An increasing number of individual resorts and entire countries have announced that all employees at ski areas must be fully vaccinated against COVID 19 in order to be able to work this winter. In Canada and the US a growing number of individual resorts and resort groups, including the largest, Vail Resorts, have now mandated that stuff must be fully vaccinated in order to work there this winter.  In Canada ski areas around Banff have announced similar rules and Whistler is owned by Vail so the rule applies there too. In Europe, Italy has included that requirement in a list of rules agreed to allow ski area to re-open there this winter after being closed last season. All resort staff

Ben Lomond Snow Sports centre located on Australia’s southerly island of Tasmania has announced it expects to stay open in to October thanks to heavy snow forecast to blanket the region this weekend. The centre says that if the snow arrives in the quantities forecast it hopes to stay open to October 10th, taking in the island’s school holidays. Snowmaking before the snowfall Ben Lomond has had a mixed winter for snow cover with only beginner terrain and snow play areas open for periods so it appears that the best weather is arriving late in the day.  It has though stayed open through the winter. For large parts of August and September the island had the only ski slopes open

Several glacier ski areas in Austria are already open and welcoming international skiers again, but for the main season ahead the government is stressing skiers will be required to wear face masks indoors and on lifts and will also need to carry Covid-19 passes to use the ski lifts. However skiers will not be required to be vaccinated in the country where a sizable minority of the population appear to be resisting getting the vaccine. Stubai Skiers will instead have to show they have either been vaccinated, tested or have recovered from COVID-19 when they buy a lift pass. The news came at a government press conference at which it was stressed that winter 21-22 is on, after the country

Issued: 22 September 2021 By Patrick "Snowhunter" Thorne European Roundup North American Roundup Southern Hemisphere WORLD OVERVIEW We're now officially into springtime in the southern hemisphere, by both the astronomical and meteorological measures of the season. In the other half of the world, that means we're now in full-on autumn.So we have growing anticipation (along with some nerves after what happened with travel restrictions and lockdowns last season) in Europe, Asia and North America; while in the Andes, Australia and New Zealand, there's a real end-of-season vibe developing. The good news is that it has been snowing almost everywhere. The Alps, Australia, the Rockies and the Andes have all seen some decent snowfall over the past few days.It has not been

Arapahoe Basin ski area in Colorado has announced that all staff must be fully vaccinated in order to be able to work there this season. The resort, one of the world’s highest and often the first non-glacier area in the northern hemisphere to open for the season in late October or early November, says that right now about 90% of our staff are vaccinated. Its new rules are that of the remaining 10% all will have had to have had their second shot by 2nd November.  New employees will have one week from their start date to begin the vaccination process and six weeks to receive their final shot. “Managing Arapahoe Basin through the COVID era has been an extraordinary