Is anyone feeling nervous about their 21/22 ski trip?

[StolenAwayOn55thand3rd]

I realise that I'm probably being silly. I fully recognise that covid has made me a bit irrationally anxious about crowds, busy places, etc. So on that note... We have a large and normally busy resort in France booked (booked pre covid and shifted from last year to this). We're going to a catered chalet with DH's family which includes his child free siblings who will want to go out partying.
I'm a bit worried about ski resorts being covid hotbeds this winter (remembering Whistler last year) and what will happen if we end up with it - we won't be able to travel home presumably so where will we stay? Not to mention the possibility of actually getting ill, though DH and I are both vaccinated so I know that's unlikely.
Anyway, just wondering if anyone else is having similar thoughts or if I'm being really foolish.

Thanks @Geamhradh that's useful info.
Best of luck @ChrissyHynde, I wish I had someone else to have a family meeting with! It's just me making the decisions here so I'm frightened of getting it wrong.

Honestly it is just a total shambles.

UK scientists are demanding at least five days, pref eight days of quarantine on arrivals back in to the UK regardless of vaccination status. Scotland and Wales strongly advocating this as a way of keeping new variants at bay. Which would ruin Christmas and new year, and our last experience of T&T they called every day, sometimes multiple times a day and even turned up at our house.

Meanwhile Grant Snapps is telling people to 'book' but with plenty of insurance in place?! What does that even mean...and what difference does it make if the country you are in suddenly locks down! Or the borders close.

Lastly as Europe are now in the throes of what is now a surge of cases - will any restaurants and bars, and all the things we enjoy doing even be open?? I am also worried about overfull hospitals, what if one of us breaks a leg on the slopes, are we going to get the care we need.

The UK is beginning to look like the best place to spend Christmas this year anyway. Everything is definitely staying open for the whole of the festive period, and there are no restrictions and we can't get stranded if we live here.

I am bitterly disappointed, and really quite peeved, but trying to count some blessings. It could be worse....

Since reading that we can be 'reinfected' with Omicron even if we have had covid, that has slowed me down as we were really ill with delta, and I would hate to be stuck overseas and be that poorly. It was literally all I could think about when I was lying in bed, thank god we were at home when we caught covid and had our home comforts and a doctor at the end of the phone to walk us through how to manage dd with asthma.

So no, we are not going I have freaked myself out remembering how long it took to run through our whole family (5 weeks) and how it would feel to be stuck anywhere in that situation.

I wish we could cancel. Instead we need to wait for the government to say no. Holidays are supposed to be relaxing.

Meanwhile Grant Snapps is telling people to 'book' but with plenty of insurance in place?! What does that even mean...

Given he’s Secretary of State for Transport (and in that roles has been about as useful as a chocolate fireguard) he would say that wouldn’t he….

Lastly as Europe are now in the throes of what is now a surge of cases - will any restaurants and bars, and all the things we enjoy doing even be open??

Who knows but TBF it depends on where in Europe you are..some countries genuinely are still doing much better than others.

@Fairylights25

Since reading that we can be 'reinfected' with Omicron even if we have had covid, that has slowed me down as we were really ill with delta, and I would hate to be stuck overseas and be that poorly. It was literally all I could think about when I was lying in bed, thank god we were at home when we caught covid and had our home comforts and a doctor at the end of the phone to walk us through how to manage dd with asthma.

So no, we are not going I have freaked myself out remembering how long it took to run through our whole family (5 weeks) and how it would feel to be stuck anywhere in that situation.

Only DD has had it in our family and she was so ill. It was horrible. I’m desperate to cancel but I didn’t book the holiday, MIL did, and no way will she cancel unless her hand is forced by the government. So… waiting and seeing…

notimagain Switzerland have closed their borders practically with such draconian quarantine measures, France is a bureaucratic nightmare, Poland is over run with cases and almost all of Eastern Europe are in a similar position. Spain does not accept anyone that is not fully vaccinated (inc children) Even Sweden are introducing the covid pass. Where exactly would you suggest that would offer a relaxing carefree holiday this winter? I would love to know :)

Andorra is advising masks while skiing.... (compulsory on lifts and everywhere else).

Very worried that it will be cancelled again. Really missing my ski holidays.

Fingers crossed everyone.

Masks whilst skiing, is that real? How can you properly breathe won't that be quite dangerous at high altitudes and extremely difficult on black runs?!! Or any run for that matter. What a truly stupid idea! By extension you are 'outside' whilst skiing so why would you need a mask in the first place....

@Fairylights25

notimagain Switzerland have closed their borders practically with such draconian quarantine measures, France is a bureaucratic nightmare, Poland is over run with cases and almost all of Eastern Europe are in a similar position. Spain does not accept anyone that is not fully vaccinated (inc children) Even Sweden are introducing the covid pass. Where exactly would you suggest that would offer a relaxing carefree holiday this winter? I would love to know :)

I have no idea on holidays, I’m not Grant Shapps…and yes I know the bureaucracy is a PITA, we’re trying to get up to the UK to see family over Christmas and it’s getting increasingly difficult to travel in that direction.

What I was taking minor issue with was the throwaway comment of restaurants and bars being closed or closing across Europe, because that’s certainly not happening generally ATM…they are certainly open in the small ski resorts near us and in the towns and cities.

Our ski trip is booked for new year, so nearly a month away, it is not exactly going in the right direction, so I wonder what will be the situation by then. We are going to hold out for the Easter holidays, as by then we will know the score with the new variant and hopefully once we are over the winter it will start to improve.

I hope you manage to see your family for Christmas not our government is hell bent on keeping things open which will work in your favour, so hopefully you can travel over easily and not have too many hurdles to overcome.

I don’t think masks while skiing would be that bad, we usually wear balaclavas when winter skiing including on blacks, off piste, etc…

I think ski hols (outside your own country) are off the table, again.
We generally go at Easter, so there's still time but I am not making any plans yet.

Anyone been skiing in Scotland recently?

I can see why there is concern, given the ski season in 2019 basically seeded covid around the whole of Europe, I imagine they are trying to avoid that happening again with the new variant perhaps.

We have a family 'joke' about how our 6yo wouldn't stop coughing on our Christmas skiing holiday two years ago . In Northern Italy. Probably too early to have been Covid. But yes, ski holidays to seem to spread things.

Sometimes I hate DHs eternal optimism.

Re masks while skiing pre covid I would often wear a thick neoprene mask or thinner buff on cold/snowbound days, it's really fine and you forget you're wearing it. Probably will be a bit annoying in telecabins and will need to check the one I've got is sufficient but it's not a dealbreaker imo.

@Fairylights25 Scotland is not ready yet - only just starting to have enough snow to build the base. May open before Christmas but certainly not a given. Skiing in Scotland is a very different experience to the Alps, you can be lucky and get good snow and a clear day or you can get a closed stormbound resort which you can't access, or very difficult snow and fog conditions. Lots of aggressive drag lifts that would deter beginners too if you have any in your party (fine once you're used to it). Basically, Scotland is good if you can be flexible and drive up a day or two before once you can see what the weather is going to be like. We have had fantastic skiing there late in the season.

Here's Scotland (Cairngorm) on a good day at the end of March a few years ago. On a good day it's a stunning and memorable place to ski. Tbf it would be memorable on a bad day too but for different reasons! 🥶🌪️🌨️

Yes, Scottish skiing can definitely be the best of times the worst of times! But if you based yourself near Aviemore or Ballater and just decided to have a winter holiday which might mean skiing or might mean hiking, visiting the reindeer, tubing etc… it would be brilliant.

We have Feb half term booked in Austria (hotel only) but will only get a refund if we can’t go because of restrictions, like others. We will drive through France and Germany so also need all of those to be clear to get there. I’m not too stressed - feel quite fatalistic as we have no control, and given that Austria has consistently been stricter than other countries, we’re unlikely to see a situation where we can enter Austria but not get there.

Hot off the press…

From uk.ambafrance.org/COVID-19-rules-for-travel-between-France-and-the-UK-28918

“ TRAVELLING FROM THE UK TO FRANCE

1. Travelling from the UK to France

LAST MINUTE :

“From 4 December, fully vaccinated travellers (12 years old or more), and whatever their nationality, have to provide the result of a negative PCR or antigen test (in paper or digital format) carried out less than 48h hours prior to departure. Self-administred tests (NHS test for example) are not considered valid for travel.”

DD’s school ski trip to France leaving on 16th Dec has just been cancelled. But not covered under insurance because France is technically “open”. School trying to recover as many costs as possible. What a fucking nightmare!

On the whole insurance thing, we have booked everything independently, but I couldn’t find travel insurance that covered government Covid lockdowns. I don’t think it’s offered anymore, or that’s what Moneysavingexpert told me. We are covered If one of us gets covid before and therefore we have to cancel, and we’re covered if we catch it abroad.

So I think Grant Shapps is talking nonsense, but that’s no surprise.

I haven’t cancelled yet, we still have time on AirBnB for full refund and eurotunnel tickets are flexible but we will lose some money on ski school and ski hire, but not all of it. We knew we were taking a risk even booking and we’re very fortunate to be in that position in the first place.
I can’t really see us going tbh, just can’t quite bear to admit defeat just yet.

We're still waiting on an update from Esprit. We received our travel documentation from them via email at the start of this week. But I thought that was probably a reaction to them likely being inundated with phone calls and emails. I need to buy kit (leaving on 21st) as my DSs are now considerably larger than when we went 2 years ago. Putting it off as long as possible.

I'm a 2/10 that we'll be going. DH is a little more optimistic at 5/10.