BBC News
By Steven McKenzie
Published
image copyrightAngus Trinder
image captionCare and maintenance work continues at Cairngorm Mountain so the site remains ready to reopen - whenever the green light is given
Some of Scotland s mountain ski centres are having their best winter conditions in years while closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cairngorm Mountain, near Aviemore, has reported high quality snow on its slopes.
Glencoe Mountain said it was experiencing the best conditions it had ever seen for the time of year.
All of mainland Scotland, along with the Western Isles, are in lockdown to supress the spread of Covid and to help prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed.
Covid-19: Trial to mix different vaccines and Premier League stadium among jab sites
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1. Covid trial to mix different vaccines
Could mixing different Covid vaccines provide as good - or even better - protection than two shots of the same jab? A UK trial aims to find out, with more than 800 volunteers over the age of 50 in England to be given the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab followed by the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - or vice versa - four or 12 weeks apart. The aim is to provide more flexibility with the vaccine rollout and help deal with any potential disruption to supplies.
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Snowsports fans with season passes to Scotland’s ski resorts have been told they must wait until the end of the season to discover whether refunds are eligible following the Covid lockdown.
Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Edward Mountain has called on refunds to be made immediately following complaints by customers at Cairngorm Mountain, where 850 season passes have been supplied.
He said: “Season lift passes that were taken out in good faith should now be refunded.
“It is vital that Cairngorm Mountain looks after its customers for the long-term benefit of the business.”
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On the slopes, the overriding feeling is devastation. As resorts are laid waste to Covid-19, British ski instructors have been racing to beat a political flurry: Brexit. With the December 31 deadline approaching, hopefuls have had to complete a literal giant slalom within a fifth of the theoretical time it would take the world number one – equivalent to running a marathon in under two-and-a-half hours.
Dubbed the Eurotest, it’s a gruelling challenge. But it’s one that must be completed before the end of the year for instructors to earn the qualification to teach on European Union slopes, post-Brexit. That was until the final two exams of the year were scrapped because of the pandemic. With the next scheduled event not taking place until the day after the Brexit deadline, those who have dedicated their lives to a career in skiing face a future restricted to the British slopes – or the prospect of moving away from the sport altogether.