Snowsport England are pleased to provide an update on proposals for the return to snowsport following the Prime Minister’s presentation on Sunday the 10th of May. The easing of lockdown measures in England have opened the possibility for snowsport to start again in England from Wednesday the 13th of May, so long as government guidelines around social distancing are followed and facilities are in a position to open.
We are working with and supporting facilities with plans for reopening and agreeing best practice guidelines to make sure it is safe for participation to happen. The key is that facilities have to follow government guidance and it has to be a decision locally on whether a facility should open or not.
Key areas to consider in any opening of activity
In promoting a return to Snowsport, Snowsport England strongly recommends the following;
To follow all advice from the Government and Public Health England in relation to Coronavirus https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Ski or Snowboard only with household members or up to one other person; Skiing and Snowboarding can take place alone, or with others from the same household, or with no more than one other person from outside of the household.
Social distancing; Skiers and Boarders must practice social distancing at all times and maintain a distance apart of at least 2 metres. People from different households should not travel in the same car.
Travel; Whilst travel to exercise is not prohibited, our strong advice is that any skiers and snowboarders should go to their nearest facility.
You should also follow these basic principles
- Stay at home if you are showing symptoms of C-19 or should be self-isolating from contact with someone suspected to be infected with C-19.
- If you fall within a high-risk group consider carefully if you wish to risk infection through joining others, even though it is outdoors and with special measures in place.
- Bear in mind that you may be asymptomatic and act accordingly, maintaining social distancing and be vigilant with hand hygiene when touching surfaces.
- Until better data is available, assume the virus is resilient outdoors and take measures to avoid transmission. In particular, use gloves or alcohol gel/wipes after contacting any surfaces).
The roadmap back for snowsport
In the coming weeks and months, it is expected that government restrictions will gradually be lifted and more activity will be able to happen. The speed and detail of this is unknown however we are in the process of putting to together a roadmap back to activity and further details will be produced shortly for members, coaches and facilities. From our current discussions the majority of outdoor facilities are looking to start reopening up beginning of July, although some might be earlier.
Please note these are all subject to current government guidelines and also restrictions. The current restrictions we are living with may ease or tighten in the future and you should refer to the government web sites for any developments
Further guidance
Full details can be found on the Government’s coronavirus website
Department for Culture, Media and Sport