Was Switzerland Right to Keep its Ski Resorts Open? 11th April 2021
Last modified on April 15th, 2021
Switzerland took the controversial decision not to close its ski resorts back in December as other alpine nations shut theirs. It is now the final week of this very different season in the major resorts. We report in-depth from the Valais in Switzerland on how winter unfolded in this exclusive report.
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Switzerland kept its winter sports sector going, leading to accusations that it was putting the economy ahead of lives.
So, what has the ‘Covid season’ been like and to what extent did it protect the mountain sports sector of the Swiss economy?
Valais: nos suggestions d activités pour vous éclater lenouvelliste.ch - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lenouvelliste.ch Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ski class with Warren Smith, also head coach on TV show ‘The Jump’
There was no big fall or crash, just an over-stretched stop turn and the sound of my ACL - a major ligament in the knee - popping, a moment-in-time injury that was more linked to my gender, age, fitness level and poor technique than the terrain itself.
It quickly became clear to our guide that to avoid further damage to my knee, the only way off the mountain was by helicopter. I watched in awe as the pilot skilfully tipped the nose of the chopper into the side of the slope.
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Skiing spread coronavirus across Europe at the start of the pandemic. In Switzerland the slopes are full again
By Europe correspondent Linton Besser and Andrew Greaves in Verbier, Switzerland
Posted
SatSaturday 19
updated
SatSaturday 19
In Switzerland, where skiing is a way of life slopes remain open despite the pandemic.
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In 1875, in Airolo, Switzerland, grazier Giocondo Dotta strapped two planks of timber to his feet to reach cattle stranded by the snows of winter. Ever since, skiing has been at the centre of Swiss identity.
Key points:
Ski resorts were identified as major sources of infection across Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic s first wave