We have seen other ski and travel companies go into administration and the Covid implication on travel is a huge issue for the wider travel industry, airlines, tour operators etc.

Within this context we want to reassure you that we are financially secure and have a more cautious (but robust) business model than others. We own and fully control our main base (our chalet-hotel Aravis Lodge), and combined with great relationships with our long term French partners, this stands us in good stead to do our best to ride out this crazy and uncertain situation.

We are currently working under the hope and assumption that we can continue to operate our trips, albeit with some essential modifications to ensure customer safety / regulatory compliance.

We have seen widespread control measures in place in France during the summer, and this has resulted in a fairly “normal” holiday environment and a good summer season in the French Alps. There have not been any large gatherings or events, but life has continued in a pretty-much usual way. The outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts and chairlifts have continued to run, the cafes and restaurants are all open as normal and busy, and people have been enjoying their holidays as much as ever!

As always the fresh air and open spaces of the mountains feel like a good place to be! Just don’t forget your face mask which has become an integral part of daily life (and will certainly remain so for sure!)

So – there are reasons to be positive, although we have to be honest and state clearly that we all need to enter into this Ski Season 2020/21 with a realistic approach, ensuring we are fully aware of the risks that planning international travel entails in this new Covid world.

We will continue to work hard to hopefully allow everyone to benefit from a ski holiday in a safe and welcoming environment during this 2020/21 season. In doing so, we feel it is essential to answer your many potential questions and address your concerns in an open and honest way, and we have done our best to answer these in full detail below.

Below is our updated “Ski Weekender Covid Policy” which covers the position we will be adopting with regards to some of the main issues which may come to affect your holiday.

We do recommend that you read these carefully and consider the impact it may have on your planning and booking of a trip.

• • It will be our standard Booking Terms and Conditions which will govern how any changes or cancelations to the booking are handled, and therefore what charges or financial implications could be incurred in the event of cancelations etc.

• • We will require all booking organisers to sign an additional “Acknowledgement of Risk” agreement which clarifies the position with regards to the inherent risk and liability of forward arranging travel during these times. It will include many of the elements below and confirm that you have been made aware of these possible scenarios and how they would be treated should they arise. This is to openly address the issues and to avoid any surprises or misunderstandings in the future.

• • This acknowledgment clarifies that we have a responsibility for operating the contracted elements of your holiday package, but not for the effects of travel restrictions, or otherwise, on your ability to travel to France. This inherent risk of disruption to travel plans (which could be due to airlines, government advice or measures in the UK or France) cannot be carried by Ski Weekender and you should ensure that all of your party have a travel insurance policy, or other cover in place to mitigate this risk.

• • If (as they did so in March 2020) local laws and regulations mean that the resort & ski lifts, accommodations or the international borders are closed then we will be obliged to cancel the holiday. In this case we will offer you a 100% refund of all monies paid.

• • If you have travelled and arrived in resort for your holiday, and there are then closures or changes to the situation which result in us not being able to deliver your holiday then you will not be eligible for a full refund of the full holiday cost. Depending on the situation we may be able to refund you/your party for those elements of the package which remain unused. Please check with your travel insurance policy to ensure this situation of travel curtailment is covered.

• • FCO advice is not a legal or regulatory instrument, and therefore does not automatically mean that we are prevented from delivering your holiday arrangements. It may, however, affect your ability to travel. The same is true of the requirement to quarantine on return to the UK.

• • It could be that we are able to safely and legally operate your holiday for you, offering all the elements of the holiday (airport transfer, accommodation and ski pass). In this case, if you are unable to join us due to some of the reasons listed above (NB this list is not exhaustive), then this cancelation by you would incur cancelation charges as defined in the T&C’s.

• • If you do book and then subsequently decide that you do not wish to, or are unable to travel or take your holiday with us (for whatever reason), then, as per our T&Cs you will be forfeiting at least the deposit payment, as well as incurring cancelation charges which may apply depending on the timescale, and when balances have been paid. These are contained within our T&C’s. Please check with your travel insurance policy that you have adequate cover in place to protect you in the event of disinclination to travel, or in the event of illness or injury to yourself or any connected party.

• • If you display Covid symptoms, have a suspected case, or due to the track-and-trace system are required to self-isolate; or you are in a vulnerable group who are advised against travel – and are therefore unable to travel on your holiday, then the cancelation charges as defined in the T&C’s will apply. Please check with your travel insurance policy that the cover you have in the event of illness or injury to yourself or any connected party with regards to Covid is adequate.

• • If you are subject to localised or regional lockdowns in the UK which restrict your movements, then it is possible you may not be able to travel and in these instances the cancellation of your holiday by you would incur cancelation charges as defined in the T&C’s.

• • If your flight / train or other travel arrangements to your holiday are cancelled, or modified by your airline, then it is your responsibility to re-arrange or find alternatives. The airlines may be able to assist you, but it is possible there may be a cost implication to you. If you are unable to make alternative arrangements, or the price is considered excessive, then the cancelation of your holiday by you would incur cancelation charges as defined in the T&C’s.

• • It has always been a condition of booking that you have in place an appropriate travel insurance policy, and this year it will be even more important to fully check the level of cover provided and ensure you understand what is (and is not) covered, and in particular how the situation with Covid being an “existing” or “known” event is treated.

• • We can recommend a policy arranged with MPI Brokers which has adapted to the new conditions. They offer a number of features related to the Covid situation which you may find interesting such as :
    • Cover is included for falling ill with Covid whilst on your trip (and includes additional accommodation, B&B and repatriation if necessary due to missing booked travel back)
    • You can travel against FCO advice if you wish, however there would be no cover for anything related to the reason for the travel warning (in this case Covid), but if you were to suffer an accident whilst on the trip, ie break your leg skiing, then you would be covered.

We will of course be putting in place extra security and mitigation measures into the operational delivery of the holiday. This will be to ensure the Health and Safety of our team, guests and partners. This will be dictated by the local French legislation in effect at the time of your holiday – and it could be different to our normal operating procedures.
It’s possible that it may have an effect on the operation of your holiday experience. We trust you will all understand and work with us. 

We hope and expect the mountains to be open and the resorts are all working towards the winter season. During the summer, many resorts have been trialling ways to operate ski lifts and are encouraged by the results. It is possible that there could be some delays in accessing skiing via telecabines where the “inside” nature makes social distancing more tricky. A face mask will almost certainly be required in lots of places! 

Whilst it’s impossible to fully predict what measures may be required, our initial work has highlighted that the following control measures are likely to be required to try and maintain social distancing amongst our guests:

• Health questionnaires and temperature / health checks could be required for travel or on arrival
• Shared airport transfers and our scheduling of journeys to/from Geneva may have to adapt which could mean more use of coaches, or possibly longer waiting time at Geneva for minibuses.
• Ski lifts & telecabines will have social distancing measures in lift queues, and in the telecabines (numbers may be limited in some places)
• All public communal spaces (restaurants, ski lifts, airports, shops) may require face masks to be worn
• Face masks may need to be worn by guests in hotel / accommodation communal areas, during transfers, and around lift queues etc
• Our team will likely be wearing masks at all times
• Extended time for room cleaning may be required – this could impact the ability to keep your rooms on the day of departure
• Daily room cleaning may need to be limited / only available on request
• Dining tables may be assigned per group, with distancing between tables
• Breakfast and afternoon tea service may require changes from an open buffet, to either table service or staggered timings
• Ski Room access controls and limits on the number of people passing through to maintain distancing
• Transfers to the slopes may involve more waiting or a scheduled time to ensure groups maintain distancing.

In summary, all of us at Ski Weekender are hoping for the best case scenario of limited disruption to this ski season, whilst also thinking seriously about the various scenarios that may come to pass.

We require you to do the same and make an informed decision before committing to your booking!