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Switzerland for domestic tourism only?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hot of the press “ mécaniques
Le Conseil d'Etat donne son feu vert pour l'ouverture des pistes de ski. Des autorisations sous conditions.”
Le Nouvelliste 16.12.2020, 17:27

I know which one I believe
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Langerzug wrote:
3 weeks after Europe, Switzerland is gonna follow.
As predicted.
Embarrassing.


Post hoc, ergo propter hoc?
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 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?
@lanzerzug, I don't know why I am bothering, but...oh well..

Just because a canton states it wants something doesn't mean it will happen across Switzerland. If you read Zurich canton's statement, it's reasoning is that it is unfair to close leisure facilities but not ski resorts. Remember - Zurich doesn't have any ski resorts (only a few ski fields). Read between the lines...it's about money!

The facts are that the Federal government is making its statement on further tightening on Friday. Berset has already ruled out that the Federal Government will close the ski resorts - the draft regulations being consulted on with the cantons involve closing shops and restaurants. The Federal Government have put ski resort opening in the hands of the canton. Of course, in politics, anything could happen. There is certainly a big debate going on right now and we don't know what is being said behind closed doors. But the most likely outcome, at least based on publicly available information, is closure of shops and restaurants in the very near future.

If you look at it from the federal politicians perspective (i.e. Berset) , why would you unilaterally close the ski resorts on Friday? It would be a massive u-turn - an international embarrassment given previous pressure from other EU countries - probably enough to ruin Berset's career. To close via Federal decree on Saturday, or to allow cantons to close next Tuesday if they want. Why take the heat for 3 days of low season skiing?

From my perspective, it is clear that St Gallen will close their resorts from the 22nd. I suspect that Graubunden may also decide they can't justify continued opening given the sheer number of ski areas they have and lack of hospital capacity within the canton. The real risk is that the cantons start to fall like dominos in the coming week - as people change their plans to visit ski areas in cantons that are open, those get more busy and are then forced to close. The question then becomes 1) how will people behave in visiting the ski areas - if they remain quiet, they perhaps slip under the radar without social media photos of big crowds and 2) if the crowds do descend - how quickly will the politicians decide that the risks of staying open outweigh the lost revenue to the canton?
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@ma94jcg, you are probably aware of the importance/influence of Zürich...
And you should also be aware that skiing in -say- Valais might end up in a Zürich hospital, which are close to not being able to cope...
Get real please! Switzerland is a very small country. Covid does’nt care about kantons. Just as it did’nt about Swiss borders.
Switzerland is gonna follow EU, as always.
3 weeks late though
If the Zürich hospitals are full, they need to call Merkel or Macron for help. Not a good idea...

In short: Bern is going to listen to Zürich
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In for a penny...

Valais hospitals aren’t full, neither are Bern’s In fact neither are Zurich’s! Across Switzerland the intensive care beds are currently 76% utilised (source: https://www.bernerzeitung.ch/ihre-zahlen-entscheiden-ob-die-schweiz-in-den-lockdown-muss-545738867889).

All Swiss cantons are sovereign. Zurich may be the biggest, but that has no bearing on the Federal government, who are based in Bern in any case.

Plus Valais is miles from Zurich! Have you ever been to Switzerland? Injured skiers from Valais are much more likely to be treated in the canton or at a push in Geneva or Bern.

Of course there is a chance you are right about the outcome. But it won’t be because Zurich asked for it. It will be because Berset was lobbied hard by his medical advisors and became convinced that a full lockdown is necessary - convinced enough that the medical emergency is greater than the loss of personal political capital from the u-turn. We will know on Friday...
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Not sure where the prophets of doom are getting their information.

The Swiss Government website with all the various data on it shows that the level of the virus is lower than it was a few weeks ago and also the number of people in hospital is falling (the rates are still high but only around half of the peak in early October). The level of positive tests is high but that may be down to how the Swiss testing programme is being carried out. https://www.covid19.admin.ch/en/overview. Sankt Gallen and Ticino are the cantons with the highest rates of virus. The geographical spread is also different than previously (both spring and autumn) when the French speaking cantons were much more seriously affected than the German ones. None of this rules out significant increases in virus levels or hospitalisation rates over the next couple of weeks but there is no clear pattern, some countries like Germany & Holland have seen big unexpected increases whilst others such as Spain & Belgium have not.

I know that The Local is not always the best journalism but it is not bad for factual stuff, this from today suggests what steps might be taken from 29.12 if certain levels of virus are present, closing ski lifts is very low on the list of possibilities. https://www.thelocal.ch/20201216/explained-what-restrictions-could-switzerland-introduce-after-christmas
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@munich_irish, great post.

The article sets out the draft proposals being consulted on, to be announced on Friday. Let’s hope nothing changes!

Do remember though that cantons will have the right to revoke ski permits from the 22nd, which looks to be likely for St Gallen, and is being debated in Graubunden (but Valais has confirmed won’t happen over Christmas there)
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@ma94jcg, you might want to think a little deeper about ‘sovereignity’...
And, it were the Directors of Zürich Hospitals that were ‘lobbying’...And now the kanton is following them.
And Valais cannot morally resist that.
It just takes a little money to go to Valais. (and others) That’s the only thing left they are currently talking about. The outcome is clear.
For three weeks already...Swiss sovereignty....reminds me of a certain clown that’s currently trying to ‘take back control’
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@munich_irish, this really is more helpful than your dry facts from yesteryear:
https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/das-neuste-zur-coronakrise-zuercher-regierungsrat-skigebiete-sollen-schweizweit-schliessen
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@ma94jcg, my mistake: It actually are the directors of the hospitals of Basel, Bern, Zürich, Lausanne and Geneva that are asking for much more restrictions..
Convinced already?
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*yawn* maybe you are right maybe not. We’ll know on Friday. Hospital directors do not set the policy though, that is for politicians.

Sticking to facts rather than opinion, the responses from the cantons to the Federal Government’s consultation (*ahem..dry facts*) are in. Details here:
https://www.bernerzeitung.ch/kantone-wollen-restaurants-noch-vor-weihnachten-schliessen-355747593175
You could summarise as east cantons want a full shutdown, west cantons do not. Likely that restaurants and non-essential shops will close this weekend
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Langerzug wrote:
@LaForet, @BobinCH, why do you keep repeating that I’m making up false info about Switzerland? Everything I have been posting comes from SFR, Swiss Federal Broadcasting.

I'm not. But all you are quoting and re-quoting - endlessly - is the same point: that health services are concerned about not being overwhelmed by additional covid cases. No one disputes their concern. No one disputes its validity. But you're not referencing the many other interests who are also lobbying from their own position. And you're not referencing the sources. When you look at the sources, such as the SOPH and the Cantonal press releases etc., you get a different picture.

And you have a hidden agenda, evidenced by the repeated and irrelevant 'reminds me of a certain clown that’s currently trying to ‘take back control’' statements. What on earth has the Prime Minister of the UK got to do with Swiss Cantonal vs State vs Healthcare concerns?

Of course, there will be an epidemiological and/or A&E/ICU loading point where regionally and/or nationally the authorities will have no choice but to impose far more severe restrictions on their citizens. but I think the average person is too far removed from all this to be able to predict outcomes with much accuracy.
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I certainly had hoped that Switzerland would allow UK citizens to enter as tourists post 1 Jan. A Brexit deal may shift this but based on Swiss govt website things look unhopeful (https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/sem/aktuell/faq-einreiseverweigerung.html#-1871257744). To quote an extract:

What rules apply to UK citizens from 1 January 2021?

From 1 January 2021, UK citizens who have not already acquired rights under the Agreement on Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) will no longer be treated in the same way as people who have such rights.

Only those UK citizens who have acquired rights of residence in Switzerland or rights as cross-border commuters under the AFMP by 31 December 2020 continue to have rights of free movement after 1 January 2021.

Proof that rights have been acquired under the AFMP is provided by holding a residence or cross-border commuter permit. Persons with acquired rights who do not hold a residence or cross-border commuter permit can prove their status by providing other suitable documents, such as an employment contract or lease concluded before 31 December 2020, confirmation that an application has been made to a commune of residence in Switzerland or confirmation that an application has been made for a residence permit.

Service providers from the UK can continue to use the online notification procedure in order to provide services in Switzerland for up to 90 days in any calendar year. You will find further information in the Brexit FAQs for UK service providers. From 1 January 2021, they require a confirmation of notification under the online notification procedure in order to enter Switzerland.

UK citizens who have not acquired rights under the AFMP are regarded as third country citizens when entering Switzerland and no longer have rights of free movement. This means, for example, that UK citizens are no longer allowed to enter Switzerland from the UK as tourists. See ‘Who is not allowed to enter Switzerland?’ under ‘Entering Switzerland’.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Thanks for that @SkiingQuinHat, useful information, even if it's not particularly positive info for many!

This is what the "Who is not allowed to enter Switzerland?" section goes on to say:

Quote:
Who is not allowed to enter Switzerland?
The ban on entry applies to foreign nationals who want to travel to Switzerland from a high-risk country for a stay here of up to three months, i.e.:

Persons who wish to obtain services in Switzerland;
Tourists, visitors and participants in events;
Persons who wish to come to Switzerland for medical treatment that has not yet begun or that is not regarded as urgently required;
Persons seeking employment or who have been invited for a job interview in Switzerland;
Persons who wish to submit an application for a residence permit.


So, I guess that means that EU passport holders arriving from UK WILL still be allowed to enter Switzerland as tourists, BUT that they'll potentially have to quarantine... I think.

Going to copy these last couple of posts to Travel restrictions for UK resident but EU/Non-UK passport holders in 2021 thread I think.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Langerzug, like a baby screaming louder, hoping to get attention. You were 99% sure and 100% wrong with your Merkel claims so forgive us for ignoring your latest predictions. You’re the only clown here.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
ma94jcg wrote:
According to google translation


Pro tip (though not as many languages covered) is to use DeepL rather than Google translate as the translations are noticeably better IMHO.

https://www.deepl.com/translator
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
In response to the OP - NO.
Latest from Ski Region of Dents de Midi is that they open this weekend.
Though only for people with season passes plus they will sell a limited number of day passes.
There is no stipulation that the passes can only be purchased domestically.
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 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?
I've just got back from Crans Montana today. The feeling there was that the Valais is going to go back to the restrictions they had on up until Monday (!) - restaurants closed, but ski lifts open
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Papers reporting that Berset will recommend at the Federal meeting tomorrow that restaurants close from Tuesday for a month. Cantons with favourable situations can keep them open at their discretion.

Ski areas (and equestrian facilities!) to stay open

https://www.bernerzeitung.ch/berset-schlaegt-vor-beizen-zu-schliessen-244355490618
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That last bit will save Valais then (the bit about discretion, not equestrianism).
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Canton Valais says no way to dry January!
https://www.lenouvelliste.ch/articles/valais/canton/un-mois-sans-alcool-le-valais-dit-non-au-dry-january-1020823
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Maybe this is what Boris le pitre was talking about when exporting innovative new technologies post Brexit. Dry January - quelle merde! Toofy Grin

More importantly any news about skiing next week in les 4 vallees, Arosa or the Arena?
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Snowsartre wrote:
Maybe this is what Boris le pitre was talking about when exporting innovative new technologies post Brexit. Dry January - quelle merde! Toofy Grin

More importantly any news about skiing next week in les 4 vallees, Arosa or the Arena?


You can get the updates here:
https://www.rts.ch/info/11833858-la-suisse-suspendue-aux-decisions-du-conseil-federal-avant-les-fetes.html

Given the comparatively low numbers 4 Valleys will certainly be open for skiing. Not sure of the cantons for Arosa and (Ski?) Arena but you can be fairly confident ski areas will be the last to close after restos and bars based on Berset’s comments so far.
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Update just provided. Restaurants to close, ski resorts stay open (up to the Cantons). Cantons with lower rates (r below 1) can opt to apply an exception to the new restrictions:
15h15

Les restaurants ferment mardi, les cantons les moins touchés peuvent choisir

Le Conseil fédéral a annoncé vendredi une série de mesures, pour lesquelles les cantons les moins touchés pourront décider d'assouplissements. Le taux de reproduction doit toutefois se situer en dessous de 1 et l'incidence sur une semaine en dessous de la moyenne nationale.

Les restaurants, mais aussi les centres sportifs, culturels ou de loisirs, devront fermer leurs portes dès mardi.

Pour les restaurants, aucune exception n'est prévue pour les fêtes de fin d'année. Les offres de livraison et à l'emporter resteront elles possibles. Les cantines d'entreprises et des écoles obligatoires, ainsi que les restaurants d'hôtels, pourront également poursuivre leurs activités.

Musées, cinémas, bibliothèques, casinos, jardins botaniques, zoos et tous les autres centres culturels, sportifs ou de loisirs seront aussi fermés. Les matchs professionnels devront se dérouler sans spectateur. Les manifestations culturelles accueillant du public seront elles interdites, à moins d'être organisées sous une autre forme, comme par exemple en ligne.

Les activités sportives et culturelles pour les moins de 16 ans ou en petit groupe pourront se poursuivre. Cinq personnes au maximum pourront ainsi s'entraîner en extérieur.
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@BobinCH, Can't see anything specific about ski resorts being open, and assume they don't fall under centres sportifs ou de loisirs? At least hotel guests keep getting fed but takeaway only from Tuesday. Going to have to dust off my apron....
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@BobinCH, Apologies - just seen this...

17h10
Le canton de Vaud ne fermera pas ses restaurants
Le Conseil d'Etat vaudois a décidé vendredi après-midi de maintenir les restaurants (jusqu'à 23h00), les salles de sport, les musées et les bibliothèques ouverts jusqu'au 24 décembre. Les domaines skiables le resteront aussi. Le gouvernement réévaluera la situation lundi.

Cette décision a été prise en concertation avec les autres cantons romands, en étant "conscient que la situation reste fragile", écrit le Conseil d'Etat dans une note aux médias. Aucune modification de l'arrêté cantonal en vigueur n'est donc à ce stade nécessaire: les dispositions régissant en particulier l’exploitation des restaurants, des commerces, des bibliothèques, des musées, des centres sportifs et des domaines skiables restent en vigueur.
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 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.
For the non-francophones, at the very least a temporary stay of execution, restaurants (museums libraries) and ski resorts open until 24 December. Although this will be reviewed on Monday. Hope that means skiing until at least 26 December. Just need to persuade the wife that a) she wants a road trip and b) to quarantine for 5-7 days on return. Wish me luck!
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@Snowsartre, good luck!

Bern government confirmed ski areas will stay open for now. Lots of concern about spare intensive care space, which may impact in coming days
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I was skiing twice this year in Stoos Switzerland and things were really well organized segregated lines, people thrown off lifts for not wearing masks correctly, empty restaurants and those I went to table service only.

So it is sad the ski industry from what I have seen adapted very well although there were reports from Verbier things were not aswell adhered to but Heah that’s the French for you. Ze Germans have rules.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
>Although this will be reviewed°.

Can you please include a link with that.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@diarmuidlynch, ze Germans may have the rules, but the German speaking cantons have a far worse situation than the French ones...
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Verbier had a bad first day but quickly got their house in order. And Swiss wide the German cantons are the ones at most risk now
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Pfizer vaccine approved in Switzerland
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Greetings from sunny Jungfrau. To answer the title of this thread, Switzerland is open to non-domestic visitors. And the skiing is amazing!
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ma94jcg wrote:
Greetings from sunny Jungfrau. To answer the title of this thread, Switzerland is open to non-domestic visitors. And the skiing is amazing!


Welcome! Get some pics up on the Jungfrau thread!
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Just for information, here are the main Primary Source websites relating to the actual rules and regulations covering UK citizens entering Switzerland. I'd try to avoid the second-hand reporting in newspapers and on-line articles and sources because, well, they are second-hand and can easily be read out of context, or don't get retrospectively updated. I'd recommend that if you're intending to travel to Switzerland, you should take a look so you can navigate them easily when you check them again, nearer your travel time.
As in the UK, there are Federal rules and regulations, and local Canton ones. So it's worth finding the site for your destination Canton and taking a look at that as well. For example for the Valais:
And if you're driving down through France, then the two source sites for official information are
The other site that I've found to be updated regularly and consistent with the above, plus very easy to navigate isWhich includes sections on preparation checklists, post-Brexit situation, International Driving Permits, plus some very practical summaries of things like Road signs, the new French speed limits etc.
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gra wrote:
@diarmuidlynch, ze Germans may have the rules, but the German speaking cantons have a far worse situation than the French ones...


Very true in the German side there was a very relaxed attitude to the pandemic while the French side was in lockdown. It’s only in the last weeks that people here take it seriously and the Kantonal rulers were too slow to implement restrictions when things were manageable. The Germans need rules and now the rules are in place finally i expect things to improve

The Kanton I live in is restricting skiing to Dec 22-29 I guess to keep cross border travelers away and basing it on ICU bed availability if they open again after 29th.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
>here are the main Primary Source websites ...

Agree entirely, thanks. Far too much rumour and conjecture on anti social media. As Trump loves to write "Fake News".

>The Kanton I live in is ...
Which one??
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Central Swiss cantons closing resorts from 22nd for a week. Includes Andermatt but not Dissentis/Ski Arena which are linked. The rest stays open for now. Next review on Monday. Wasn’t particularly busy in Verbier yesterday but lots of foreign plates on cars in town

Looks like @Langerzug got another one wrong...
Meanwhile, the canton of Zurich is urging all Swiss ski areas to close.

But Zurich’s call is not garnering much support in this ski-loving nation.

“It’s not right that the cantons that have not done anything in the past few weeks are now pointing their fingers at us and turning skiing into a big problem”, said Christophe Darbellay, president of Valais’ Council of State, referring to the lack of strict anti-coronavirus measures throughout most of Swiss-German cantons at the beginning of the second wave.

“For now we will keep our ski areas open and also open those that have not yet started operations”, Darbellay added.


Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Sun 20-12-20 9:09; edited 2 times in total
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French police were stopping people at the border yesterday, but just warning them of the risks.

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/societe/a-la-frontiere-douaniers-et-policiers-deconseillent-aux-vacanciers-d-aller-skier-en-suisse-1608405347
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