The big push this winter on the pistes is to reassure skiers keen to forget the traumas of the year, and to help the industry recoup losses from the previous, abruptly abandoned season. With a reduction in UK skier numbers forecast, travelers/skiers can expect natural social distancing, and ski areas across the map have been working hard to develop anti-coronavirus strategies. With some having already opened for summer skiing and most others set to do so by early December, distancing systems will be well tested by the time British skiers arrive at Christmas.
How will resorts adapt?
You can expect to find chairlifts with closed-off seats (no real problem, as those big new chairs often sail off half full), cable-cars that no longer resemble rush-hour Tube trains, and smaller lift queues with skiers a ski stick’s length apart. Dining might involve reduced restaurant menus, and apres-ski bars will be thinned out, with crowds gravitating to open-air drinking spots. Ischgl — the Austrian ski town for the Alpine party set, which last season had the country’s biggest cluster of coronavirus cases — has one of the most comprehensive Covid-safe programmes. Visitors must prove they’ve tested negative within 72 hours of checking in or pay for an in-resort test. Skiers can expect disinfectant misting and free ski buffs, plus colourful neck cosies that can be pulled up over the face — this season’s top face mask fashion. Ski masks are likely to be a common uptake, if not compulsory, and throughout Austria, tourism employees are being given Covid tests.
Vail Resorts, which runs 13 ski areas across the US and Canada, has imposed a raft of measures, including face masks at all times, and so far, bars remain closed so apres will be a DIY affair. ischgl.com vailresorts.com
What will prices look like?
Denne historien er fra Winter Sports 2020-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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Denne historien er fra Winter Sports 2020-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Dianne Whelan
THOUGH NOT A SEASONED HIKER TO BEGIN WITH, THE FILMMAKER BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO COMPLETE THE WORLD'S LONGEST TRAIL NETWORK
NIGERIA
The country's many communities come together over hearty meals with plenty of heat
Katie Hale
A VOYAGE TO THE GREAT WHITE CONTINENT IS BOTH A DREAM COME TRUE AND A CALL TO ARMS, TO PROTECT OUR ICY POLES AND, IN TURN, OUR PLANET
WILTSHIRE
BEYOND THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE HAS EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT SITES, GIANT CHALK HORSES AND COSY PUBS IN HISTORIC VILLAGES
BATH
Thermal baths and Regency heritage have put this Somerset city firmly on the travel map - and this year the spotlight will be on former resident and literary great Jane Austen, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth
GRANADA
In this Andalucian city, flamenco is an art form as well as a way of life not just for traditional dancers and singers but also for hip-hop stars, classical guitar legends and street artists
India's Golden Triangle
LINKING DELHI, THE TAJ MAHAL AND THE PINK CITY OF JAIPUR, WITH DETOURS FOR TEMPLES AND TIGERS, THIS IS THE PERFECT ROUTE FOR FIRST-TIMERS. WORDS: POOJA NAIK
FORGED BY FIRE
A SUBTROPICAL ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC, MADEIRA HAS RUGGED VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS THAT RISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS, NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS DOWN AT SEA LEVEL AND MORE THAN 1,900 MILES OF HISTORIC AQUEDUCTS TRACING THE LANDSCAPES IN BETWEEN
ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
A KAYAKING EXPEDITION THROUGH NORWAY'S LOFOTEN ISLANDS OFFERS WHITE-SAND BEACHES, ROYAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE CHANCE TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER VIKING
the RETURN
ON A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, AN UNLIKELY CREATURE IS MAKING A TENTATIVE COMEBACK - AND VISITORS ARE OFFERED A GLIMPSE INTO THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO SAVE IT AND OTHER NATIVE WILDLIFE
