Daily COVID cases are generally on the increase and unfortunately Italy is no exception. The 7 day moving average at time of writing this blog stands at just over 2400 daily cases. Of the major European ski countries, Italy is currently the only one where quarantine is not required on return back to the UK, however these numbers mean we are now dangerously flirting with inclusion. We’ll wait for the announcement from the UK government on Thursday with bated breath.

We are still 2 months off the start of the season and almost 6 months away from Easter, the traditional end of the season, so a lot can and will change before we hang up our boots and tick off another season. Exclusion from the travel corridor now is not necessarily a bad thing and I remain hopeful that we’ll all be able to get our snow fix this year.

The Italian authorities were very good at getting a grip on this back in March and should the daily infections continue to raise in the short term, I’m confident that it will be brought back, albeit with increased restrictions. In fact today we have just heard that face masks will now be compulsory from 8th October for everyone, no exceptions.

Grant Shapp, the UK transport secretary, has also indicated that new testing will soon be available that will cut the current 14 day quarantine period. The government is hoping to elaborate further in the coming days.

We can only hope that we have an effective testing system in place soon which hopefully should free up international travel. If people wear face masks, regularly use the hand gel and practice social distancing we should be OK.

The big questions is should I book now or hold off? Booking early generally means that you can bag yourself a bargain. Crystal Ski are currently offering upto £100 off per person on a variety of accommodation in Sauze. They are also offering suitable guarantees to cover your booking. You can read more on that here https://www.crystalski.co.uk/covid-19-faqs/. We are also offering full refunds on any bookings made via our holiday extras page.

We are still waiting to hear what restrictions will be in place both on the mountain and in the village. Anything I say at this point will be purely conjecture. As soon as any announcements are made I’ll let you know.

Let’s end on a positive note. As I look out of my window on this sunny autumnal day I can see the wonderful sight of snow on the mountains above Sauze. We all know this year is going to an epic snow year don’t we…?