The longing for the slopes seems to be great. Because sending the children to a ski course during the carnival holidays is currently difficult, not only because of the manageable snow conditions. The rush is great, most of Munich’s ski schools have long been fully booked. For some schools, the demand is even greater than before the pandemic.
Tanja Tegeder from Ski & Board Giesing says that after the disappointing 2020/21 ski season, many were rushing back to the slopes. This year there was even a higher rush than usual. But she admits: “Shortly before the holidays, the demand is always enormous, it’s not directly related to Corona.” The prevailing uncertainty during the past season regarding constantly changing corona measures and ski areas that were sometimes completely closed has turned into a need to get back on the skis.
Due to the Corona regulations, no courses have had to be canceled so far, but they have been moved from Tyrolean ski areas to Germany. The exact destinations are selected at short notice based on the snow conditions. The 2-G rule applies to everyone aged twelve and over, and masks are compulsory on the bus from the age of six. There are no restrictions on the number of participants. It could become more problematic if teachers canceled at short notice because they had to be in quarantine, for example. For the coming season, Tegeder advises taking care of courses for the youngsters at an early stage, ideally at the start of the ski season, so that you can also accommodate your children.
Because fluctuation is currently high, there are sometimes vacancies at short notice
“The children want to move outside and have fun being among people again,” states Uschi Gehring from the Munich ski school. The aim was to enable as many children as possible to take part in a course, but this turned out to be extremely demanding from an organizational point of view. Her tip for the carnival holidays: You should let yourself be put on the already very full waiting list. At the moment it can happen that participants have to cancel at short notice due to illness or quarantine. With a bit of luck, there will still be a place free.
Andrea Avrutschenko from the Alpina Ski School has not noticed any increased demand due to Corona. The upcoming holidays are always in high demand, but at a slightly lower level due to the pandemic. Nevertheless: “Everything is full here.” Speaking to parents, Avrutschenko realized that her ski school was no exception: “We weren’t always the first ski school to be called, it’s pretty full.” Her advice for parents is simple: just call and ask if there are any other options.
The longing for the slopes is not only reflected in the ski schools. The six courses of the Munich section of the German Alpine Club are also fully booked. “So far, almost all planned courses have been able to take place – but with a high turnover,” says press spokesman Markus Block. “Many registered course participants had to cancel due to a corona-related quarantine, the frequently changing corona regulations or other illnesses.”