Swiss urged to ‘hit the slopes’ to save ski season. The situation for skiing in December in the rest of Europe.

ADELBODEN - Copyright by Adelboden Tourismus By-line: swiss-image.ch/Anja Zurbruegg. Swiss urged to 'hit the slopes' to save ski season. The situation for skiing in December in the rest of Europe.

Swiss urged to ‘hit the slopes’ to save ski season. The situation for skiing in December in the rest of Europe.

The Swiss should ‘hit the slopes’ to save this coming ski season. What is the situation of skiing in December in the rest of Europe?

It is near December and the major Alpine countries have their lifts closed. What is the situation for skiing in December in Europe? France, Italy and Austria had to close their lifts, after some resorts opened for a short while. This was due to a second wave of the Covid pandemic.
French and Italian ski resorts will now close until January. Same with Germany. Austria is saying they will open their resorts by 18th December, defying the rest of the EU. Spain has sent hints of opening by December 18th, while Andorra is seeing what they will do. The Swiss are urged to “hit the slopes” to save the ski season. 
Crans-Montana in winter. Photo: CMTC Luciano Miglionico. Swiss urged to 'hit the slopes' to save ski season. The situation for skiing in December in the rest of Europe.
Crans-Montana in winter. Photo: CMTC Luciano Miglionico. Swiss urged to ‘hit the slopes’ to save ski season. The situation for skiing in December in the rest of Europe.

The situation in Switzerland. Swiss urged to ‘hit the slopes’ to save ski season. The situation for skiing in December in the rest of Europe.

In the meantime, Switzerland is open. Pretty everyone can now go to Switzerland without needing to quarantine at arrival.
Although, check before travelling, as there are some exceptions to this rule!
So while other Alpine nations are seeing their resorts closed, the Swiss have been skiing for weeks!
Wearing face masks now is mandatory everywhere except while on the slopes. Cable car windows stay open during all the rides up the mountain. You need to use your face mask also on the open chairlifts. Police patrol check out the departure areas to be sure skiers and boarders comply.
Swiss are expecting their own people will flock to the mountains for the open air. They know that the Americans and Asians will not come this season. So with some local guests and perhaps later some regional visitors, they can save the season.

Green light in Formigal for installation of a new chairlift

Formigal Panticosa ski map. Green light in Formigal for installation on a new chairlift.

Green light in Formigal for installation of a new chairlift

The new lift will improve the connections between Izas and Anayet and will increase the transport capacity.

Formigal, the Spanish ski resort has been given the green light for the installation of a new connection chairlift between the Izas and Anayet areas. In addition, the ski lift will improve the transport capacity that currently stands at 50,000 skiers per hour.

Formigal-Panticosa photo. Green light in Formigal for installation on a new chairlift.
Formigal-Panticosa photo. Green light in Formigal for installation of a new chairlift.

The Aragon Institute of Environmental Management (Inaga), has published in the BOA the resolution for the installation of a new lift, once the modification of the project to improve the connection of the valleys of Izas and Anayet in the expansion of Formigal, that ” you do not need to undergo an environmental impact assessment. ”

Formigal has 180 km skiable including Panticosa.

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Baqueira Beret has closed its third best season in the decade

Baqueira Beret photo. Baqueira Beret has closed its third best season in the decade.

Baqueira Beret has closed its third best season in the decade

The ski resorts of Val d’Aran and Valls d’Àneu have finshed the 2018-19 ski season. This season which started on December 1st has registered very positive affluency with 876.000 skier-days and a season of 143 days

With 876.008 skier days, Baqueira Beret had the third best ski season in this decade.

Powder skiing at Baqueira Beret. Baqueira Beret photo. Baqueira Beret has closed its third best season in the decade.
Powder skiing at Baqueira Beret. Baqueira Beret photo. Baqueira Beret has closed its third best season in the decade.

The station started with the long weekend in December with 20,000 skiers from Thursday 7th to Sunday 9th and with conditions getting better during that week which allowed to open 40 skiable km. During the Christmas holidays, the resort of Baqueira Beret had 85 km of open trails and lots of family, sport and après-ski activities with DJs on the pistes and a torch-lights parade on Christmas Eve.

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Sierra Nevada: Cetursa approves an investment of 10 million for the next season and addresses the installation of a new ski lift

Archive Cetursa Sierra Nevada.Sierra Nevada: Cetursa approves an investment of 10 million for the next season and addresses the installation of a new ski lift.

Sierra Nevada: Cetursa approves an investment of 10 million for the next season and addresses the installation of a new ski lift

  • The board of directors of the company gives the green light to the purchase 33 last-generation snow ‘cannons’, to the digital renewal of the station, and the introduction of improvements in customer services
  • The company, in the framework of the actions for the reordering of Borreguiles, addresses the replacement of one of the chairlifts in that area by an eight-seater-chairlift.
Administrative Council of CETURSA in meeting. Sierra Nevada: Cetursa approves an investment of 10 million for the next season and addresses the installation of a new ski lift. Photo: CETURSA.
Administrative Council of CETURSA in meeting. Sierra Nevada: Cetursa approves an investment of 10 million for the next season and addresses the installation of a new ski lift. Photo: CETURSA.

The board of directors of Cetursa Sierra Nevada SA today approved an investment of more than 10 million euros for the 2019/20 season, which, among other actions, will finance the purchase of 33 last-generation snow cannons, and has agreed to study the formula to install a new eight-seater chairlift in Borreguiles to replace one of the old ones (Emile Allais).

The investment for this season, with own funds of Cetursa Sierra Nevada, is the largest in the last decade and also includes a new boost to the digital transformation of the company (web, trade centre, external information, mobile application, customer service , among other actions) in order to more effective attention and communication with the user of the station.

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The ’12 hours Head NonStop’, the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada

Archive Cetursa Sierra Nevada.Sierra Nevada: Cetursa approves an investment of 10 million for the next season and addresses the installation of a new ski lift.

The ’12 hours Head NonStop’, the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada resort will host this Saturday the event in which the participants, in individual category or teams, face a huge challenge from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.

Sierra Nevada welcomes this Saturday, January 26 the “12 hours Head NonStop”, a test of endurance of the harshest of alpine skiing, in which, in individual participants or teams of 2 or 3 members, must keep on skiing uninterruptedly from 9 in the morning until 9 p.m. (this reminds me to the 24 hours of Aspen that were for teams of 2 but skiing all day and all night…24 hours, with time only to breathe on the gondola!)

The skier or team that makes the greatest number of descents in the circuit designed for the competition will be the winner of the second edition of a competition. Last year the winner was the local runner Tato Peinado.

The Maribel and Rio trails illuminated at night. Photo: Archive Cetursa Sierra Nevada. The '12 hours Head NonStop ', the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada.
The Maribel and Rio trails illuminated at night. Photo: Archive Cetursa Sierra Nevada. The ’12 hours Head NonStop ‘, the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada.

The “12 hours Head NonStop” of Sierra Nevada will take place this Saturday at the Peñones and Perdiz (Borreguiles) tracks, during the day, and on the Maribel track, during the night. The tent for relays and logistics will be installed in the Nevasol restaurant.

The test is conceived as a physical and mental challenge for runners, who must show their skills with their skis, as well as know when to relieve themselves, refresh themselves and rest.

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Sierra Nevada opens this Saturday 24th November, one week earlier than stipulated.

Sierra Nevada opens this Saturday 24th November, one week earlier than stipulated. Photo: Sierra Nevada.

Sierra Nevada, the renown ski resort of Andalucia, Spain, is opening early its ski season this coming Saturday, one week in advance to its programmed opening date.

Sierra Nevada is having the best conditions in its history for its opening with 9 lifts and 43.5 km of trails in the áreas of Borreguiles, Veleta, Loma de Dílar and Rio.

The ski resort and mountain of Sierra Nevada will open its 2018/19 ski season one week prior to its announced opening date and it will do so with the biggest skiable terrain in the history of the ski resort.

The area will open more terrain in the following dates, but now Sierra Nevada will open with 53 trails for all type of skiers with a vertical drop of 1.100 meters.

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CheckYeti enters a strategic partnership with Skiset.

CheckYeti enters a strategic partnership with Skiset. Photo CheckYeti.

Austrian start-up company CheckYeti enters a strategic partnership with Europe’s biggest ski and snowboard rental provider Skiset

The successful start-up company for winter sports, CheckYeti (www.checkyeti.com), with 1.5 million users and counting, has entered a strategic partnership with Skiset, Europe’s biggest ski and snowboard rental provider. With over 6000 offers in over 500 ski resorts, CheckYeti is the leading booking platform for winter-sports activities. Each year, the French company Skiset offers high-quality equipment to over 2 million clients in over 800 rental shops all over 400 different locations in Europe and North America. Together, CheckYeti and Skiset cover 80% of the Alps and thus allow all winter-sports enthusiasts to easily choose their skiing holidays online and to book completely stress-free. 

Ski, skiers, sun and winter fun - skiers enjoying ski vacation. Photo CheckYeti/Skiset. CheckYeti enters a strategic partnership with Skiset.
Ski, skiers, sun and winter fun – skiers enjoying ski vacation. Photo CheckYeti/Skiset. CheckYeti enters a strategic partnership with Skiset.

Thanks to winter-sports innovators CheckYeti and Skiset, booking a skiing holiday has never been easier. Their common goal is to help clients leave for the winter holidays completely stress-free through easier online-booking options. Courses, instructors, winter-sports activities and even the necessary equipment – all can be booked prior to the arrival at the ski resort. Consequently, queuing at the local ski rental shop as well as looking for the right ski school are now a thing of the past. Vacationists now can easily book their skiing holidays from home and thus make their first turns on the slopes already shortly after their arrival at the ski resort.

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Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of the ski season.

Sierra Nevada is having its pistes opened until May 6th.

Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of the ski season, and is expecting to offer all their vertical drop for skiing until 6th May, which is the last day of the ski season.

Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of this ski season. Borreguiles area.
Sierra Nevada has 70 km of open pistes until the end of this ski season. Borreguiles area.

This Saturday all entries to the downhill skiing in bathing suit are sold out.



Booking.com


Sierra Nevada ski área has maintained 70 km of skiable pistes on all its áreas (Veleta, Borreguiles, Laguna, Cauchiles, Rio and Loma Dílar) and all its vertical drop (1,200 meters) until the end of the ski season, if the meteorological previsions and snow conditions allow.

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Warren Miller, the ski-movies-guru and pioneer, died at 93 at his Orcas Island home

Warren Miller was the pioneer of the ski films, a real ski movies guru.

I was very sad to hear that Warren A. Miller, the pioneer ski movies filmmaker has passed away yesterday. He was 93, but he did have a great life. He promoted the idea of ‘pure freedom’ that is associated with skiing. He was a self-taught filmmaker who started filming himself for an annual narrated ski movie shown in small theatres. Over the years, he continued narrating all his films, his voice is very warm, and recognisable. He makes fun out of skiing and is ok of making fun out of himself. His company, Warren Miller Entertainment, has produced more than 500 adventure sport films.

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Sierra Nevada in Andalucia, Spain has kicked off its season 2017-18.

Night Skiing at Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada in Andalucia, Spain, has invested 1.4 millions Euros for the 2017-18 ski-season. They invested in snowcats, new snowmobiles, more snow cannons, a restaurant in Montebajo and developing more activites for non-skiers.

Mirlo Blanco recreation zone in Sierra Nevada
Mirlo Blanco Recreation Zone in Sierra Nevada

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