The W Verbier has won the prestigious title of World s Best Ski Hotel at the World Ski Awards for seven years in a row. Jake Wallis Simons checks in. Read on to check out his verdict.
A sunny holiday weekend drew a crush of skiers to Austria’s slopes, with crowded lift lines and parking lots making a mockery of social distancing rules.
Switzerland’s successful season proves ski holidays will be possible next winter
Ski resorts in Switzerland were some of the few in the world to open this year – the rest of Europe can learn from their successes
In Zermatt, face masks had to be worn throughout the resort, including on chairlifts
This winter, Switzerland was the only country in Europe to open ski resorts all season, and to all.
In an unwavering act of defiance despite huge pressure from EU countries to close, the Swiss government remained steadfast and opened ski resorts at a time when other European nations were entering their second waves and locking down. At the start of the season, as Christmas approached, new contagious variants had been discovered, travel bans were being reintroduced and the World Health Organisation was urging caution – specifically to skiers.