SkiStar is ready for a Coronavirus-adapted winter season: All destinations will be open before Christmas

SkiStar Hemsedal was first to announce that the resort will be opening for skiing on 11 December, together with SkiStar Trysil, and it's now also decided that SkiStar Åre, Sälen and Vemdalen will be opening during the week commencing 14 December (calendar week 51)*. After an intense autumn involving a close dialogue and a number of consultation meetings with local and national actors in healthcare and emergency services, as well as with the industry through the resort companies and with the skiing industry organisations in Sweden and Norway, SkiStar is implementing a number of safety precautions. The aim is to be able to offer a safe and secure stay this winter, taking care of both our guests and our employees. In recent weeks snow production has also hit top gear, and together with a lot of natural snow that has fallen in recent days and colder temperatures, this means that our ski resorts are ready to open for all our ski-excited guests.

"It's very pleasing to see such great snow conditions that mean we can finally open for our winter season and welcome all our guests. We've introduced a number of safety precautions to make things safe and convenient for you, our guests, everywhere from lift lines and heated shelters, to checking in digitally at your lodgings and loading your SkiPass. It's also extremely important that we all do our bit by following the safety precautions put in place by us and the recommendations of the authorities, as we all also have great responsibility as individuals," said Niclas Sjögren Berg, Operations Director, SkiStar AB.

To be out skiing in the fresh air is good for public health and people's well-being, and at SkiStar 84% of our lifts are also in an open mountain environment. Many of SkiStar's guests also arrive using their own car and stay in a cabin or apartment with family and friends, which helps guests to keep a physical distance from others outside their own social bubble. In addition, guests are advised to pre-book their SkiPasses, ski rental and ski school so as to avoid unnecessary queues and physical contacts.

"The season will be different this year, but we are taking responsibility and have done everything we can to adapt to the situation. We follow developments closely, not least the recommendations of the authorities. Our top priority this season is to offer our guests and employees a safe and secure environment, along with memorable mountain experiences and great skiing. We welcome our guests to holiday with us in the mountains this winter, but they must not take a holiday from complying with the coronavirus restrictions," said Stefan Sjöstrand, CEO of SkiStar AB.

* Opening in Sweden:

SkiStar Åre 18 December, all ski areas

SkiStar Sälen 14 December

SkiStar Vemdalen 14 December.

Detailed opening hours and open slopes will be updated continuously at skistar.com

As previously announced, following a government decision SkiStar in St. Johann, Austria, will be opening its lifts with a limited capacity on 24 December, but hotels and restaurants will be closed until 7 January.

Examples of safety precautions implemented by SkiStar in connection with Covid-19:

-Adapted lines systems: Special procedures will apply in order to optimise flows, reduce contacts between skiers/boarders and increase physical distancing and thus safety, including introducing an instruction to keep a pole's length apart in the lift lines.

-Increased space in heated shelters: Heated shelters will accommodate fewer guests and staff will be on hand to guide guests to the right areas. More space will also be provided in the form of tents.

-Moving activities outdoors: For example, all ski school activities will take place outdoors.

-Home delivery: In order to further reduce physical contact, SkiStar in Sälen – northern Europe's largest ski area, where SkiStar provides 14,500 beds – will offer home delivery of rented ski equipment to your holiday property. 

-Contactless handling of SkiPasses, digital check-in to lodgings and key features of the SkiStar app: Your SkiPass is easy to load via your mobile phone, and 80% of SkiStar's lodging properties are offering digital check-in and check-out this season. You can also use the SkiStar app to, for example, see when there are the fewest people on a lift, book a restaurant table or get information about when there are the fewest people in the supermarket. What's more, there's also a digital queuing system for ski rental.

-Flexible cancellation policy: Guests are being offered a flexible cancellation policy in order to give peace of mind for bookings, thanks to SkiStar's cancellation and booking changes insurance. You can always change or cancel your booking for a SkiPass, ski school or ski rental up until the day before your arrival/the first day of the booking.

-Special procedures for staff: Special procedures are being introduced. This applies to everything from staff housing, including quarantine accommodation in the event of illness, through special training for staff, to how employees working together should interact.

-Stay at home if you're sick: You are requested not to travel to the mountains if you have cold symptoms and you need to have a plan ready for how to get home safely should you get sick in resort.

All SkiStar's safety precautions can be viewed online at skistar.com/corona

All the news about SkiStar's destinations for winter season 2020/21

For questions from the media, please contact:

Petra Hallebrant, Head of Public Relations and Communications, SkiStar AB

petra.hallebrant@skistar.com, +46 280 841 60