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SKIING

Covid-19: What will the ski season look like in Switzerland this year?

The ski season in the Swiss Alps usually begins at the end of November, but at this point uncertainties still prevail about how it will be rolled out.

Ski slope measures have not yet been decided on in Switzerland
Questions still remain about what rules will be implemented for skiers, like the ones pictured here in a Swiss resort of Verbier. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

Please note: On October 19th, Switzerland announced the Covid certificate will not be required for winter sports. Click here for more information. 

With the start of the season just weeks away, the details surrounding skiing are still up in the air.

In that sense, things look somewhat similar to 2020; at that time, Switzerland was in the midst of the second coronavirus wave and authorities debated whether to open the ski slopes or keep them closed like most of Switzerland’s neighbours.

In the end, the slopes opened, but only after ski resorts implemented rigorous protective measures, such as wearing a mask on ski lifts and cable cars, and respecting distances in queues.

This year, the big question is whether the Covid certificate should be required on the slopes.

Lukas Engelberger,  president of the Conference of Cantonal Health Directors, said a mandatory certificate for ski lifts and at ski resorts would make sense and would allow to eliminate the mask requirement. 

“I could imagine that the Covid certificate would be imposed in ski resorts”, said Hans Wicki, president of the Association of Swiss Ski Lifts.

This umbrella association is currently in talks with the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) about the implementation of the certificate and suspension pf other measures.

No decision has yet been made at the federal level, but the ski area of Fideriser Heuberge in Graubünden has already decided to make the certificate compulsory for skiing or staying in its resort.

Regardless of whether the certificate will be mandated for skiing, it will nevertheless be required to access restaurants, bars, and other indoor venues in ski resorts.

Can foreign tourists ski in Switzerland?

Unlike the previous season, when people from abroad were banned from skiing in the Swiss Alps and only residents of Switzerland were allowed to do so, this year the slopes will be open to foreign residents.

However, they would have to comply with entry rules.

While vaccinated tourists enjoy unrestricted entry, those who have not had their jabs will have to undergo a Covid test (PCR or antigen) before coming, and then again four to seven days after arrival — and pay for the screening themselves. Costs vary from one place to another, but usually don’t exceed 50 francs.

READ MORE: Who can enter Switzerland right now and what are the rules?

The rules are much tighter for the unvaccinated travellers from high-risk countries, who are banned from entry. 

This list currently includes the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Israel and several other countries, unless these people have a valid visa for a Schengen or European Union country. 

Conversion of certificates

Another hurdle for foreign skiers — and tourists in general — is that from October 11th, people coming to Switzerland from non-EU /EFTA countries have to convert their health passes to a Swiss certificate and pay 30 francs for this service.

That’s because their QR codes don’t work in Switzerland.

People coming from the US, the UK and India will be among those obligated to make this change.

How Americans can get Switzerland’s Covid certificate with proof of US vaccination

How exactly the conversion process works when a foreign tourist wants to obtain a Swiss certificate, and how long the waiting times are, is still unclear at this point.

Nor surprisingly, Swiss tourism officials and ski resort operators are concerned that non-European tourists will be put off by the financial and logistical obstacles and ski instead in countries that have such a requirement in place — like France.

READ MORE: Can the UK’s NHS app be used in Switzerland?

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HIKING

Swiss Alps deaths involving foreigners reach a ten-year high

The number of foreigners involved in fatal incidents in the Swiss Alps reached a ten year high in 2023, a new report from the Swiss Alpine Club reveals. 

Swiss Alps deaths involving foreigners reach a ten-year high

According to the report, 114 people died in accidents in Switzerland’s mountains over the previous year, with 71 of them foreigners either visiting or living in Switzerland. 

Germans constituted the largest group with fifteen fatalities, followed by Italians with twelve fatalities and the Dutch with six. 

Three Britons and two Americans were also killed in mountaineering accidents. 

Over three-quarters of those who died in mountaineering accidents were men – eighty-two, as opposed to thirty-two women.

Read More: Why have so many climbers and hikers died in the Swiss mountains this year?

Those between the ages of forty-one and seventy were most represented in the statistics, with fifty-one incidents involving a fatality. 

Individuals between twenty and forty comprised the second largest group, with forty-five fatalities. 

Four individuals between the ages of ten and twenty also died in mountaineering incidents in 2023. 

Hiking is the most dangerous activity

Most of the fatal incidents involved hiking or high-altitude trekking – that is to say, requiring oxygen –  with exhaustion or the inability to continue, resulting in death before rescuers could attend. 

Over a third of all fatalities occurred in the canton of Valais, with forty-five incidents. Bern followed, with fifteen incidents and Grisons with fourteen.

Valais’ relatively larger size, position along the French and Italian Alps, and over eight thousand kilometres of hiking trails could help explain the high number of fatalities as recorded in the report. 

Similarly, the size of Bern and Grisons and the popular alpine resorts found there could explain their statistical significance. 

Read More: How to keep safe and avoid problems when hiking in the Swiss Alps

Warmer weather to blame

A press release accompanying the article points to unseasonably warmer weather as one contributing factor: “The beautiful weather attracted many mountain sports enthusiasts to the mountains. 

“This is reflected in the number of mountain emergencies and fatal accidents, which have increased in the summer months.”

Indeed, July and August were the most dangerous months for those enjoying mountain sports, with twenty-one and twenty deaths, respectively. 

Keeping the mountains safe

The Swiss Alpine Club, founded in 1863, has kept records of mountain incidents since its inception and publishes a report yearly to promote responsible and safe use of Switzerland’s alpine environments. 

The annual report breaks down the location, cause and background of those involved in incidents and identifies whether a successful rescue was carried out. 

Read More: EXPLAINED: 8 rules nature lovers should follow in the Swiss countryside

It draws upon the operational data held by mountain rescue organisations REGA, the Swiss Alpine Rescue ARS, the Cantonal Valais Rescue Organization KWRO, Air-Glaciers Lauterbrunnen and other institutions working across the country.

The Swiss Alpine Club’s 111 sections also maintain huts and trails throughout the country’s twenty-six cantons, promote mountain sports, and teach basic outdoor safety and first aid skills.

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