How optimistic are you for skiing at Feb half term?

[WillowSummerSloth]

I'm so desperate to book and am swinging between optimism and practicality. It's more the thought of travel corridors, having to isolate etc even if travel is permitted. I wouldn't have the time off from work to allow me to do it. But... I'm so desperate to go skiing. What are your thoughts? Anyone still hoping to book?

We've booked to go to Italy at half term - balance due this weekend, so will pay but am not really hopeful of going. We normally drive and book an apartment independently but went for a package for 2021 on the basis that at least we'll get the money back if it doesn't happen.

Not at all.

Quarantine way there potentially / potentially way back and at short notice.

Imagine gondola queues if SD, they're bad enough at the best of times. I just think it will be unenjoyable even if possible.

Yes I wondered whether to book a package for security. However, if the trip can technically go ahead but I can't have the time off to isolate when I get home, I'm screwed anyway! Or if we have to isolate when we get there... So annoying. I really hope you get your trip away x

We've booked with Crystal - they won't take you anywhere that you need to quarantine when you get there or back - you get a full refund.

If we do go, queuing is my main concern - it's busy enough on a normal feb half term so will be crazy with SD in cable cars / gondolas.

Our high school has just cancelled the February ski trip!

Most school trips have been cancelled for some time anyway, surprised they held out this long!

Family trips - well I guess we just wait and see. I'll be taking a refund or rollover of my Feb booking when the balance is due and booking last minute if things open up. Likewise I can't quarantine with kids in school.

I will absolutely go if I can but I'm not hopeful right now.

Booked for Italy at half term too. Not confident at all that it'll go ahead. Took out a Covid waiver with the chalet and can move the easyJet flights but am gutted. Have skied every year since kids were tiny. It's our big holiday of the year. 😭😭😭

Also booked - I'm 99% expecting to cancel but there's just a bit of me that keeps thinking - if they are able to vaccinate the most at risk people there may be more of a chance of holidays for those of us (EXTREMELY lucky ones I know). There are also lots of murmurings about increasing testing in lots of alpine countries - like Austria for instance - to make this season happen.

I hear that - but when they are saying they want to make the season happen they aren't really focusing on international guests... locals / non-international guests will ski for sure. That was the prediction when I went to the Alps in the summer. Bit gutting and I agree there's a sliver of hope but not much unless you can isolate (before and after - so no chance of a stray track and trace or case at your child's school to put them in isolation at the last minute ... sigh).

We've decided to give it a miss this year. We were holding out for booking a last minute thing, but decided to just bank the money for next year's trip- esp now the DCs are getting older so taking them out of school is less of an option.

I just can’t see it happening sadly OP. We would usually go to the Canary Islands at either Xmas or feb half term, we are really disappointed not to be going too.

Just giving it a miss this year. Far too much uncertainty. Just didn’t seem remotely likely that it would be either possible, safe or fun....

Skiing in Feb is busy at the best of times. If resorts are open in Feb, I think they'll be mobbed, expensive, impossible to keep social distance and huge queues

Austria has shut down again recently until December 6 th.No restaurants , no hotels open to tourists, no lifts or Gondolas allowed to operate .Considering what happened last year in the ski regions and the fallout associated with it I doubt there will be a ski season this year

DH's school trip has been cancelled too. It was down to DfE guidance which previously only went up to Christmas I think - the guidance needed to change before the tour operator would admit defeat and issue refunds, before then it was on the school if they withdrew.

Wasn’t it Italian ski trips that caused all this in the first place?

Let’s do it all again shall we?

Wasn’t it foreign travel in the summer that raised the numbers again when everywhere had got them under control?

What a great idea to book another trip to last years epicentre.

My DS has a job in an Austrian ski resort, he's leaving in early December. His employer is very confident that there will be a season, not as busy as usual, but they will definitely be opening. She is of the opinion that the current Austrian lockdown is in preparation for the season starting??

I always ski in Feb, best time for snow conditions in my experience, and have never found it busier than the peak weeks at Easter to be honest (and in fact the worst lines I ever experienced was Italy in March. Conclusion: depends where you go!) You will get some people who favour Easter and some Christmas and some Feb. It's personal choice.

It is always easy to tell when a skiing thread pops on to Active threads. I'm keen to ski this coming season if I can. I won't do anything that is against the law, or travel advice, and I'll comply with all safety advice and rules, wear a mask, and I won't go anywhere I need to quarantine. In the unlikely event I'm able to travel and ski, and it's considered safe for international travellers, then I will, and a few judgy pants on mumsnet won't have any bearing on my decision

Heehee! Me too abricotine I wouldn't break any rules but if it's open, I'm going! I just can't book it yet as too worried about losing money. I'm going to hold off for now due to the uncertainty. However I'm remaining optimistic. It's not off my list completely yet. In May we would have struggled to imagine travelling abroad and yet, by August, many people had a foreign holiday. It's not over yet! (although granted its unlikely) Thanks for the discussion everyone.

As of tonight Switzerland has no more intensive care beds .Winter has not even started

@abricotine

Most school trips have been cancelled for some time anyway, surprised they held out this long!

Family trips - well I guess we just wait and see. I'll be taking a refund or rollover of my Feb booking when the balance is due and booking last minute if things open up. Likewise I can't quarantine with kids in school.

I will absolutely go if I can but I'm not hopeful right now.

I think they held out cancelling as it's the trip that the teachers love. They did tell us some while ago to be prepared but have only just made the final decision !

We are going to try something last minute if things look ok and take kids out of school. And planning to look at less popular resorts and self catering. We normally do AI ski holidays and hopefully we can again in 2022, not taking the risk in 21. The lift queues concern me though

It’s particularly sad about school trips as is many kids’ first/only opportunity to ski if their families don’t and some schools restrict them just to certain years. I think it will be a long time before school trips (anywhere not just skiing) get going properly again. Such a shame.

@MrsBeltane do you mind me asking which company he is working for? Or which resort?

I just saw that esprit ski and total ski aren't - i think - operating this year at all...what a crazy time - so very sad for everyone

I am living between major ski resorts in the Jura and the Alps in Geneva. I can’t see them being open to international guests. Maybe locals might get to ski with social distancing in place. We’re 20 minutes from the nearest resort and not hopeful of being able to ski.

Les Gets did announce that they’re preparing the slopes for an open ski season so there is hope at some level.