Arc 2000, La Plagne maybe
Fresh snow again today at both Nevis & GlenCoe, with tremendous depths on the upper mountain. More snow is forecast and temperatures are staying respectably low into next week at least.
Photos from the avalanche service on Aonach Mor from last Friday attached; risk remains Cat3 at the moment. It has already snowed a fair bit more since last week and even in these images, the summit cairn on the exposed flat top of the mountain is completely buried!
http://lochaberblog.sais.gov.uk/2020/03/sunshine-5/
I'm not alone in missing the snow, this fun and his daughter sounds just like you'd expect an annoyed teen to as her Dad skis over the sofa!
No idea how to embed a facebook video and can't find it on youtube.
Ski Sunday are showing a special 'best of' this week.
Was supposed to be flying to Turin today for a couple of weeks in Cervinia☹️
Swedish resorts are shutting this weekend after advice from the government. Main aim being to stop the easter rush of people from stockholm coming up here and spreading the illness. I'll be out on saturday fro a splitboard and sunday for some piste bashing, then no more this year.