Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

French Ski resorts 2020/21 anti covid measures

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Stitch a surgical mask onto the buff, problem solved
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
davidof wrote:
polo wrote:
davidof wrote:


Do you get many Savoyards? if so you have my commiserations.


What's wrong with them?


as they say in France "if you think a Savoyard is insufferable when he's wrong about something, just wait till he's actually right"


Michel Barnier is a Savoyard ... a relation of a friend Smile
latest report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
marksavoie wrote:
davidof wrote:
polo wrote:
davidof wrote:


Do you get many Savoyards? if so you have my commiserations.


What's wrong with them?


as they say in France "if you think a Savoyard is insufferable when he's wrong about something, just wait till he's actually right"


Michel Barnier is a Savoyard ... a relation of a friend Smile


To be fair to Barnier, he may be known as The Cretin of the Alps by his more sophisticated colleagues but he has managed to learn English quite late in life.
latest report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Now available in English:
https://twitter.com/FrenchMountains/status/1308068997544521735/photo/1

latest report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Why not buy a washable mask with replaceable (material) filters. Ours were less than a tenner and I could happily ski in mine, as a replacement for my usual mask or buff. This seems an awful lot of hot air over a small point. Do people want to ski, or avoid the minor inconvenience of wearing a mask? Personally if it’s a choice between this or don’t ski, it’s no choice at all. It’s not all that much of a problem is it?
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
I’d be happy to take a lift in a face covering, we go quiet weeks so usually have a lift to ourselves anyway. But no way wear one whilst actually skiing. I mean....What is the risk whilst flying past each other in the open air?,
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
You don’t have to wear one when skiing. It’s only in the lift queue and on the lift.
snow report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Just got this from TeleVerbier. Not France but not far away...

Towards a capacity restriction-free opening

This upcoming winter, unless otherwise instructed, Téléverbier will open its ski resort as per usual, as soon as the snow conditions permit it, all the while guaranteeing the safety of our staff. There is, to this day, no lift/skier capacity-limitation for the resort. However, new measures may be put in place, depending on the evolution of the government’s guidelines. The use of masks in lifts will, however, remain mandatory in the gondolas and cable cars.
ski holidays
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@BobinCH, Good. Very sensible, very Swiss.
snow report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Stinkpickle, looks like in ski school as well. Feckin' clever and discriminating this virus.
snow conditions
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
BobinCH wrote:
(From Televerbier)... while guaranteeing the safety of our staff.


Don’t they mean while keeping the risk to our staff acceptably low? Our (UK) government have been going on about “safety” constantly and driving me up the wall. I thought better of the Swiss.
snow report
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Quote:

I’d be happy to take a lift in a face covering, we go quiet weeks so usually have a lift to ourselves anyway. But no way wear one whilst actually skiing. I mean....What is the risk whilst flying past each other in the open air?,

The point of the discussion was that some people thought it was a hassle to put a mask on when approaching a ski lift and take it off when leaving it. So I suggested simply wearing it all day. I have come across people wearing ski masks all day in the past so why not slip a surgical mask underneath it?
snow report
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
BobinCH wrote:
Just got this from TeleVerbier. Not France but not far away...
The use of masks in lifts will, however, remain mandatory in the gondolas and cable cars.


So would this mean no masks on chairlifts and tbars? (This was the case in Zermatt/Saas Fee this summer)
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
johnE wrote:
Quote:

I’d be happy to take a lift in a face covering, we go quiet weeks so usually have a lift to ourselves anyway. But no way wear one whilst actually skiing. I mean....What is the risk whilst flying past each other in the open air?,

The point of the discussion was that some people thought it was a hassle to put a mask on when approaching a ski lift and take it off when leaving it. So I suggested simply wearing it all day. I have come across people wearing ski masks all day in the past so why not slip a surgical mask underneath it?


has anyone been able to confirm the type of mask required? I mean surgical vs cloth vs ski mask etc... obviously if any face covering will do then minimal hassle as this is part of most skiers wardrobe anyway. It is one thing in the summer to wear a surgical mask but in the winter I see the condensation becoming problematic/a nuisance...
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
No capacity restrictions in Val d’Isere. Interesting!
https://www.valdisere.com/en/healthcare-protocol/
snow conditions
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Has anybody crossed from Italy to France and back again recently? Any movement control issues?
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Dravot,

A friend does the trip regularly with no problems. Mont Blanc tunnel to Aosta region
ski holidays
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@stewart woodward, @Dravot,

The Italian health minister Roberto Speranza confirmed the new rules on Monday (September 21).
Italy requires Covid tests for travellers from France
People travelling to Italy from certain regions in France - including Paris, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Nouvelle-Aquitaine - are now required to take a Covid-19 test to cross the border.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Italy-requires-Covid-19-coronavirus-tests-for-travellers-from-seven-regions-of-France

So if flying into Turin to go to Serre Chevalier and returning would be an issue now
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
@Dravot, As of yesterday, Italy now demands a negative test within the last 72 hours or a test on arrival for certain areas of France including Rhone-Alpes. Details here:

https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ministero/normativaonline/decreto-iorestoacasa-domande-frequenti/focus-cittadini-italiani-in-rientro-dall-estero-e-cittadini-stranieri-in-italia.html

Thanks to @timlongs for letting me know.
ski holidays
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Weathercam wrote:
@stewart woodward, @Dravot,

The Italian health minister Roberto Speranza confirmed the new rules on Monday (September 21).
Italy requires Covid tests for travellers from France
People travelling to Italy from certain regions in France - including Paris, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Nouvelle-Aquitaine - are now required to take a Covid-19 test to cross the border.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/Italy-requires-Covid-19-coronavirus-tests-for-travellers-from-seven-regions-of-France

So if flying into Turin to go to Serre Chevalier and returning would be an issue now


unless you can get a test in France I guess?
snow report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Skiing in La Rosiere / La Thuile will be a bit restricted if you have to take a test on the piste every time you cross the border!
snow conditions
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
This looks quite promising. A cat 2 covid resistant ski buff which is going to be sold in resorts so should be recognised on lifts etc as approved.

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/economie-social/coronavirus-une-entreprise-savoyarde-creee-un-tour-de-cou-anti-covid-pour-les-skieurs-1601050340?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1FiiGm6ufd-dYoBopK_CKm01w3TIWBvs7ZDJVXexEyT6LCa6A3Nbq5SZU#Echobox=1601814381
snow conditions
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
That looks good but I wonder how breathable that is. I ordered a "nanoweave" one from Giraffe, but I realised when I wore it that breathing through nano sized holes is not that easy - you do need spaces to breathe through, especially if exerting yourself at all (as, for example, carrying a heavy pair of skis up several flights of stairs to a gondola).
ski holidays
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
There are masks made by baselayer manufacturers, would guess they would be breathable, examples here and here.
snow report
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
The point is that masks were necessary in some places in summer and buffs weren't acceptable on the lifts. If these serve both purposes and are recognisable as such it has to be a positive to my mind.
ski holidays
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Are they proposing to install a buff inspector at each lift queue?
snow report
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@DJL, I believe they were turning people who didn't have a mask away in the summer. Easy enough for whoever is looking after the lift.
snow report
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
French ski resorts in times of Covid

Quote:

The drop in international attendance at French ski resorts worries the sector. Despite the summer craze for the mountains, winter reservations are sluggish.

In the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic, ski resorts are preparing for a difficult winter. Foreign customers are severely down. On average, in previous years, foreigners represented 28% of the clientele of French resorts.

"The signals are not very optimistic," said Caroline Leboucher, CEO of Atout France, to put it mildly. "It's a bit of the lottery for now. We don't know yet," said Alexandre Maulin.


"The English market is a priority! We have to find diplomatic solutions to avoid the fortnight quarantine that is putting everyone off," pleads the president of Domaines skiables de France. He believes that a simple Covid test would be enough to allow the British to return to France this winter.

The Secretary of State for Tourism, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, said he was "mobilized" with Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs, on this issue.

In this "uncertain winter", "last minute bookings will turn into last seconds", forecasts Jean-Marc Silva, director of France Montagnes, the body responsible for promoting the sector.

The weakening of foreign customers has highlighted the need for the mountain to conquer the French in winter as "it conquered hearts this summer", recalled Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. After great uncertainties, the summer season ended with an increase of 5 points compared to 2019.

But while it is a question of stopping the erosion of the French clientele, many resorts are alarmed by "cascading cancellations of snow classes" which give children a taste for skiing, relayed the deputy of Savoie Emilie Bonnivard (LR). "We must reinvest and boost the departures of intraregional snow classes".


as a side note the Biathlon world cup in le Grand Bornand has been cancelled in December due to Covid.
latest report
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
DJL wrote:
Are they proposing to install a buff inspector at each lift queue?


I have seen a few buff instructors but fewer buff lifties in my time..................
snow conditions
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
davidof wrote:
as a side note the Biathlon world cup in le Grand Bornand has been cancelled in December due to Covid.

OTOH, there are more Alpine world cup events scheduled in France than in normal years, mostly in December.
ski holidays
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
The latest standpoint in Switzerland (google translate, so apologies)

https://www.lematin.ch/story/ski-en-suisse-pas-de-masques-sauf-dans-les-telecabines-fermees-525300303047

Quote:
Skiing in Switzerland: no masks, except in closed gondolas
The Swiss ski lifts and the resorts are launching a reassuring campaign: snow lovers will be able to indulge in their sport in complete safety, by means of barrier gestures and instructions relating to wearing a mask.
by
Evelyne Emery
1/6



The seduction and marketing operation has been dubbed "Tous en piste". Faced with the artistic vagueness that persisted around the wearing of a mask on ski areas in Switzerland, whatever the sport practiced - alpine, hiking, speed ride, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, etc.… - the Swiss Ski Lift (RMS) clarify the situation. "No, we will not ski masked": the man who says it is none other than Berno Stoffel, director of RMS.

Cancellation free of charge
In collaboration with Swiss Snowsports (ndlr. Umbrella of the Swiss Ski Schools / ESS), the Swiss airline company and more than 50 ski lift companies and resorts, the Swiss ski lifts seek to send a priority message: the ski season will begin as expected, despite the pandemic. This private action is under the patronage of Vaud Federal Councilor Guy Parmelin, in charge of the economy.

All tourism stakeholders, but also many parliamentarians and high-level athletes, are involved in this vast national and international campaign, tending to relaunch the machine which came to a halt in mid-March with the closure of the tracks. An abrupt end of the season, dictated by the Coronavirus and the start of semi-containment. The initiators of this project guarantee that in the event of an incident related to Covid, reservations will be canceled free of charge.

"The chairlifts are not concerned"

Berno Stoffel, Director of Swiss Ski Lifts (RMS)
“The security concepts put in place this summer proved that the protective measures worked. We will do the same for the winter. The 2020/2021 season will start as usual, with the difference that a mask will have to be worn in closed places and only in closed places. Either gondolas, cable cars, trains and funiculars. Chair lifts and other lifts are not affected. In the queues, we call for the empowerment of skiers, "continues the boss of RMS.

Surgical mask not practical
So which mask will you need to have on hand when it is required, those made of fabric being banned? "The Confederation and the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) have refused our proposal to simply protect the mouth and nose with a balaclava or standard neck warmers, continues Berno Stoffel. We felt that the surgical mask with its elastics would not be practical with the helmet and glasses (note. mist). We thought about a simpler alternative and looked for suppliers who could develop specific lanyards that can be put on and off quickly and which have the filter and safety required by OFSP. "

10 francs maximum
"These particular neck warmers should in principle be on the market from mid-November." On the market? It will therefore be necessary to buy them. "Yes it's right. They are currently in production. Their maximum price will be 10 francs, no more, promises the director of Swiss lifts. They will be on sale in sports stores
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
ecureuil wrote:
Skiing in La Rosiere / La Thuile will be a bit restricted if you have to take a test on the piste every time you cross the border!


Plus Cervinia - Zermatt, Avoriaz - Les Crosets/Champery - Sestriere / Claviere - it's going to be complicated.

Theoretically you need to quarantine on arrival in Swizerland for 10 days, indoors, if you've come from the UK (whether that's via Cervinia etc or not
ski holidays
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@iainm, NB The border in the Milky Way is between Claviere and Montgenevre
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
rjs wrote:
davidof wrote:
as a side note the Biathlon world cup in le Grand Bornand has been cancelled in December due to Covid.

OTOH, there are more Alpine world cup events scheduled in France than in normal years, mostly in December.


And on the third hand, all that racing in Tignes/Val Diz before XMAS is the main reason we're considering going elsewhere - if we get to go at all.
snow conditions
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
IBU have decided to run all biathlon events in November/December in only 2 resorts. Kontiolahti and Hochfilzen. January events only in Oberhof and Antholz. So the actual races aren't cancelled just being held somewhere else. Seems sensible decision from IBU to limit the travelling
latest report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy