After a failed first season
Swiss ski stations adapt to Corona conditions
Sliders are committed to wearing gags.
A.F.B.
In the cable car that leads to the ski station in Verbier in the Swiss Alps, where the crew puts on plexiglas masks, it seems clear that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed habits, just as it is in cities.
"The windows of the cabins are opened throughout the day, in addition to putting masks, using sterilizers, and taking into account social distancing, as part of a long series of preventive measures," said Laurent Fuchs, director of Teleferbier.
In Verbier and other ski stations, security forces stationed near the launch site of the "cable car" are keen to respect the rules of dealing with the spread of the Corona virus.
After a failed first season and the first wave of the virus killed it prematurely, last March, ski stations are counting on strengthening health measures and citizens' desire to give birth.
"The wearing of the muzzle has become mandatory wherever he is, except on the ski tracks in order to benefit from the fresh air," said former Olympic ski champion and head of the cable car companies in the canton of Valais, Didier Defago.
Despite the closure of restaurants in Verbier, customers of the region flock to ski at the beginning of the season, such as Ludovic Giguz, who wears a high scarf around his neck that reaches the nose to prevent the epidemic.
He tells the 40-year-old that the epidemic is hindering his projects, "but practicing skiing in the morning is acceptable," adding, "I feel safe."
However, ski resorts have managed to adapt to the situation, and muzzle wear prevails wherever it is, in closed cabins and in the open air.
Those in charge of these stations hope that the number of ski enthusiasts will increase, after the Swiss have visited the mountains in large numbers this summer.
The Swiss Wire Transport Association chose a slogan this fall: "We are all on the track".
"We are trying our luck on this level," reveals the director of "Teleferbia", who has lost hope in the influx of Asian and American tourists.
The stations hope that European tourists will come during the end of the year holiday, after the government withdrew most European countries from the list of quarantine that must be followed upon arrival, but it is not yet known whether they can leave their countries, such as the British, who used to flock frequently to Swiss resorts.
And due to the "Covid-19" epidemic, resorts this year can no longer earn a living from after-ski activities, and school camps banned by several cantons.
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